Dettol for feather mites

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thatsmygirl

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I think one of mine has feather mites, my highland had it back in the summer, but this time my old boy can't stop scratching, but its only on his back legs just under at the very top but he's v itchy. I'm going to get some frontline but somebody else said dettol cleared their horses mites and never had a problem again. Thoughts? I can't see anything in him so don't think he's got lice
 
Never heard of dettol working on feather mites, I would imagine it would be very irritating on the skin unless well diluted and if there are any areas that are raw (I've seen a fresian who managed to rub herself raw on the bottom fence rail sticking her legs through) then I wouldn't use it as would imagine it will sting like hell.
 
Can't imagine it'd work at all other than clear up other secondary infections. Mites live IN the skin, not ON the skin which is why only systemic treatment (or topical treatment that are absorbed) works.
 
Kallibear that's interesting, so they are in the skin :/ so people only trim the hair to make it more manageable to treat as I was going to trim hoping to give them nowhere to live in |o|
 
Kallibear said:
Can't imagine it'd work at all other than clear up other secondary infections. Mites live IN the skin, not ON the skin which is why only systemic treatment (or topical treatment that are absorbed) works.
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THIS

A Dectomax injection works in most cases. It kills the mites from the inside out :) It does need to be repeated 10 -14 days after the initial injection to kill any newly hatched eggs. The injection is usually pretty cheap too!
 
I've been looking at an old thread on here called those with hairy cobs regarding feather mites, but my girl seems to be itchy on her hocks and above, no sores are visible. Somebody on the other thread said switch worked, so I have just stuck some of that on her legs, don't know if it works yet though, she was still itching ten minutes later

Dectomax injections only worked for a very short time
 
My cob is prone to mites and has evidence of being heavily affected in ip his youth (scarring on legs).

If they're very itchy I think Dectomax would be a good start, with a follow up dose 10-14 days later. Since doing this I've managed my cob with frontline - I do this every 4 months (2 lots 12 days apart). He's never suffered since.

I've also found regular washing with a selenium sulfide shampoo (selsun) helps as it keeps the skin in nice condition and scurf free, which is less likely to then attract mites.

Clipping helps get both the shampoo and frontline on the skin and helps you to see what's going on. However, once initially treated and sorted out, lots of people re grow feathers and manage the mites with the use of pig oil and suffer.
 
There's never been an research into Dectomax done so a a lot of treatments are incorrect. It needs to done at a high dosage and twice, two weeks apart.

Frontline spray can be a royal PITA to apply so the Spot On version is SOOOOO much easier.
 
Kallibear said:
There's never been an research into Dectomax done so a a lot of treatments are incorrect. It needs to done at a high dosage and twice, two weeks apart.

Frontline spray can be a royal PITA to apply so the Spot On version is SOOOOO much easier.
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Have u used the spot on frontline for feather mites? Cause how would u know what one to use? I mean they are done by weight aren't they so do u just get the biggest dog one and apply 1 to each leg?
 
It needs to be the chemical Fipronel. I don't use the brand Frontline because they only come in packs of 3. Effipro do packs of 4. I use the XL dog per leg for my large cob.
 
I wouldn't, it does contain bleach. My little sister once had a huge reaction to Dettol spray, when we used it in the shower.

Would you put it on yourself? If your answer is no, then I wouldn't use in on your horse.
 
Foxy O said:
I've been looking at an old thread on here called those with hairy cobs regarding feather mites, but my girl seems to be itchy on her hocks and above, no sores are visible. Somebody on the other thread said switch worked, so I have just stuck some of that on her legs, don't know if it works yet though, she was still itching ten minutes later

Dectomax injections only worked for a very short time
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Switch has worked for our itchy sweet itch PRE, not too sure about it working on mites though....
 
The following was recommended to me by my vet and it works:

Buy a tube of Ivermectin wormer. Mix about one third of the tube of wormer with a non scented carrier base lotion or cream, ideally petroleum jelly. You need about 4 parts petroleum jelly to 1 part wormer.

Wearing surgical gloves, massage the mixture into your horses legs, really working it into the skin. I realise that on a heavily feathered horse it's going to be messy, but you can part the feather and do a bit at a time, or even better still, clip or trim away the feathers. Make sure you get into the nooks and crannies of the heels and treat the leg up to knee height, or a little higher if needs be.

In this cold weather I'd recommend keeping the petroleum jelly indoors, as it's softer when warm, so easier to mix and spread.

Repeat in 2 weeks, then as and when needed.

Because it's an anti-parasitic, Ivermectin will kill any mites present and it's cheaper than the other options.
 
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