Janssen Animal Health has launched a range of skincare products - Cavalesse^® and Cavalesse^® Topical - to help maintain and support a healthy skin in horses prone to summer skin allergies.

According to the company, summer skin allergies, including sweet itch, which is caused by reactions to bites from Culicoides midges, can be serious and frustrating conditions that affect three to five per cent of all horses in the UK. These allergies can be difficult to manage and are often a real challenge for both horse owners and vets alike.

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 by reducing histamine release within the skin, moderating the excessive immune response within the skin, reducing anti-inflammatory reactions and suppressing antigen induced transformation.

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.

Helen Goldberg, marketing manager at Janssen Animal Health said: "Summer skin allergies, such as sweet itch, are frustrating conditions that can be difficult to treat. To help prevent the disease, 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.

"Only available via veterinary wholesalers, the Cavalesse range of products will enable owners to protect their horses from the inside, whilst maintaining a healthy skin from the outside."

2ml of Cavalesse should be administered to horses and ponies weighing less than 500kg daily, while horses weighing more than 500kg should be given 3ml per day.  Cavalesse Topical should be applied to the skin according to requirements.

For further information, please contact your Janssen Animal Health account manager or phone 01494 567555.

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