Sweet Itch Symptons

Sweet Itch or Queensland Itch is a skin condition caused by an allergy, or hypersensitivity, to biting insects. Small bites lead to intense itching, rubbing and self-mutilation.

If left untended, what started off as a simple insect bite can result in on-going health complications.
Your horse may soon develop hair loss with scuffed and broken manes, flaky dandruff and thickening and wrinkling of the skin. Other symptoms include, mid-line dermatitis, bare patches on the body, crusted skin with scabs, ulcerations, skin lesions and open wounds. Secondary infections may then occur. Weight loss and a general irritable temperament can follow.

The top of the tail and the mane are most commonly affected. The neck, withers, hips, ears and forehead, and in more severe cases, the mid-line of the belly, the saddle area, the sides of the head, the sheath or udder and the legs may also suffer.

 

The signs that a horse has Sweet Itch are easy to spot. Typical behaviours include, restlessness, mood changes and impatience. Horses might pace constantly, shaking their head and swishing their tail. The horse will also incessantly rub themselves against fences, trees, sheds and other hard objects.

 

 

 

The animal may roll frequently and seek excessive mutual grooming from field companions. When kept behind electric fencing with nothing on which to rub, sufferers may scratch out their mane with their hind feet and bite vigorously at their own tail, flanks and heels. They may drag themselves along the ground to scratch their belly or sit like a dog and propel themselves round to scratch the top of their tail on the ground.

There can be a marked change in temperament. The horse might become lethargic and yawn frequently or they may become agitated, impatient and, when ridden, lack concentration. When flying insects are around he may become agitated and repeatedly shake their head.

Diagnosing Sweet Itch is not usually difficult - the symptoms and its seasonal nature (spring, summer and autumn) are strong indicators. However symptoms can persist well into the winter months, with severely affected cases barely having cleared up before the onslaught starts again the following spring.

Horses that develop Sweet Itch usually show signs of the disease between the ages of one and five and it is common for the symptoms to appear first in the autumn.

There is anecdotal evidence that stress (e.g moving to a new home, sickness, or severe injury) can be a factor when mature animals develop Sweet Itch.

Hereditary predisposition may be a factor in Sweet Itch, however, environmental factors play a major part - where the horse is born and where it lives as an adult are at least as significant as the bloodlines of its sire and dam.

Sweet Itch is not contagious, although if conditions are particularly favourable to a high Culicoides midge population, more than one horse in the field may show symptoms.

Before embarking on treatment, make sure the horse hasn’t got rain scald, which is also associated with long periods of wet weather.