The Curse Of Sweet Itch
Horse Shield Sweet Itch Treatment
People who care for horses that are susceptible to sweet itch often find themselves as unwilling slaves to the weather.
Horse sweet itch is a hideous allergic condition that is brought on by midge bites.
When the wind is blowing, or when it is raining, midges are unable to get airborne. Midges have to take to the wing in order to get their next meal – which in many cases is a helping of blood taken from your horse’s punctured skin.
Alternative to that, weather that is mild and humid is perfect for midges. In these conditions, midges can easily find horses and ponies and they will soon be biting into any unprotected skin. Saliva remains at the site of the bite and a minority of horses are unfortunately hypersensitive to this saliva which, in turn, triggers the allergic reaction that is the curse of sweet itch.
Blankets and face hoods are a frequent choice to help prevent the curse of equine sweet itch.
There is one major problem. A sweet itch blanket may still leave your equine charge with unprotected regions of skin. For instance, legs are prone to midge bites and cannot be adequately protected by using any commercially produced rug. Further, even the best fitting horse blanket can rub against and cause chaffing to your horse’s skin – and such chaffing is something that definitely needs to be avoided in any horse with sweet itch. Equine rugs may sometimes become cumbersome for your horse or pony when they are used in rainy conditions or if your horse sweats under the sun. Lastly, the usefulness of the blanket can be render next to useless if it has any tear or split.
Other horse owners depend upon midge repellents to try and persuade the midges that their equine charges are not to be tangled with. Manufactured in a variety of sprays, creams and ointments, insect repellents can greatly reduce the scourge of sweet itch. But, sprays may be difficult to apply if there is a breeze and some creams and ointments contain ingredients that can leave the owner’s skin feeling dry, chapped or just smelling, to say the least, unpleasant.
Some natural products that are believed to possess insect repellent properties have been tried by horse owners for decades with differing success rates. A few owners report that a specific wash formulation or specific foods can assist in the constant struggle against sweet itch. The best advice here is to seek out recommendations from those owners who have first-hand experience of using such methods. You should be aware of any potential issues, though. For instance, garlic is hailed by some as a very effective midge deterrent. Alternative to this, many people hold the opinion that garlic can stimulate your horse’s immune system – and when the root issue is hypersensitivity, further autoimmune stimulation is not what you want!
Thus, approach sweet itch and its treatment with all the care that you would employ for treating a human ailment. Never jump to rash decisions.
Horse Shield, details available at http://www.sweetitchtreatment.com, is a new formulation that offers a different approach to combating sweet itch. The silky consistency of the mousse and the nozzle applicator helps you apply it to the precise site of the sweet itch irritation even if there is a wind or not. Being water resistant, Horse shield has the property that it remains effective through rain and shine respectively. However, Horse Shield allows your horse’s skin to breathe and perspire naturally.
