Management of insect bite hypersensitivity in the horse with a supplement containing amino-acids, polypeptides and vitamins (Hippo-ex-cema)

Abstract

Insect bite hypersensitivity (IBH) is mostly caused by Culicoides spp., but other species are also thought to play a role in causing the disease. The disease has been described in literature over the world in many countries and prevalence up to 28% in some countries has been described. The only effective therapy at the moment is to prevent contact with Culicoides spp. This can be reached by accurately stabling the horses or covering the horses with insect blankets, so the Culicoides spp. can’t come near the horses. In this study, we are testing a new supplement, consisting of a powder and oil that should be mixed prior to use. The supplement contains several vitamins, polypeptides and aminoacids. Fifty horses participated in this study, 25 receiving placebo and 25 receiving Hippoex- cema® in an initial stage of 30 days. After this initial stage, all horses received approximately 30 days Hippo-ex-cema®. Each horse received, despite its body weight, the first 10 days 10 ml oil twice a day and 5 gram powder twice a day, followed by 20 days once a day 10 ml oil and once a day 5 gram powder. Owners were asked to fill in a questionnaire three times: one prior to the investigation, one after 30 days and the last after the final stage, to score the horses among others for their severity of IBH. The investigators scored the horses for their severity of IBH prior to the study and after 30 days. A Chi-square test was used to process the results. The scores of the investigators were significantly different between 0 and 30 days. However, no significant difference was found in the scores from the owners, both not between 0 and 30 days and not between 30 and 60 days. No side-effects appeared during the investigation while using the supplement.