KURITCH – Insect Repellent

Queensland Itch, Sweet Itch, Summer Eczema and Equine allergic dermatitis are names for distressing skin conditions which affects horses in spring and summer months throughout Australia and around the world.

The usual cause is a hypersensitivity to the bites of flies (in particular sand flies or midges).

While the bite of the flies are an irritation, some horses develop sensitivity to the bite and will rub themselves so much that they cause injury to their skin.

Research shows the cause is an allergic reaction to the chemicals in the saliva of the midges (as with humans).

Not only that, but once or twice a day, stable flies come to the horse, feed vigorously for a minute or two, and then return to the shade to digest their food. These bites can cause intense irritation in some horses. The bites appear as small raised lumps with a central scab.

The effects on the horses can be dramatic. They suffer intense pruritus (itchiness) on the mane, tail, face, ears, back and legs, resulting in biting, rubbing, hair loss, self-trauma and a change of temperament. They become miserable and irritable.

Registered by the APVMA in Australia for over 40 years, extensive field experience has proven KURITCH to be a most effective solution for both preventing and healing distressing skin conditions caused by biting insects.

As well as KURITCH as a repellent, environmental management will also assist in protecting your horse.

Midges breed near stagnant water. As they don’t fly more than a few hundred metres from their breeding area, housing or paddocking your horses more than 500 metres from those areas will reduce their exposure to the flies.

Also rugging, hooding or stabling your horses between the hours of 4pm – 7am during spring and summer will limit the contact of the flies.