1.What is sweet itch?
Sweet itch is an allergic reaction. Allergic reactions are a result of malfunctioning of the immune system. This allergic reaction is caused by the bite of a mosquito (culicoides).
When biting the horse, these culicoides eject a small amount of protein into the horse, causing the horse's immune system to react ''exaggerated''.
The sweet itch as well as the resulting itch occur where the mosquito has stung. It is just like a normal mosquito bite by humans, an itchy bump develops. We react to it by scratching. The scratching by horses can even lead to a stage that all hair/fur disappears and that leads to wounds. This can cause infections. Sweet itch can occur to young and older horses.
2. When and where does a horse suffer sweet itch the most?
The "sweet itch season" can already commence directly after the winter months and can continue until just before the winter. A horse suffers sweet itch the most during dusk and dawn. In that period of time the culicoides are most active and the risk of being bitten is then at its highest. Furthermore there are certain weather types which the culicoides love or not loves.
What culicoides love: Culicoides love warm and humid weather, especially a shower with the sun afterwards. The mosquito reproduces in mud and dung heaps. A muddy paddock and manure in the neighbourhood can therefore cause a risk.
What the culicoides do not love: The culicoides do not love dry and warm weather. Nor does he like hard wind (they are bad flyers). Therefore, the mosquito appears especially in woody, protected areas, where they are not touched by the wind and the sun so much.
The culicoides are bad flyers . Culicoides are very little, they are bad flyers (each flight is only a few meters) and they cannot crawl very well. This is the reason why they like to stay around forests and bushes.
By some people the protein that is found in grass can also be seen as a cause of sweet itch. This however has not been proven as yet. Very important: a horse can not only life on extra nutrition food, he needs rough food all day (by means of hay, silage ore grass).
3. Are there any solutions against sweet itch?
There are various fighting methods;
- food supplements
- alternative medicins
- regular medicins
- keeping the horse inside
- sweet itch blankets
The effectiveness of food supplements and alternative medicines has not been proven. Food supplements may even exacerbate any allergies. However, if a horse has a shortage of certain nutrients, food supplements may have the desired effect.
Conventional medicines may be effective, but some medicines may have undesirable side effects.
Keeping the horses inside during sunrise and sunset protects the horses during the times of the day that mosquitoes are most active. Covering the horses in a sweet itch blanket during sunrise and sunset provides an even more significant improvement in preventing sweet itch.
Sweet itch blankets
Wearing a sweet itch blanket protects most of the horse's skin against insect bites. The fewer bites, the lower the chance will be that the horse contracts sweet itch. Sweet itch is caused by the bite of the culicoid fly, and wearing a sweet itch blanket protects the horse against culicoid bites.
Most veterinarians and horse owners consider sweet itch blankets to be the best prevention against sweet itch.
There are a number of reasons for this:
- There are no side-effects, as is the case with medication.
- User-friendly.
- The method has been tested and proven to work.
- Past experience has provided very many positive results.
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Acknowledgement of sources:
these questions have been answered by Floor Wempe on the basis of various scientific articles on Sweet Itch on Icelandic horses.