Sweet Itch: The deets.

I always joke that Red is like an awkward teenager going through puberty. I compare his sweet itch to acne, his hilarious whinny that is sometimes high pitched and sometimes very deep to the voice changes that a boy would experience, and yes, there are more symptoms. Not to mention that Red is turning 13 this month and he'll actually be a teenager. ;)

Anyways, this post has a point, I swear. A lot of people have asked me on what I buy for the awko teenaged horse-boy and how I keep it from getting too bad, so, I thought I'd make a nice list on all of the products I've used before, what's worked, what hasn't worked. Starting with the obvious...

1. MTG.

My true love.

Pro's of this product:

• It. Works. Hair starts growing within a day or two, guaranteed.
• It prevents scarring. Obviously, this depends on how awful and disgusting this wound is and how quick you start using it, but if anyone remembers when Spirit somehow impaled his shoulder with something and we were positive it'd leave a nasty scar, MTG came in and saved the day. No scar at all and his hair grew back within like a week. They shaved almost all of his neck and shoulder.

Cons of this product:

• It smells. It smells like really strong bacon grease and if you get it on your hands or clothes, you will smell like MTG for at least 5 other washes, no matter what kind of miracle soap you use.
• It stains your hands. Moral of this story, wear rubber gloves. ;)
• Some horses have reactions to it, so you must test it carefully first. Like any other product, it could irritate your horse. It's recommended to use it on a small area first and watch that area before bathing your horse in it, haha! So far, my ultra-sensitive horse hasn't been irritated by it.

Details:

Typically cost's anywhere from $10-$15, which is completely worth it IMO. You don't have to use a lot of it when you do use it, typically a couple of drops does the trick. I've had one bottle since last Summer and it's still over halfway-full, and believe me, Red get's it almost every day.

2. Horseman's Dream Anti-Fung-Away 

 

Pro's:

• For hair growth, it works just as good-if not better-than MTG. It's quick and effective.
• You can use it for other animals! Yay fellow farmers. ;) (I've actually used it on a goat before...)
• It doesn't smell like bacon and doesn't stain your hands.

Cons:

• It irritated my horse after 3 uses. :/ I can use it, I just have to switch products when I do to make sure it doesn't irritate him.
• The price. Ouchy.

Details:

This product is actually pretty great other than the fact that Red is sensitive and can't handle any product other than two things longer than like 2 uses. Hair grows really fast, but it IS expensive. I would say it's worth it and I would continue to buy it if Red needed it this year. I got the normal sized bottle for $20 4 times last year because I was using it into Winter.

3. Skin-So-Soft Recipe 

There are several different recipes, meaning you can switch it around and change things if you need to for your particular horse. I use this one:

U.S. Forest Service Bug Spray Recipe

1 cup water

1 cup Avon Skin So Soft Bath Oil

2 cups vinegar

1 tbs. Eucalyptus oil (found in health food stores)

Optional: few tablespoons of citronella oil

Shake spray bottle well before spraying on horse, human or dog! 

Pro's:

• It works just as great as expensive, store bought fly sprays.
• It smells stinking amazing.
• It's CHEAP.

Cons:

• I literally have no cons. Some people have said that it doesn't work as well but they either have insane bugs or aren't following the recipe. 

Details:

When I used store bought spray, it caused Red to lose hair EVERYWHERE and even have some hives, no matter what brand I used. The flies continued to bug him occasionally even after I used the sprays but this spray works perfectly for us. We've started using it for all of our horses and all of them have done well with it! I can use it on my sensitive pony so that's enough for me. Not to mention it's cheap, leaving room for other products.

4. Listerine Recipe.

Like the skin so soft recipe, there are different ones. This is what I use. It's very complicated. ;)

Mix half and half with water and listerine mouth wash. 

Done. ;)

Pros:

• It keeps sweet itch away! I start using it a month or so before bugs start coming out and it keeps him from itching. 
• Also works similar to a fly spray if you spray it when bugs are being annoying, haha!
• Cures rain rot.
• WAY cheaper than the other products and it works way, way better.

Cons:

• Some horses do have reactions, so like every product, start using it slowly. Try it on one small area like you would with MTG and wait to see how the horse reacts.

 Details:

This recipe is literally a life saver for me and my horse! Enough said. ;)

5. SWAT.

 

 

 Pros:

• Keeps away flies while protecting/healing wounds.
• I've heard that it also prevents scarring but I haven't seen that happen in person.
• The price isn't bad at $8 each.
• It lasts for awhile.
• It's great for sensitive horses.

Cons:

• I honestly don't have any!

Details:

I started using this last Summer when Red's tail was in horrible, horrible shape. I would wrap his tail and put this under the wrapping, changing it 1+ times a day, it helped make his wounds more comfortable and also made the bugs run away. I put some on his face as well to keep his face from losing too much hair. It's never irritated him, so great for teenaged horse-boy's with sensitive faces. ;)

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Next post will be about the actual "disease" and how you know your horse has it. :) Stay tuned, so exciting.  


(ALSOOOO Happy Birthday to me and my two best friends!)