Any ectoparasite experts?

vhf

vhf

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I found what looked to me like a pig louse on my mare's flank. She was intensely irritated, but took me ages to locate it.
Didn't find any others, but found three round, raw, sticky hairless patches about 2-4mm diameter in various places from hock to wither.
Was this really a pig louse? I didn't know they ever bothered horses.
It was far too big to be a horse louse, and had the distinctive flattened profile, colour and size I remember from my pig louse experiences
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many years ago.
Had a quick google but didn't find any useful sites on lice generally to see if there were other alternatives.
Pigs nearby, but also cattle.
Horse now much happier, but would love some thoughts!
 
were doing parasites at the minute in collage at the minute so i mite be of some help....

horses can get non-equine lice, though its not very common, from coming into contact with other animals generally cattle and chickens but its quite likely that pigs lice can be transmitted to.....do the horses share any areas of common contact with pigs or cattle?gathering yards etc?lice can survive for up to 2 days off their host so they can be passed trough an area as well as direct contact
..oh and lice can be spread by blankets,grooming kits,clothes and shears...just to warn you in case you have more than one horse.....though im sure you know this already

biting lice are smaller than sucking lice,and they move faster...pigs lice are the largest lice
PIcs
cattle louse
sheepcattlegoatslicesucking.gif

pig louse
hoglouse.jpg

liceinpigs.jpg

Horse louse
sucking
horsesuckinglouse.jpg

biting
horsebitinglouse.jpg


organophosphates insecticides are effective for treating lice
but a 2nd tretment 2 weeks later is needed to kill new emerging lice...doesnt kill the larvae
Avermectin injections are a normal treatment for sucking lice
Ivermectin pour on or powder for biting lice
 
Ah, thank you!
Am pretty certain now that it was a pig louse. It's nearly 20 years since I did parasites (masters was ticks and lyme disease) so you're a fair bit fresher with the info!
I suspect it was either in the hedge she's been grubbing in (the pigs are on other side) or it had hitched a lift on one of the huge flock of crows that forage around there constantly at the moment.
I'm 99% certain they can't breed on horses... ?!

It was easily twice the size of a horse or human louse, and sort of slate black rather than yellow-brown.

Many thanks!
 
I've found something similar on my horse - one single biting louse type of thing - no more (she's fully groomed daily and I've been checking for them!) but she's had 3 or 4 now over the past week. I'm worried it might be sucking horse lice, but surely she'd have more than one??

Can anyone tell me how big these things are, in relation to something (rather than 1/10 of an inch etc which I just can't visualise
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)

Sorry to hijack your post!
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This a a pic of horse of horse biting lice...i think there almost the same size as the sucking lice.
horselicepic.jpg


see thumb for size...
it really is the time of year for lice isnt it....unfortunatly where there is one horse louse there will likely be more until you treat them
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because they multiply fairly quickly....
oh and vhf pig louse shouldnt multiply on a horse their host specific so just on pigs....
 
Thanks Aru. Can't be lice on mine then, as the "things" I've seen are more like half the size of the thumbnail in that pic (bout the size of my thumbnail cos I bite them
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)

Anyone got any other ideas? They look like pics of lice I've seen, but are comparitively HUGE
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I have no idea what they are - checked her over last night and none on her. Got her out for farrier this morning, none on her. 2 shoes later and there's one crawling up her neck - burrows under the hair as I try to remove it, which really irritates her. I picked it out and squashed it, but I bet she'll have another one by tomorrow *sigh*

Suggestions welcomed!
 
That's the buggers! Had a quick google and found a pic. Size seems a bit small, but maybe it's been a good year for them growing wise.

Any tips on getting rid of them? Haven't found any on her for a few days now.
 
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