Allan

Other names of Sweet Itch are Queensland Itch, Summer Itch, Ventral Midline Dermatitis or Summer Seasonal Recurrent Dermatitis (SSRD).

You can detect Sweet Itch if you see these symptoms:

1. Severe itching
2. Hair loss
3. Skin thickening
4. Flaky dandruff
5. Weeping sores, it may have a yellow crust of dried serum

This is a seasonal disease, mostly appear from spring to autumn but may also be seen on winter. The cause of this disease is biting of a tiny culicoidesflies. The saliva of this insect makes an allergic reaction to the skin's horse.

These insects are like mosquitoes where they reproduce their eggs on stagnant water. Make sure that your horses are from marshy or swampy soil to prevent them to be bitten by these insects.

There is no cure for this disease but there are some products out there that could comfort your horses distress because of the itching.