mangey looking horse

[fimacg]

and what is worse it is one one mine!!!

Poor Brave is always sensitive to fly bites and is routinely turned out in fly rug, full face make and at the moment a grazing muzzle (how much can one horse wear) but this year seems especially bad.

He came in at the end of last week looking like he had walked through a barbed wire fence with open sores on his back legs (and he wasn't turned out like that in morning) any patch of skin not covered by the rug was thoroughly bitten and had a crusty scab - think sweet itch, which I think this seems to be heading towards not that he has suffered from sweet itch before. He even had bites through his rug.

I think the long grass is making it worse but currently waiting for 2 fields to be topped and one made into hay... but I'm at the mercy of ther weather and the farmers to do this, and as the area is small I'm at the botom of the list!

so from today management is changing they are going ut at night and in during the day, have bought some fly free supplement to feed him on top of his garlic ration (whether that will work I'm not sure but worth a go) and we will see what happens.

I've also sprayed his fly rug with deet!

Any other suggestions would be gladly recieved

[spotti]

Oh poor old Brave. Hopefully he'll feel better being out at night instead, and like you say, maybe the long grass isn't helping.

I hope he feels better soon!

[brigadier]

The skin so soft spray seems to work for scottish midges on me when nothing else has.

[scattymare]

Poor Brave. The night time turn out should help a lot. Also echo Brig that Skin so soft is great - though do a patch test first esp as he is sensitive - Sancy was allergic to it and came up in huge welts!!

[solomon]

Sorry to hear this. Pete is bite city! They are in now for a sleep and a rest from the flies.

[rainbow]

Some one on my yard has recently put her horse on Antihistamines (sp) He is a big 17hh+ fresian and has him on 3 tablets a day. The change in him is quite unbeliveable to be honest. He still has a bit of a stratch but nothing quite as intense. She also gives him Vit b complex as this is suppose to help to.

She goes for the cheap none drowsy ones, you just got to play around with the does till you get it right. Hope that helps.

Oh and was cleared by the vet that it was worth a try.

[fimacg]

hmm, might be worth a chat with the vet

[solomon]

I asked my vet about this and he said they don't work on horses. Glad to be proved wrong though.

[haffyfan]

Have heard of people using the cow tags (plaited into mane) but you get conflicting advice on them regarding horses so never gone down this route.

Murph usually suffers but it's been too hot to use fly rugs this year to date (once overnight only) but he's not been too badly bitten at all...no swellings to date. The only thing different to normal is he's been having access to a garlic lick, which he uses a lot!!



It's the Supalyx garlic by Rumenco...they are considerably cheaper than horses lyx too! Get them from CWG but I should think most livestock feed places will stock them (or be able to) as they make the cow and sheep licks

[ceej]

sudocreme on the patches where it cannot be covered by the rug? My friends horse is the same - raw around her back legs whats is it this year!

[spotti]

A friend of ours at the old yard had a horse who used to get really big lumps all over his body if he got bitten by a fly. He hated wearing a fly rug so she used to give him Piriton (about 4 a day I think) and he was tonnes better...no lumps, hardly any scratching and generally a much happier horsey . (I think she must have cleared this with the vet because she suddenly got massive bulk packs of Piriton, which I imagine only medical people could get hold of).