Explaining The Causes Of Sweet Itch

Sweet Itch is an on-going concern for a large
number of horse owners. In northern Europe,
Sweet Itch poses a problem to equines during the
months April to October. Other regions of the
world may experience the same problems but at a
different time of the year.

Although the symptoms are varied and differ
greater in severity, Sweet Itch in horses is
nothing more than an allergic reaction that
causes unwanted skin conditions in equines.

Sweet Itch is primarily caused by the Culicoides
midge, of which there are numerous sub-species.
These midges bite into the skin and leave saliva
at the site of the wound that, in turn, may
induce an allergic reaction in susceptible
horses, ponies and donkeys. Indeed, because of
its all-embracing nature, the condition is
sometimes referred to as equine Sweet Itch.

There are some 20 different species of the
Culicoides midge, and each favours a particular
part of the horse's body to bite. Horses are
most vulnerable to bites at the tail head and
under the mane. In and around the head, along
the dorsal spinal area and the rump are also
popular midge bite sites. Other regions of the
body that are less susceptible but nevertheless
may be inflicted with Sweet Itch are the horse's
chest, belly and legs.

Other insects and flies may bite and induce, or
exacerbate already present, symptoms of Sweet
Itch.

There are simply hundreds of species of Black
Fly, but those belonging to the genus Simulium
are frequently linked to Sweet Itch. Indeed,
such was the pre-eminence of one particular
species of the genus Simulium in Blandford in
the Englisg county of Dorset that it became
known as the Blandford fly.

There are also a collection of other insects
that are suspected of prompting the autoimmune
system to overreact. The more prominent of this
collection include horse flies, horn flies,
stable flies and mosquitoes. However, it is
generally accepted that the Culicoides midge is
the main culprit.

The Culicoides midge breeds during the Spring
and Summer months and its level of activity is
dependent upon weather conditions. Like all
insects, the midge is cold blooded and is most
active when the temperature is higher. The midge
also needs pools of calm water, boggy areas or,
at the very least, moist conditions to complete
its lifecycle.

The ideal time of the day for the midges is from
dusk to dawn. The ideal conditions is warm with
little wind.

There is some good news, though. Many horses
never show any symptoms of Sweet Itch. The
autoimmune response of each individual animal is
different and some do not react to the bite
saliva at all.

It is the widely held belief that a number of
defined horse breeds are more apt to find the
Culicoides midge saliva allergenic than others.
Shires, Welsh ponies and the Hackney Horse,
dating from 14th century Norfolk, are just some
of the breeds believed to be prone. Sweet Itch is
generally accepted to be rarer in English
Thoroughbreds.

The less desirable news that few horse owners
wish to hear is that many horses do actually
succumb to Sweet Itch every single year.
Further, if the first symptoms are dismissed as
just a minor inconvenience, then that minor
inconvenience is liable to develop into a major
health concern.

Any horse, regardless of age, sex or breed can
develop Sweet Itch. Indeed, just as is the case
in people who suffer from an allergy, once a
horse's autoimmune system takes exception and
reacts to an allergen, it is highly probable
that it will never lose its ability to adversely
react to negatively that allergen.. That is not
the full story, though.

Once a horse has fallen victim to Sweet Itch, it
will not only likely suffer again and again in
the coming years, but also with each recurrence
the symptoms are liable to worsen.

A horse may fall under the curse of Sweet Itch
at any age, but most start to display symptoms
between the ages of 1 and 4. However, it is not
uncommon for an equine of 10 years of age or
more to start to display the classic signs of
Sweet Itch for the first time.

Owners should be aware that the physical
location of their animal can effect the presence
and extent of their Sweet Itch symptoms.

Stagnant water, marsh land, pools, calm ponds
and even the seemingly harmless water trough all
present the midge with the opportunity to breed,
so any horse in the vicinity of these are prone
to attack from the midges. It is widely thought
that midges have difficulty in flying more than
half a mile or so from their breeding sites.
Thus, if you maintain this distance between your
horse and any wet or moist locations, then the
threat of midge bites to your animal will be
greatly reduced.

Horse dung attracts flies and midges and some
owners claim it is beneficial to remove dung
daily. In any case, horse manure is an excellent
garden fertiliser and so its regular redeployment
to the vegetable patch can certainly do no harm.

The presence of cattle can encourage an influx
of midges and flies. Therefore, if practicable,
keep your horses well separated from other
livestock.

Gusty or windy conditions help to alleviate the
threat of Sweet Itch. In these circumstances,
the midges are hampered in swarming around and
landing on target animals. Thus, ponies, horses
and donkeys found grazing in sheltered fields
are more liable to the nuisance of Sweet Itch.

Finally, your horse's overall general health and
disposition may contribute to the onset of Sweet
Itch. It will not be surprising to learn that
many people believe that a stressed horse, or
one that is poor health, is more likely to
develop Sweet Itch in the first place.

Sweet Itch symptoms are usually obvious to
anyone observing them.

As Sweet Itch itself is nothing more than a
heighten sensitivity of the skin, it results in
confined areas of itchiness. Your horse will
attempt to diminish that itchiness by biting,
rubbing or scratching the affected area. The
signs that a horse has Sweet Itch are easy to
spot. Typical behaviour traits are continual
shifting and agitation, swishing of the tail and
tossing of the head. Repeated rubbing or biting
at the effected part of the body is another sure
sign of localised itchiness.

Repeated and prolonged rolling in the dirt is
another behaviour that could indicate that your
horse is suffering from pruritus.

Upon identifying symptoms, the owner should
definitely start treating the condition as soon
as possible. If the warning signs are ignore,
continuing and more serious health problems may
result. The horse may soon develop hair loss
with scuffed and broken manes. Other symptoms
include, mid-line dermatitis, bare patches on
the body, crusted skin with scabs, ulcerations,
skin lesions and open wounds. Without treatment,
secondary bacterial infections may set in. A
general increase in displaying irritability may
also result.

It is usually the case that, over the winter
months, symptoms in your animal may disappear
completely. However, this does not mean that
the problem is cured. With the arrival of
Spring, the symptoms will very likely reappear.

----------------------------------------------------
Peter Friswell understands skin care and the
various issues are discussed at the Derma Shield
website at http://www.dermashield.co.uk After
visiting a number farrier trade shows Peter
responded to the numerous requests he had
received by introducing Horse Shield to the
equine community.  Horse Shield has been
developed to combat the symptoms of Sweet
Itch.  Details of Horse Shield are at
http://www.dermashield.co.uk/equine-sweet-itch.html

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