Flax Seed May Help Cases of Sweet Itch

Newsdate: Tue, 20 Sep 2011 - 07:28 am
Location: SAN DIEGO, California

Sweet itch is a skin condition that results from the bite of the Culicoides or biting midge in which serum coming from the midge causes an allergic reaction. The use of flaxseed for horses as treatment for this type of skin disease, in addition to being referred to as a holistic supplement for horses, is now emerging and becoming the subject of research in the horse care industry.

Ground flaxseed for horses is considered among the finest supplements for sustaining horse health. Presently researchers are exploring the possibility of flax seed as a treatment for sweet itch.

It has been previously used for the treatment of atopic skin disease for dogs and scientific studies are now undergoing for its application on horses and whether it will be successful or not.

Before the idea of feeding flaxseed to horses as alternative treatment for sweet itch occurred, horse owners relied on a more pricey standard corticosteroid therapy. According to reports made to date, ground flax seed is capable of reducing the intra-dermal response of affected horses to the supplement.

To examine just how effective ground flaxseed for horses is with this kind of treatment, the Equine Research Center performed a lab test and experiment. Affected horses acted as participants and were assembled into two groups with one group receiving flax seed and the other continuing with a regular diet.  The controlled group of affected horses got flaxseed and were  observed under a controlled situation.

When the results were submitted, they were very telling and provided more information for researchers about how feeding flaxseed to horses can prove advantageous for this type of disease. All horses provided with flaxseed underwent a skin test while they were under observation.

Another major observation made was that flax seed improved the quality of the hair and skin of the horse.

Although research is still ongoing into the benefits of flaxseed for horses affected with sweet itch, the preliminary conclusion is that flaxseed is seen as a viable treatment option because it triggers no unpleasant side effects and greatly reduces the damage done by sweet itch.

For more conclusive results, the researchers would like to conduct another study with an increased number of participants.

About the Author

Flossie Sellers

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As an animal lover since childhood, Flossie was delighted when Mark, the CEO and developer of EquiMed asked her to join his team of contributors.

She enrolled in My Horse University at Michigan State and completed a number of courses in everything related to horse health, nutrition, diseases and conditions, medications, hoof and dental care, barn safety, and first aid.

Staying up-to-date on the latest developments in horse care and equine health is now a habit, and she enjoys sharing a wealth of information with horse owners everywhere.

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