# Fresh Garlic against Sweet-Itch



## majca1 (Feb 13, 2012)

Do not feed garlic for sweet itch. It stimulates the immune system. Sweet Itch horses already have an over active immune system. The best thing to feed is good quality brewers yeast. 25g per day every day for every 450kg of horse. Shampoo before the midges arrive with surgical shampoo and apply Nettex Itch Stop salve to all previously affected areas.


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## walkinthewalk (Jul 23, 2008)

*Don't feed fresh garlic, period.*

*IF* a horse is going to develop anemia from garlic, it is the allicin in RAW garlic that's going to cause it.

I have been feeding powdered equine garlic, seasonally, for tick control since 2004.

It is 85% efficient for ticks, not-so-much for flies which, sweet itch is caused by the bites of Midge Flies.

Increased Vitamin E can help.

Change of diet can help because certain feeds will permeate thru the skin, in turn, attracting all sorts of flies.

I have read on other forums that folks have fed their horses really massive doses of Vitamin A. However, it stores in the liver (Vitamin E does not) and can become toxic, so I won't use it.

My Arab has always had a terrible time with sweet itch. Changing his diet helped.

Worming him twice (two weeks apart) with a full tube of 100% pure Ivermectin helped; he's 13.3H & weighs 840 lbs., so a full tube of wormer was 1-1/2 doses for him. Bigger horses have been double-dosed.

Slathering his belly line every day with diaper rash cream helps because the flies can't land on him thru the diaper rash cream. It stays on all day.

Hope this helps


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## mls (Nov 28, 2006)

I would like to add that feeding a horse garlic makes it smell like garlic. Maybe not a big deal for some but for those of us with sensitive noses and stomachs ...


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## Foxhunter (Feb 5, 2012)

One of the best thing for sweet itch is Neem Oil.
If you mix 5 ml of pure neem with 3 ml of liquid soap and add 1 litre of hot water and swab that over the horse with a sponge. 
Insects hate neem and will keep away.

WARNIG - Neem does small not so nice but the smell wears off after a while.


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## walkinthewalk (Jul 23, 2008)

Foxhunter said:


> One of the best thing for sweet itch is Neem Oil.
> If you mix 5 ml of pure neem with 3 ml of liquid soap and add 1 litre of hot water and swab that over the horse with a sponge.
> Insects hate neem and will keep away.
> 
> WARNIG - Neem does small not so nice but the smell wears off after a while.


Something else I've never heard of, so I looked it up - lollol

That looks like some great stuff! I hope the "Old People's" health food store carries it - I don't care what it smells like, long as it works


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## SueNH (Nov 7, 2011)

You can usually find Neem in the organic gardening section at feed stores. I hadn't thought to try it on the horses. I have used it on my plants.


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## hoopla (Jan 29, 2012)

Garlic can act as an anti-coagulant but more pressing and relevant is that it won't do anything at all to prevent sweet itch.


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## rambo99 (Nov 29, 2016)

@jaydee another zombie thread resurrected.


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