Sweet Itch aka Queensland Itch aka Culicoides hypersensitivity is one of the most common skin problem in horses and is also the hardest to treat.  It is a horse owner's worst nightmare ! 

Sweet Itch is an allergy to insect bites. Mosquitos, black flies and no-see-ums have all been implicated as the cause of extreme itching and scratching which can lead to hair loss of at the mane,tail and belly, self trauma, and multiple open wounds with secondary bacterial infections. 

The saliva of these little blood suckers contains allergens that cause an intense itching. The horses will try to scratch on anything available to relieve the itch and in doing so can cause deep wounds and hair loss. Once the itching has begun, it is very difficult to control so preparation and prevention is key. The biological process is similar to hot spots in dogs which is caused by an allergy to flea bites. See my blog post about hot spots in dogs. 
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Why do some animals have allergies to certain things and some do not ? The answer is that allergies are cumulative. You may have a tolerance for pollen and cats and dust if exposed to any one of those things alone, however, if you encounter all 3 at once, your immune system will over react. You will be pushed beyond your allergy tolerance threshold, your body will release inflammatory mediators like histamine and cytokines that cause watery eyes, itchy skin, hives, sneezing, coughing and if severe, may constrict your airway.  The same is true in horses. They are exposed to lots of allergens in their daily life, mold, dust, pollen and bugs but when the swarms of biting flies emerge in the summer, they are pushed beyond their allergy threshold. 

​Recognizing the symptom is key. The photos below show advanced stage disease. ​

Let’s talk about prevention. Before the fly season begins you can prepare your horse and barn with some diet and lifestyle changes. 

1. Reduce contact with Insects

I know easy to say, hard to do. Most biting flies have a feeding pattern. Culicoides and gnats favor dusk and dawn while mosquitos are most active from dusk through early evening. Keeping your horse in the stable with a strong fan with plenty of fly spray may help. Fly sprays are short acting but can provide some relief. Some natural alternatives are Eco-vet and Repel which is made with Oil of Lemon Eucalypus. Gnats and no see ums are not strong fliers and will avoid the turbulence of a fan. When they do go out, fly sheets and face masks are a great help. 

To reduce the number of biting flies in your stable area you can reduce the breeding ground areas like stagnant water, long weeds and manure piles. A natural way to reduce emerging larvae is to treat ponds, streams and standing water with BTI aka mosquito dunks. Bacillus thuringiensis subspecies Isralensis, is a naturally occurring bacteria in soil. It produces toxins that only affect the larvae of mosquitos, blackflies and gnats. It is safe for all other animals, insects and plants and approved for pest control for organic farms. Spray BTI in ponds, use dunks in running water or drainage ditches. Make traps with bti in buckets of water with grass clippings or pulled weeds. Mosquitos and gnats will lay eggs there but they will never hatch. Goldfish and mosquito fish may be available from your county free. Dump water troughs every few days and some shell or gravel around the trough will prevent muddy puddles from becoming gnat nurseries. 

2. Reduce contact with other allergens

Mold and Dust are part of a horse's daily life. To reduce exposure, do not sweep or blow the barn aisle when horses are inside ! This is one of the worst things you can do to your horse's immune and respiratory system. Feed high quality hay and wet it down or soak it in a net for a few minutes before feeding. Do a full cleaning of the inside of the barn before allergy season. 
Inflammatory Foods processed foods and an unbalance ratio of omega 6 to omega 3 fatty acids tend to contribute to inflammation. Black oil sunflower seeds are high in vit E but have a high level of Omega 6. This ratio can be balanced to the ideal level of 1-4:1 (meaning approx 1-4 parts omega 6 to 1 part omega 3) by adding Chia seeds which are very high in Omega 3s.  

3. Increase your horse's allergy threshold
You can increase your horse's allergy threshold by increasing the levels of omega 3 fatty acids in the diet. As mentioned above, chia seeds are a great source of omega 3s and horses love them. Antioxidants can also help increase your horse's allergy threshold. Some foods therapy suggestions for horses are seaweed (kelp or spirulina), gogi berries, spinach, green tea, ginger and of course, Dr. Doug's favorite, turmeric. 

4. Avoid Immuno-stimulants
Vaccines stimulate the immune response to protect your horse from disease. Try to vaccinate early in the season before the emergence of biting flies. Killed vaccines and ultra purified vaccines do not cause as strong of an immune response as modified live and recombinant vaccines. 

So you have taken all the steps for prevention and your horse still has sweet itch. Now it is time to treat. Treat early in the course of the disease if possible when you first see the signs of hair loss and itching. 

The TCVM diagnosis is Wind (Itching) and Damp Heat (red crusty inflamed and infected skin) 

Acupuncture and Chiropractic Care can help reduce the itching and rebalance the immune system. To find a veterinarian trained in TCVM near you, search by your zip code at the Chi Institute page www.tcvm.com.

Herbal Therapy includes formulas to Tonify the Blood to stop itching and Clear Heat.

For Topical Treatment we recommend Dr. Ying's Sweet Itch Cream, a soothing blend of coconut oil, Chinese herbs and essential oils to relieve itching, soothe irritated skin, prevent secondary bacterial infection and repel biting insects.

We also have 2 herbal formulas to be given orally for Sweet Itch. The TCVM diagnosis from your veterinarian will help determine which is the right choice for your horse. 

Damp Heat Skin Formula or External Wind Formula can help relieve the itching and inflammation in the skin. 

Food therapy is a very important part of the treatment. As mentioned above, omega 3 fatty acids and antioxidants need to be included in the diet. Foods that Tonify Blood and Cooling foods can be beneficial. Apricots and dates Tonify Blood, Barley, cucumber and green tea can Drain Damp and are Cooling. 

So as you can see, sweet itch can turn into a mid summer nightmare for you and your horse. Do your best to prepare for the season and change the things you can control. You don't need to do them all. If you live next to a creek or if the barn manager refuses to turn the horses out before they blow the barn, well ok you have to live with it but at least you can add some food therapy treats or some herbs or sneak some BTI into your neighbor's pond to get you one step closer to a happier, healthier summer. 

Episode 295 : Turmeric Food Therapy with Dr. Doug English. 
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Australian Veterinarian, Farmer and Marathon runner Doug English has become a world leader in the use of turmeric to treat ailments in animals. His facebook group Turmeric User Group (TUG) has 250,000 members and his Turmeric life website is packed with informative articles and updates on his latest research. Listen in as he tells us about using turmeric in his practice, his current research and how you can become a part of his turmeric life community. 

TCVM segment begins at 28:30

Turmeric root, Jiang Huang or Yellow Ginger is a commonly used ingredient in Asian, Middle Eastern and Indian cooking. If you have ever eaten Tandoori, Curry, Satay or Singapore noodles, you have eaten turmeric. Turmeric alone is not spicy but it is usually mixed with spicy herbs and chili powder to give the dish a spicy kick. Food therapy principles for “Clearing Heat” are to use foods with Cold properties and then to Open the Exterior to allow the heat to escape. Curry paste, a blend of turmeric with cooling properties plus chili powder which causes you to sweat (open the pores) would be following these TCM principles. 
Many of our herbal formulas contain turmeric as a main ingredient. These issues all have a degree of Heat (inflammation and/or infection)  : 

• Golden Yellow Salve - topical formula for abrasions to combat infections and bruising
• Sarcoid Cream - topical formula to treat Sarcoids in horses
• Yu Jin San (Gold Jade Powder) - for Irritable bowel syndrome/chronic diarrhea
• Mume Powder - for Foal Diarrhea
• Liang Xue Jie du Tang ( Blood Heat Formula) to help control the crusts and erythema of Lupus
• Mu Dan Pi - for bleeding from the nose, subcutaneous bleeding or bleeding in the GI tract
• Lung Wind Huang - for Hives and swelling
• Xiao Huang San - for Cellulitis 
• ​Zhen Xin San - for severe anxiety (Fire and Phlegm Misting the Mind)

Incorporating Turmeric Root powder into your pet’s diet is a very good way to help control some of their most common ailments, like arthritis pain, itchy skin, diarrhea and anxiety. 

So how do you get started ? Read on for Dr. Doug's recommendations about preparing golden paste and dosages for pets and horses. For more info about Turmeric and to read Dr. Doug’s latest research, subscribe to Turmeric Life. 

Here is some great advice from Dr. Doug about using Turmeric as Food therapy for your animals. 

GOLDEN PASTE for - Humans - Dogs - Cats - Birds – Reptiles – Fish

We are all animals and turmeric benefits all !

Start humans and dogs at ¼ teaspoon 2 to 3 times a day, with food. Small dogs and cats 1/8 tsp. If your gut biota does not tolerate it, you will get some diarrhea. If ok, double dose every 3 or 4 days until you are at 1 teaspoon doses with food and 3 to 4 times a day.

To make Golden Paste (GP):

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup (125 mls/60gms) turmeric powder
• 1 cup water (250 mls) PLUS 1 cup water in reserve, if needed
• 2-3 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
• 1/3 cup of one of the following oils: coconut oil (raw probably best), Linseed (flaxseed), Olive oil, palm oil palm but any digestible oil will dissolve the oil soluble polyphenols – just that some oils are better than others regarding high levels of omega 6 fatty acids distorting the ratio of omega 3 to omega 6 which preferably should be 1:3 and not 1:23 like common cheaper seed oils.

Can add the oil now or later when consuming.
Place turmeric and water in pan, bring it to the boil then reduce to a simmer. Stir over gentle heat until you have a thick paste. This should take about 7-10 minutes. 

Or if you are adding turmeric powder to a stew, it is exactly the same as making golden paste and it will be assimilated into the food. 

Move from stove, let it cool down, add the pepper and oil at the end of cooking. 

​Preferred oils are coconut, olive. You do not have to add oil now because it can be added later when consumed. Some like to put it all together at preparation though.

Stir well (a whisk is ideal) and allow to cool. Ideally store in sterilized glass jar, or purpose designed plastic and refrigerate. 
Will keep for 2 weeks, refrigerated. You can freeze portions if you think you have too much and it will keep for a year, at less than 0 degrees C.

Horses 

Start slowly with 1 tsp of Golden Paste or dry powder.
Standard dose is 2 tsp of Turmeric Powder, 2 tsp Oil, 16 grinds freshly ground Black Peppercorns 2 times a day. 
Horses may or may not do better on GP and there is a lot of evidence that they assimilate dry powder very effectively. Being a herbivore it is a given that they digest plant matter much better than humans or dogs.
Maximum will be a half cup of GP or powder at any one time but good results are seen with a lot less and normally 2 teaspoons of GP or even 2 teaspoons of powder are sufficient.

For sarcoids at least a tablespoon of powder is needed once or twice daily.

Ruminants small and large ( goats, sheep, llama and cows)
These do just as well on neat turmeric powder because of their very efficient ruminal digestion. 1 teaspoon.

Chickens
They do very well on it: mix a ¼ tsp (or more if preferred) per bird into a small amount of grain. Pour boiling water to wet well, mix and sit for an hour. Feed out.