Feather Mite Jab

[Ambers mum]

We were just given our first ever traditional cob, a beauty, I have wanted one for years but my sister and niece are TB and arab people so as it for my daughter to compete I was looking for a tb to buy when a friend approached us about a lovely trad cob who needed rehoming asap due to relocation issues.

Along came Khan. He has been an angel and settled with our mares and geldings nicely but when the daughter and niece were grooming and although he was good he was a bit 'thrashy' with his frony legs. Hannah managed to look and said he has scabs or dandruff patches. I washed his feathers friday (took a while but I was persistent) and I think he has feather mites and a few other cob owners have said it sounds like it.

When I worked at the livery yard a few years back a friend had the feather mite injection for her mare so I have asked my sister to book the vet in and get him done. Has anyone any experience of this jab and does it work? We have his vaccinations booked in for next week so the vet is coming anyway, I just wanted to know if it was worth adding another jab to the list xc

 

[Welshboy]

It's called Dectomax. In most cases I thinks it's quite successful - usually two are required 10-14 days apart to clear up eggs that hatched after the first jab (& break the cycle).

It's not licensed for use in horses, although is widely used. I think vets will want to be fairly sure its mights he's suffering from and I get the impression some are more willing than others to administer.

Selsun shampoo (from Boots) is great shampoo for scurf and mites and Ive had success with frontline spray too.

 

[Ambers mum]

thank you, that's really useful info x

 

[MochaDun]

My gelding got feather mites once after a horse arrived on the yard alive with them. Mine ended up with a very filled back leg having rubbed and broken the skin on the back of his heel due to them and got infection in. If it is mites you tend to see them rubbing one back leg up and down the other and also trying to nibble at the heels of their front legs. My vet recommended the Dectomax jabs - they were given about 2 weeks apart in order to catch two cycles of the mites/eggs and I couldn't believe how quickly it cleared the mites up. I would recommend it. The skin/hair tends to slough off a bit once the mites die off as they bury just under the dermis but the hair quickly grows back.

 

[sport horse]

Dectomax works a treat. I also have a hairy cob and he came with mites and incidentally they transferred to my competition horses as well so had to treat everything for a year or so. Been clear now for several years as long s writing this does not tempt providence!!!