[pipparush]

Does anyone know where I could buy DeMeulenkamp sweet itch rugs second hand?  I am on a very low budget but have a pony and a donkey who get it very badly and need these rugs but just can't pay full price.
Can anyone help?

[Rosemary]

Don't know the rugs you're talking about by my boy has sweet itch and he has two Rambo hoodies (one to wash, one to wear). They're about 80GBP and seem to work fine for him. I looked at Boett but they were just too expensive.

Best cream I've found for sore bits is Nettex Itch Stop Salve. Smokey's face was bad last year and he won't keep a fly mask on - in fact a mask makes it worse. The cream cleared up the scabs in days and he stopped rubbing as well.

[SuzyJ]

Try Ebay - you never know what you might find on there, I've had some real bargains on horse rugs and other equine kit over the years.

[Hellybee]

Echo Rosemary.  I have an SI pony and she wears a Rambo hoodie in the summer, lovely tough material, soft inside.  I also use stop itch salve from nettex. she s still in her winter rug at the mo and not got a mark on her,  where she is rather brisk too, and not near any big expanses of water well yes there is the sea about 4oo ft below, lol, but nothing more than that, which should also help when the little blighters come out.  i also give her some marmite as i ve read that its got the b vits that the SI pony is deficient in.  Just a thought

[Rosemary]

I've been told to try Brewers Yeast for the same reasons as Marmite. The supplement I gve him is BY, seaweed and linseed but I've been advised to up the BY.

I'm kind of hoping the cold weather will have killed the little b*ggers and we'll have a good year. And maybe the east coast will be better. He doesn't mind his rug but I do feel a bit sorry for him all happed up in summer.

[Jakebob]

Just caught up with your thread, have you tried pig oil and sulphur mixed together? The (special sweet itch) midges are not fond of this! We use it on our Clydesdales for mites, mud fever etc.

[lilac-unicorn]

dont mean to sound thick, but whats pig oil please?   

[juliag]

Bet I cant spell it now, but I used to use benzole benzoate on a pony with sweetitch, bought from the chemist in 1 litre bottles, very cheap. As long as I remembered to put it on regualally you would never have know the pony had sweet itch. If mane and tail were very rubbed this would stop the itch and you would have a mane and tail again in a matter of weeks. Not sure if you can get it now but we just used to ask for it over the counter as advised by our vet. Very strong though and dont rub your eyes after using it!!! 

[Daisy]

Pig oil is a light mineral oil, it is not made from pigs as some people have asked.

You could try neem oil, it's good at keeping beasties away and helps to heal any sores

[juliag]

 
http://www.sweet-itch.co.uk/management.html
http://www.chemistonline.co.uk/benzyl-benzoate-25-application-c-197-p-8413?gclid=CJLBk5iz56ACFd1r4wodGTJKHg

All I can say is this is incredible stuff and most of the expensive treatments you can buy at the saddlers have this as their active ingrediant. My vet told us to buy this direct from the chemist as it would be much cheaper. It seems to completly remove the itch and manes and tails grow back quickly but you must keep putting it on every day if not twice a day. Do not let children near it and it really is not nice if you rub your eyes after putting it on (as I have found out several times to my cost).
Hope this helps 

[juliag]

oh the second link to the chemist on line is actually suggesting its use for horses /ponies with sweet itch. Not sure about the rugs etc but this will definitley sort it out!

[Rosemary]

I used benzyl benzoate for Smokey the first summer he had sweet itch and it brought his skin up in huge welts. I couldn't get near him if I had the bottle in my hand. So if you're going to use it, take care that your horse isn't allergic to it.

I used Nettex Itch Stop salve last year - his face was a bit of a mess and within 24 hours, the scabs ahd gone and the hair was ggrowing back. It was amazing. It was so nice to have a horse with a white face again.

[juliag]

Hi , yes I havent had any problems with Bensol Benzoate but I guess it would be sensible to do a skintest first. If your horse is ok with it, it works a treat and is a fraction of the price of most other products.

[Hardfeather]

It's important to get the rug on early enough in the season to prevent the pony from being bitten at all. I know the Rambo sweet itch hoodie rugs are good and, at £80-£90, are less expensive than some.

I use 'Click' which is for fly control on sheep. It gives protection for up to sixteen weeks when used on the manufacturer's recommendation (for sheep). It's probably not licenced for horses, but I haven't had a bad reaction yet. It leaves a pink or blue stain for a week or so, but that fades.

[kalsi4654]

Only trouble with rugs like the Rambo Hoody is that for many horses, they simply don't offer enough protection. There's nothing to protect between the front legs, and the belly piece is not that wide, plus midges can get under the rug around the legs as there's no elastic.

I'm the UK DeMeulenkamp rug dealer (the DeMeulenkamp sweet itch rug is a less expensive equivalent to the Boett) but we also stock the Pagony, an excellent economy rug which is the same design as the Boett, but only £69.50 plus p&p for all sizes. Have a look at http://www.solva-icelandics.co.uk for details.

Mic