SUMMER SKIN allergies, including sweet itch, which is caused by reactions to bites from Culicoides midges, can be serious and frustrating conditions that affect 3-5% of all horses in the UK.

SUMMER SKIN allergies, including sweet itch, which is caused by reactions to bites from Culicoides midges, can be serious and frustrating conditions that affect 3-5% of all horses in the UK.

To help prevent these allergies, horses are often fully blanketed while out at grass, given limited access to pasture or covered with insect repellents, while treatment has included antihistamines and corticosteroids which can have side-effects.

With this in mind, Janssen Animal Health are launching next month an innovative range of easy-to-administer skincare products - Cavalesse and Cavalesse Topical - to help maintain and support a healthy skin in horses prone to summer skin allergies.

Cavalesse is a natural food supplement containing a specialised formulation of water-soluble vitamins and minerals, including Nicotinamide. Once a month the contents of each sachet are dissolved in water to form an oral solution, which can be administered daily via a special pipette, either by sprinkling over a small handful of feed or adding to a treat such as a sugar lump.

The supplement helps horses maintain a healthy skin and promotes normal immune function.

To complete the Cavalesse skin management range, Cavalesse Topical is a skincare gel that can be used in combination with the Cavalesse solution.

The gel can be applied to the skin to help support natural immunity from the outside, whilst the oral solution works in partnership from the inside.

Prices are around £80-95 for a three-month supply of the combi-pack of oral solution and topical cream.

• For further information on Cavalesse and Cavalesse Topical contact your vet or phone 01494 567555.