Urgent question about gnat allergy?

Question

My horse has recently developed a akin allergy to gnat bites. I relocated him to a farm situated on a floodplain back in May, and it is basically a swampland. Within the last month he has developed itchy, flaky skin between his elbows and on his sheath.

For this reason and for other reasons, I am relocating him to another farm out on high grounds (100+ acres of rolling pasture). I have had him boarded in similar quarters for the entire 5 years i have owned him and he has NEVER had this skin problem until we moved to the floodplain.

QUESTION: Will this skin flakiness continue and will he still have this gnat allergy, or do you think it will subside when we move?

Answer 1

When you move, the allergy should subside if he's not getting bitten by the gnats.



I took care of a mare with a very severe gnat allergy and created a very successful regimen that kept her cleared up and happy.



1. When you first start treating, wash the affected areas every day with water and shampoo, and scrub with a soft jelly scrubber. Dry well with vigorous rubbing with a towel (this is where your horse will really appreciate you, lol). After about a week, a lot of the scabs will be gone and will be a lot less irritated (a lot of the irritation comes from the scabs pulling on the hairs).

2. Apply copious amounts of Tea-Pro Wound Spray http://www.smartpakequine.com/productclass.aspx?productClassid=280 enough to soak down to the skin; rub it in if you can. It can be expensive to use so much, but it provides immense relief. And it smells good :)

3. Apply globs of Tri-Care wound ointment on the affected areas. http://www.smartpakequine.com/ProductClass.aspx?productclassid=3496&cm_vc=Search Rub it in very well, your horse will appreciate it!

4. Follow up with globs of Swat. You can even mix up a tub of the Tri-Care and Swat together, you'll be using a lot of it.

5. Douse the rest of the horse in fly spray.

6. Top off with a fly sheet with a belly band that fits close to the skin.



Tips: The ointments will attract dirt. After the first week or so, if there is still ointment on the horse the next day, it's okay to leave it on, because it's providing a barrier from the bugs as well as dirt from the wounds. You can go down to just hosing off or wiping off with a washcloth every other day or as needed. When the scabs are healed, you will just need to slather on Swat, fly spray, and put on the fly sheet.

Answer 2

I rescued a horse this July who has the same problem. He was bought at auction and sent off to a summer camp where the horse barn is located between a stagnant pond and a river. Within one week the horse had open bleeding sores all over his belly and face. The flies were awful, but no other horses had problems like this. So I know this horse had a true allergy to the knat bites.



I ended up buying this horse because I felt sorry for him. The people who rented him to us also forgot to mention the fact that he was barely even broke to ride! Anyway, he's doing great now and all his hair has grown back.



Here's what I did:

1) Use lots of fly spray. Doesn't work all that well but can't hurt. You can also try the gel fly sprays or SWAT on his belly. This worked OK for me but not great.

2) Keep the horse in the barn with 1 or 2 very powerful fans blowing on him. Knats are weak fliers, so they don't like wind. Only turn him out at night. This helped a LOT!

3) Buy a fly sheet that covers his belly. This is the best answer. Still use fly spray on the areas the fly sheet doesn't cover. I bought a fly sheet with the fly repellent fabric (yes, the fabric actually has insect repellent in it) that covers almost his entire belly. It helps a LOT!



If it gets really bad talk to your vet about starting your horse on a course of steriods. You might need to do that for a short time just to get him "over the hump" while he starts to heal. Good luck, and know that your horse will appreciate having such a caring owner!

Answer 3

I think you are talking about sweet itch. The allergy to midges or the little gnats you can't see. They are the worst in the morning and evening (dusk). Noone every believes me but I am a professional on sweet itch. My darling mare gets scabs all over her belly and I went crazy trying to stop it. First I tried fly sprays. Nothing worked even the ones that said they were for midges. I tried swat it was expensive (I had to use so much) and it didn't work. Finally I tried Neosporene and it worked. I couldn't believe it. I had only used it just to clear up the terrible sores but it kept the midges away. I later found out this was not because of the medicine but because the little midges cannot bite through the petroleum base of the ointment so I just went out and bought some cheap vaseline from the dollar store and now I put a light coating on all the spots the midges seem to bother and no more sores. Its amazing and it clears up in only days. What can it hurt to try it. You will be amazed.

Answer 4

use anti itch goat shampoo, my mare used to do the same thing and it helped her stop itching at the irritated spots. It helped get rid of the itch. Also put some swat on him so the gnats cant get to his skin in the irritated spots.