ok so my horse isn't litterally being eaten alive by them but he has these bald spots with like scabby scrapes and what look like just little nicks all over his belly, chest, up around his sheath and on the inside of his legs. He's a flea bitten gray, notorious for very sensitive skin. the vet told me to put zinc oxide on his belly until these go away. Has anybody ever heard of this or dealt with this?

 A friend has a horse that gets "sweet itch" in the summer. Sounds similar and is causd by an allergic reaction to bugs (I think?). You can get a flysheet for protection.

653439:

 A friend has a horse that gets "sweet itch" in the summer. Sounds similar and is causd by an allergic reaction to bugs (I think?). You can get a flysheet for protection.

Sweet Itch is an allergic reaction to the bites of Midge Flies.  My Arab is horribly allergic to Midge Flies, tick bites, you name it.

Yes, zinc oxide works really well, but during fly season be prepared to be an outpatient nurse to your gray horse on a daily basis

Every morning, before turnout, part of my battle against the bugs regimen is to take a 50-50 mix of diaper rash cream and hemmerhoid cream and run a line of it down my Arab's tummy line -------clear back and covering his belly button and the outer edges of his sheath.

WalMart's brand of diaper rash cream has the same 10% zinc oxide as Desitin does.  Their brand of hemmerhoid cream is half the price of Prep H as well

I have read on more than one forum that sometimes horses that are extremely allergic to bug bites are lacking in Magnesium.  I have a horse with Equine Metabolic Syndrome who is on 99% pure magnesium to help control his cresty neck.

Magnesium is water soluble, which means the horse's system will dump what it doesn't need, so I started the Arab on it two weeks ago.  He seems to have improved by about 50%, which is a lot considering if a bug even flies near him he breaks out

You can also use the diaper rash cream on your horse's nose to help prevent sunburn.

This year I also quit using chemical fly sprays, because anything that works burns -- especially in the private areas.

I have been using a 50-50 mix of Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV) and water.  I hand wipe all four of my horses, starting with their ears and faces first.  I fold a paper towel twice and use a clean one for each horse.

I have to refill the spray bottle before I start the fourth horse, because he drinks about one fourth of the bottle.  He sticks his tongue out and I spray - lol lol  Apple Cider vinegar is not a bad thing for a horse to drink --- just have to watch not giving them too much if they like it, so they don't get the runny bums.

Anyway, I have noticed five things by soaking The Boys with ACV/water:

1.  The little flea and no-see-um bites in their ears are gone.

2.  They don't seem to get near as bad cases of scratches as they did before.

3.  The ACV/water seems to really help in keeping the ticks off them.  I feed the Walkers garlic, but not the Arab because he had an ulcer incident three years ago, so I am pleased that the ACV/water is at least 90% efficient on him.

4.  If I soak them REALLY GOOD from the knees down, it seems to deter the bot flies by a HUGE margin.  I know bot flies don't land to lay their eggs, so the only thing I can think of is that the flies are not smelling or sensing livestock because they are soaked in vinegar - lol lol

5.  Their coats are really soft and their muzzles seem to not be getting sunburned as bad as last summer (they are all dark-skinned on their noses).

The only thing I don't like is that my gorgeous Liver Chestnut is bleached out some and I blame that on the vinegar, but I'll take it because he is my EMS horse and at least isn't getting stressed out by fighting flies and whatever else.

I apologize that I got slightly off your question, but all the issues are related.

So i discovered why his belly isn't healing up...i watched him get turned out the other night. Joe rolls and before he gets up he sits like a dog and rocks back and forth to scratch his belly. He rubs off all the zinc oxide that i put on his bellly so he is without it all night. Now i'm making trips to the barn at night and goign out with a flashlight to reapply the zinc so he'll have some on for the night after he's done his rolling =]

 But thanks for your tips, those are good tricks. I might try the apple cider vinegar.

 Has anyone mentioned giving him anithist (I think that's the name) - it's antihistamine for horse's allergies, and relieves itching and swelling. If you give him something like this an dhe is not itchy then all your hard work with the zinc oxide will be effective. Ask your vet or call your local horse supply store (maybe Statelinetack.com has it?).

Here's a fly spray recipe that's very good-you can mix up a batch and spray (dilute with up to 8 parts water), or sponge it on full strength to heal  irritated areas:

24 oz Avon Skin So Soft

32 oz witch hazel

1# epsom salts

You can do the math and make smaller quantities. Great repellent effect and also healing.

Hope it helps!

I want to try the ACV and water!  My husband has a MFT mare that goes nutty in the woods when bugs get around her.  She is a bombproof doll otherwise.

You also mentioned the magnesium for a cresty neck.  I had a mare with a cresty neck and her mane stuck up in the air!  A horse trainer said it was "probably a thyroid problem."  I got some powder from a vet (this was long ago, so it was cheaper then!) and within a week, her mane started to lay down. Her son was acting a bit too lethargic, and I thought this thyroid problem might be hereditary, so I got a vet to check it out. He took a blood sample and said yes there was a problem and I put the gelding on the powder.  Within a few weeks, I had a different horse!  He was ready to go, and finally I was able to take him on a competitive trail ride!

Just a thought...you might want to check out the thyroid on your crest necked horse. 

 

Betsy Kelleher

www.goduseshorses.com

653439:

 Has anyone mentioned giving him anithist (I think that's the name) - it's antihistamine for horse's allergies, and relieves itching and swelling. If you give him something like this an dhe is not itchy then all your hard work with the zinc oxide will be effective. Ask your vet or call your local horse supply store (maybe Statelinetack.com has it?).

Yes, from the sounds of things (rubbing his tummy on the ground), Tri-Hist might be in order until he gets healed up from this go-round.  Then the other things mentioned as preventatives should work.

Tri-Hist requires having the vet see him and it does work.

If you "own enough stock" at your vet's office and have known him/her for a ga-zillion years, maybe they will give it to you without the vet having to see your horse, once you explain what's wrong.  If not, it is well worth easing your horse's suffering and possibly getting cellulitis to have the vet out

Lots of horses have reactions to the stupid bugs.  I have not dealt with that exact problem but have had reactions to fly bites on a mare that resulted in big itchy welts; in fact she itched all over, and was rubbing against fences, etc.  I got a product called Genesis that is supposed to be for dogs, but my vet said to try it on her, and it takes away those welts really quick, as well as the itching.  It isn't cheap, but it is fast working.  I could not give her histamine stuff because of a prior colic surgery.  I tried it once and it dried her up and impacted her.  Had to have her tubed, etc. and then she was fine, but be careful about that, if anyone out there has a horse with prior colic surgery.  Don't see why zinc oxide would not be okay, if you can keep in on!  Lol!  Genesis is a liquid you spray on, so it it won't rub off, etc.

arabian girl:

I could not give her histamine stuff because of a prior colic surgery.  I tried it once and it dried her up and impacted her.  Had to have her tubed, etc. and then she was fine, but be careful about that, if anyone out there has a horse with prior colic surgery.  Don't see why zinc oxide would not be okay, if you can keep in on!  Lol!  Genesis is a liquid you spray on, so it it won't rub off, etc.

thats an interesting point about the prior colic surgery interfering with the antihistimines. Joe had a colic surgery in october and was on tri-hist for about a week when he got some hives that resisted to go away and he was fine. He's on antibiotics now (sulfatrim or somethign) and i've been hanging around the barn until all hours of the night to rub some cream on his belly. Cortizone first then zinc on top. the cortizone is releiving the itchies and the zinc is keeping the bugs out. There are some little hairs sprouting from the bald spots so i think were getting on the right track.

Glad things are getting better.  Cortizone is good stuff, too for that type of thing.  Yeah, I guess the histamine was very drying for my mare, and maybe interefered with some scar tissue in there.  It was weird but as soon as she was off it, got tubed, etc. she was fine.  Glad your horse didn't react to it!  Hope he keeps getting better; itches and hives are really annoying!

Try icthamol salve, (otherwise known as Prid, for humans).  Buy the horse kind, it's cheaper.  Plus, use it as a drawing salve.

It covers, soothes fly,bald spots, under the belly, usually around a whorl, repels flies, and heals.  A little sticky, but worth it, and it stays on!!!

I'm a newbe and read your answer for flies and such, sorry if I'm asking a dumb question, but what is ACV?  I have a white arab and use a chemical spray, is this harming her?  She doesn't act like it does.  It is the Phyanna (sp.) spray that works fantastic.

Really!  I never heard of using that before for such things; always heard it was good for drawing salve, but never to put on fly bites, etc.  Ya, it will stay on all right!  Lol!  Thanks for the info!

Hiya Jewel!  Welcome!  ACV is Apple Cider Vinegar; it has a lot of uses, one is supposed to repel bugs on the horses.  Some people add it to feed, too.  Horses seem to like it a lot.  Won't hurt your white Arab; I have a white Arab too.  At least in theory; he loves to roll, mud or dust, don't matter to him!  I have the best luck fighting flies, etc. with Endure and TriTec 14.  They work and they don't make a big mess on a light colored horse.  That and fly masks are my weapons of choice.