Sweet Itch FAQ

1. Can sweet itch be cured?

Unfortunately, sweet itch cannot be cured. Therefore, the primary goal is to protect the horse from the allergy-causing stings and to alleviate the symptoms.

2. Can sweet itch be inherited?

Sweet itch as a disease cannot be inherited. However, susceptibility to allergies may be pre-determined with genetic predisposition.

3. When is the best time to turn my sweet itch horse out?

Ideally, you should turn out your sweet itch sufferer at times of day when there are the fewest insects around. Mosquitoes tend to prefer dim light and therefore prefer to be out at dawn and dusk. The best time of day for grazing is between 9 am and 4 pm. Alternatively, the horse can also be turned out at night. In this case, however, make sure to get the horse out of the paddock early so that it is not outside during the main flight time in the morning hours.

4. Why do the cases of horses affected with sweet itch seem to be increasing?

At first, it was the Icelandic horses that mainly suffered from sweet itch. In the meantime, however, there is no breed that cannot be affected by sweet itch. The frequency is increasing. It is not known exactly what the reason for this could be, but it is assumed that the new awareness of species-appropriate horse keeping and turnout that is becoming more popular as a result are leading to an increase in sweet itch. The negative environmental influences are also becoming more and more of a problem for allergy-prone horses.

5. Can I already do something for my sweet itch horse in winter?

In the case of sweet itch, prevention is definitely the best medicine. Sweet itch only breaks out seasonally. During the symptom-free winter, care should be taken to ensure that the skin and coat have the opportunity to regenerate from the stresses and strains of the summer. This is best achieved through skin care, sweet itch-friendly nutrition and species-appropriate keeping with plenty of exercise.

6. How can I tell if the horse has sweet itch when I buy it?

If you decide to buy a horse, you first want to make sure that the horse is healthy. When buying a horse, sweet itch can often turn out to be rather sneaky. For example, the symptoms appear almost exclusively in summer, while the horse appears healthy at first glance in winter. If you do not have the opportunity to postpone the purchase until the summer, you should in any case get to the bottom of the seller and explicitly ask about known diseases. In addition, a purchase examination by a competent veterinarian is a must. You can ask for a blood test to determine whether the horse is sensitised to insect allergens. It should be noted, however, that the blood test often does not provide a 100% diagnosis of sweet itch. The veterinarian can only give an estimate of whether the animal is susceptible to sweet itch or not.

From a legal point of view, sweet itch is a fault. Therefore, a blood test should be arranged, especially for horses purchased for use in sport and also for the known „risk breeds“.

7. Why is sweet itch so common in Icelandic horses?

Researchers have found that sweet itch is much more common in imported Icelandic horses than in animals born on the mainland. This suggests that it is not only genetic predisposition that causes sweet itch, but also environmental influences, nutrition and the way the animals are kept. More information on this can be found under point 1. „What is sweet itch?“ under the causes.

8. Is sweet itch contagious?

No, sweet itch is not contagious. It is an allergy to mosquito bites and the excessive immune response associated with it. As with humans, allergies are not contagious.

9. Does sweet itch also exist in other animals?

Of course, sweet itch is also found in other animal species. However, the cause is usually not the same as that of sweet itch in horses. There are also cats and dogs that have more skin problems in the summer. Mostly, however, parasites, mites or contact allergies, such as to grasses that flower in summer, are to blame for the development of eczema. If your pet is affected, you should definitely contact your vet.

10. Is there a type of hyposensitisation for sweet itch sufferers?

As is the case with hyposensitisation in humans, the horse’s immune system is gradually accustomed to the allergen that causes the allergy by administering it. This means that the horse is regularly injected with the allergen and the time intervals as well as the amount of the substance are increased. Sweet itch cannot be cured by this, but the symptoms will decrease significantly in most cases.

Please ask your veterinarian whether desensitisation is advisable for your horse. Only he can advise you in detail about treatment options for sweet itch and make concrete recommendations for the treatment.

11. Does every sweet itch horse need a sweet itch rug?

It is a fact that a sweet itch rug in combination with the application of fly repellents offers the best protection against mosquito bites. However, there are also summer sweet itch sufferers whose disease progresses relatively mildly during the acute insect season, so that sometimes it is not necessary to cover the horse with a sweet itch rug at all. If the sweet itch is not so severe, a conventional fly rug is often sufficient. You can find out how to find the right fly rug for your horse in our rug guide. You can also read more about fly protection in our guide.

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