Ointments Help Horses with Bug Bite Hypersensitivity

Regular application of a topical ointment might help horses suffering from insect bite hypersensitivity.
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The results of a study conducted by a group of researchers from the Netherlands suggest that regular application of a topical ointment–medicated or nonmedicated–might provide some relief to horses suffering from insect bite hypersensitivity (IBH).

Robin van den Boom, DVM, an assistant professor in the department of equine science at the University of Utrecht in Holland, and a group of colleagues recently completed a study in which they compared the results of treating horses with IBH using either a medicated plant-based (phytogenic) ointment or a placebo ointment for three weeks.

"Insect bite hypersensitivity is the most common cause of pruritus (itchiness) in horses, affecting equids in almost all parts of the world," van den Boom said in the study, adding that IBH is an allergic reaction to insect bites. Clinical signs include scratching and rubbing, excoriations (areas where the skin is rubbed off), oozing of serum, patchy alopecia (hair loss), scaling, and hyperkeratosis (callousing).

Van den Boom and his colleagues separated 26 IBH-affected horses (ages 3 to 25) into two groups–a case group that would be treated with the phytogenic ointment, which researchers previously confirmed as having anti-inflammatory and healing properties, and a control group that would be treated with the placebo ointment (an unmedicated polyethylene glycol-based ointment) –to determine if a phytogenic ointment would be helpful in treating IBH

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Erica Larson, former news editor for The Horse, holds a degree in journalism with an external specialty in equine science from Michigan State University in East Lansing. A Massachusetts native, she grew up in the saddle and has dabbled in a variety of disciplines including foxhunting, saddle seat, and mounted games. Currently, Erica competes in eventing with her OTTB, Dorado.

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