Feather Mites Nightmare!!

Are you certin that the problem IS mites? We thought my mare had them, but laboratory tests proved it was a combination of two things (and I've gone completely blank because it's late and I should be in bed) but any way one was something that is in the soil, and the other one has never been propperly named - but the symptoms are quite similar to what you describe.Mites it wasn't!

After trying all sorts of expensive things, what our wise vet recommended and which works a treat for her is washing with coal tar soap (cheap and cheerful from your local chemist) and in between times either pig oil & sulphur or Johnsons Baby Oil. Also, NEVER PICK THE SCABS OFF. They will come off when they are ready with this treatment and there is fresh good skin underneath. the oil will free the scabs without picking.

The other really important thing is to wash, and oil, the legs very very thoroughly. As a guideline, I wash her legs and leave the soap lather on for at least 5 minutes before rinsing off; and I spend at least 5 minutes per leg massaging the oil in - and she loves it! Falls asleep, and no more itching or stamping.
 
Thanks so much for all of your replies! Keen to try absolutely anything to help the poor boy. Clipped his feather off again yesterday and washed him in dermoline shampoo, this does give him some relief however it only lasts a day or so...
When I took his feather off yesterday the amount of scurf at his heels was unreal - he only had a little bit of hair that had grown back too. His skin was extremely pink underneath too, he must be very sore.
The mites only seem to really bother him in his back legs, he occasionally has a scratch of his front legs but nothing in comparison. He also has sores where he's been kicking himself - so think I will leave it a while to heal before putting any harsh chemicals onto his skin.
Heard quite a lot about pig oil and sulphur, is this more of a prevention method than a 'cure'? I am well prepared for there to be no cure and will be happy to just manage the problem - anything to give him some relief :(
Thanks so much again for all of your suggestions, will try all of them! Will also let you know how we get on, this truly is an awful condition...
 
This is definitely something to think about - will carry on to treat him for mites however if nothing works will look in to it potentially being something like this..
He does have all the give away signs that it is mites but there again it could easily be something else!
 
Rose Folly said:
Are you certin that the problem IS mites? We thought my mare had them, but laboratory tests proved it was a combination of two things (and I've gone completely blank because it's late and I should be in bed) but any way one was something that is in the soil, and the other one has never been propperly named - but the symptoms are quite similar to what you describe.Mites it wasn't!

After trying all sorts of expensive things, what our wise vet recommended and which works a treat for her is washing with coal tar soap (cheap and cheerful from your local chemist) and in between times either pig oil & sulphur or Johnsons Baby Oil. Also, NEVER PICK THE SCABS OFF. They will come off when they are ready with this treatment and there is fresh good skin underneath. the oil will free the scabs without picking.

The other really important thing is to wash, and oil, the legs very very thoroughly. As a guideline, I wash her legs and leave the soap lather on for at least 5 minutes before rinsing off; and I spend at least 5 minutes per leg massaging the oil in - and she loves it! Falls asleep, and no more itching or stamping.
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sorry - above post was in reply to this!
 
kate.l said:
Clipped his feather off again yesterday and washed him in dermoline shampoo, this does give him some relief however it only lasts a day or so...
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This is exactly the thing I found with Dermoline shampoo, is that it did give relief but literally only for a day or 2. (I've still got a huge 5 litre tub of the stuff, if anyone wants it!)

But right from the first time I used the Seleen shampoo (vet recommended it) it gave proper relief which just lasted and lasted, and now I use the Selsun (cheaper human medicated shampoo), it's just brilliant. And it really removes the scurf, which is why it works so well.

I know every horse is different, but we were getting desprate and had tried so many things and this has really worked for us, we are so pleased our boy is at last comfortable
 
AdorableAlice said:
Thanks HappyNeds,


I have a new cob who is very itchy, had 2 jabs and been frontlined, much much better now, but I am keen to do all I can to keep her comfortable in the long term.

Previous owners had her clipped, and she will remain clipped with me. She is touchy around her legs as I am led to believe scabs were clipped through which would have caused a lot of pain for her.

She needs clipping now but I want to gain her trust before doing it. She has rather course, 3 inch long feather on at the minute, which I can wash through and get the frontline through.
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Our boy was also very touchy around his legs, the previous owners had clipped him down to his knees and just given up because he wasn’t having any of it and left all the feather on. When we finally decided we needed to clip all the feather off to see what we were doing, we had a professional mobile clipper come out to do him, and although she was very calm and kind with him he just went into orbit, because there were sores and bleeding bits hidden in the feather which must have really hurt when being clipped over, he was so distressed, in the end she twitched him, my husband was holding onto the twitch, I was holding him too, and he still dragged both of us off our feet. It was really upsetting.

Still, although it looked a bit of a mess she managed to clip enough off so we could start the Seleen shampoo followed by front line treatment, and although the first few times I could only do it lightly, as the treatment worked he was in less discomfort, and he was getting more used to it, which meant I could really work the shampoo and front line into his legs really well, which again improved it no end.

Then my husband took an old electric shaver down every time we gave in his feed bucket in the field, and just turned it on so he got used to the noise, then touched it on him so he could feel the vibration, and gradually, each day over a few weeks progressed to moving it all down his legs.
Becuase he was in his field he didn't feel trapped, and although the first few times he moved away a bit, he accepted it really well.

Then we bought our own clippers (subject of a previous thread of mine!) and we clipped him no trouble at all. He was brilliant. The clippers we have also have a plastic guard (which you can take off), so that it wouldn't actually cut him if he still had any sores, and this has helped.

So the desensitising with the old electric shaver, combined with the fact that he genuinely isn't as sore (if at all) anymore, has meant we can treat him brilliantly now, and clip him happily now.
 
My hairy pony lives on a Shire Stud, and they swear by baby oil and flours of sulphur. Star tends to get a bit of thickened itchy skin in her arm pits and behind her knees. She also gets a thick, black tarry substance occurring under her fetlocks.
Regular applications of baby oil and sulphur as described earlier keeps all this in check. It also keeps her white feather in great condition and very white.

( they actually use hydraulic oil on the shire' feather, still works well. )
 
Rose Folly said:
After trying all sorts of expensive things, what our wise vet recommended and which works a treat for her is washing with coal tar soap (cheap and cheerful from your local chemist) and in between times either pig oil & sulphur or Johnsons Baby Oil. Also, NEVER PICK THE SCABS OFF. They will come off when they are ready with this treatment and there is fresh good skin underneath. the oil will free the scabs without picking
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Sorry to jump on your thread, but could you let me know what coal tar soap you used? I'm thinking of Wrights as it's what the local chemist stock but after looking into it I've noticed it is only "coal tar fragranced." Is it still effective?
 
HappyNeds said:
This is exactly the thing I found with Dermoline shampoo, is that it did give relief but literally only for a day or 2. (I've still got a huge 5 litre tub of the stuff, if anyone wants it!)
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It is a shame about dermoline shampoo as it does seem to give him some relief, although not for very long!
Just ordered some Selsun shampoo off the internet so update once I've tried it out!
Does anybody know what the difference is between using pig oil and baby oil? Do they do the same job?
 
Just remembered, I have also used liquid parrafin, from an agricultural store, recommended by a chap who shows Shires, he said you don't get any adverse reactions after using it. I also use it to protect against rain scald.
 
Thanks everyone! Much appreciated, will try anything for him he's so itchy poor boy..
I've used Virkon disinfectant in the past for a horse with ringworm - so thought it was worth a try to see if it kills the mites. Washed him in it today and so far he hasn't been itchy, not wanting to speak too soon! Have ordered some Selsun off the internet anyway so will wash him in that too and see how we get on. Will update as and when!
 
kate.l said:
Thanks everyone! Much appreciated, will try anything for him he's so itchy poor boy..
I've used Virkon disinfectant in the past for a horse with ringworm - so thought it was worth a try to see if it kills the mites. Washed him in it today and so far he hasn't been itchy, not wanting to speak too soon! Have ordered some Selsun off the internet anyway so will wash him in that too and see how we get on. Will update as and when!
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Like you OP my poor lad suffers dreadfully with mites so am watching this thread with interest........ incidentally, where did you get the "Virkon" disinfectant???

Re. the Selsun: I went to the chemists today and looked for it but they didn't have any - but reading the list of ingredients, there's another product which has the "vital ingredient" in (sorry can't remember what it was) - and that's Head & Shoulders Shampoo!!! So I've got some of that; will try it tomorrow and see what happens.

Blimmin mites :(
 
Big Boots the Chemist in Worcester has not stocked Selsen for weeks, but Super Drug do (£4.75)

Boots told me they are discontinuing the stuff.
 
Our cob had had feather mites for years with no treatment making much difference, then she got lice from a neighbours' pony and I treated that with Cooper's Fly Repellent Plus. We haven't seen any mites since.
 
MiJodsR2BlinkinTite said:
Like you OP my poor lad suffers dreadfully with mites so am watching this thread with interest........ incidentally, where did you get the "Virkon" disinfectant???
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I got the Virkon off eBay, think it cost me around £7 including postage for 5 sachets so well worth it if it does the trick!! I also found Selsun on ebay, however that hasn't arrived yet!
Mites truly are awful :( The worst thing is that he seems to be much worse after having decotmax injections - I think only the very resilient mites must have survived... They obviously work for some people, but my experience has not been a positive one!!
 
kate.l said:
I got the Virkon off eBay, think it cost me around £7 including postage for 5 sachets so well worth it if it does the trick!! I also found Selsun on ebay, however that hasn't arrived yet!
Mites truly are awful :( The worst thing is that he seems to be much worse after having decotmax injections - I think only the very resilient mites must have survived... They obviously work for some people, but my experience has not been a positive one!!
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Aw thanks for this.

Incidentally, does yours graze with sheep?? I ask this because my boy has got noticeabley worse in the last fortnight or so....... which is when sheep have been in the field.

He's grazed with sheep before though, and hasn't had such a bad problem as now, so maybe just coincidence.

Perhaps its the weather; mine has got sweet itch as well and last night it was very humid and sticky and he just didn't know what to do with himself, I've never seen him in such a state - he was kicking out and stamping with his back legs and then trying to bite himself on his fetlocks etc. Poor lad, all I could do was just wash his legs down with Tea Tree shampoo which did seem to ease him considerably and he's not as bad today (it is cooler too).

The farrier says to clip his legs (he's got lots of feather) so that (a) we can see what's there and (b) get the necessary potions and lotions to treat it on without a lot of feather being in the way.
 
You're welcome, happy to share info!
Our sheep are in the field next to him - not sure if this would make any difference? However they could very easily be moved if they are the problem!!
I would definitely recommend clipping your boy's feather, our pony didn't have a lot of feather but obviously had enough to harbour mites! Only when I clipped him did I see the true extent of the problem. Also - clipping the hair off removes a lot of the scurf where the mites live, with the hair off you can treat the skin better :)
I daren't even hope that he isn't itchy tomorrow but am keeping everything crossed!!!
 
Am having my boy's legs (plus the rest of him!) clipped on Saturday morning.

Washed him with Head & Shoulders this morning (farrier was coming, so legs needed doing anyway); then as I was on a roll went on and did his mane & tail as well - brought everything up lovely and got rid of a lot of the scurfiness. THEN went on and did the mare as well - and her mane & tail have come up really shiny!!! :)

But...... tonight I've brought them in as the midges are biting, and my poor lad was stamping and in considerable distress. Sooooooo, I've got some "Sheep Fly Strike" stuff in an aerosol - got it for less than a fiver - and its supposed to "soothe and calm" the skin. So I've sprayed that on his legs. Jeez, I do hope I've done the right thing, it'll either make him better or a lot worse, but his feathers are so long at the mo that I can't get into his skin with anything other than an aerosol. Plus he's kicking out and whilst he's not intending to kick at me personally, I can't do any more either until he's clipped out on Saturday morning, OR until I've got help - so they can lift a foreleg so that I can get near his back legs without being kicked into the middle of next week.

Hells bells, hope this will help him.
 
My boy suffers terribly from this chronic problem. Having read various papers etc I am currently in the middle of a four week programme to try and combat the mites and heal his poor legs, he yet again has an attack of salanders that I tried treating in isolation but to no avail. So what have I done?

Week one: ivermectin wormer; he wouldn't let me bathe his legs at this point so had to do something from a distance. Sprayed with purple spray.

Week two: ivermectin wormer again, legs were much less sensitive so I could hibiscrub his sores and apply 'seal and heal'. Half way through this week I have washed his legs with poly tar shampoo giving it a ten minute contact time on each leg, rinsed and conditioned hair, combed through to remove any loose scabs, once dried I have massaged with equi oil tea tree and carrot seed oil and applied mud guard to his feathers.

So far he is showing serious improvement and his hock sores look much better.

Week three: repeat poly tar shampoo and then sponge on ivomectin wash or spot on spray eight pumps to each leg.

Week four: as week three.

I will keep you all updated. Fingers crossed.

I have just found a piece of research that uses a wash and a lime sulphur dip. This will be my next protocol if this one doesn't work.
 
**Vanner** said:
Week one: ivermectin wormer; he wouldn't let me bathe his legs at this point so had to do something from a distance. Sprayed with purple spray.

Week two: ivermectin wormer again, legs were much less sensitive so I could hibiscrub his sores and apply 'seal and heal'. Half way through this week I have washed his legs with poly tar shampoo giving it a ten minute contact time on each leg, rinsed and conditioned hair, combed through to remove any loose scabs, once dried I have massaged with equi oil tea tree and carrot seed oil and applied mud guard to his feathers.
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Have you found that the ivermection wormer worked? I've heard mixed results in the past about how well it works/doesnt work..
But I was of the understanding that it works on sucking lice as they feed on blood, however biting lice feed on the dead skin so it couldn't possible have any affect on them..

The pony that I washed in Virkon disinfectant has shown massive signs of improvement in terms of his itching. He'd stand on the yard constantly stamping his feet and kicking himself before, now there are still some signs of him itching but nothing like before. Will wash him in it again tomorrow and see how we go with that - will keep everyone updated!
 
Shivvy said:
AA support your call to gain trust as its tough once they have been clipped on sore legs before they came to you. This condition is just so awful
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Got the clippers out after working her this morning. Up the corner she went with a look of total fear on her face. Two hours, 2lb of carrots and 2 tubes of polo mints and we have 4 clipped legs, not perfect but clipped with the 4 patches of sores left un touched and the horse not knocked about.

In her heel area there are wedges of scurf but no cracked open sores. I have washed with Selsun. The hinds are worrying me, again no cracked open sores in the heels but plenty of scurf. The fetlocks on the hinds are thickened, almost like windgalls but more solid. Is it likely these thickened areas will improve with the management of the feather mites, or is the horse left with them for good ?
 
I am struggling to clear up the sores on my new cob mare. Only had her a month, dealt with the manic itching (dectomax). Clipped her legs yesterday, no sores in pasterns but tonnes of scurf, washed thoroughly with Selsun.

What is the best thing to do for the sores behind her knee and on face of hock. Sudrecrem has softened the scabs (have not attempted to pick off and won't as she has been through that with previous groom and got very uptight).

Her off hind is thickened above the fetlock, looks windgally but isn't, just wondering if that will come down in time by keeping the mites under control. The near hind had some thickening above the fetlock but that has come right down.
 
I posted on another thread about feather mite yesterday. I've been having to deal with this for over 17 years with my Shires and late Clyde. I've tried every potion, lotion, balm, cream, oil, paste, salve, powder, shampoo or combination of the aforementioned with minor success and abject failure. The only treatment that gives a modicum of relief for a sustained period (about 4 1/2 to 5 months) is three Dectomax injections administered ten days apart, combined with careful attention to mite control (no straw bedding or hay strewn on the floor where the horses stand). During these years I've made several observations. I've found that hibiscrub, at least on my horses, is too irritating to their skin. Removing scabs is probably the worst thing I have done because the skin is so raw and the possibility of secondary infection is increased. After shampooing, I always dry the horses' feather with wood flour. Leaving their legs to dry, without assistance, invites the possibility of secondary infection because of the warmth and moisture on their skin. I have found that moving the horses to new, lush pasture exacerbates the mite load (last year, when we had no rain, we had no grass, and as a result, the mite problem was minimal). One of the most worrying aspects of the repeated attempts to give my horses relief (and this is just my own theory) is my belief that the Dectomax, while it works, causes a hypersensitivity to the mites as it wears off. It's a vicious cycle of itching, a period of relief, and then a period of even more intense itching. I would dearly like to stop using the Dectomax, as much to break that cycle, as to give the horses' livers an opportunity to recover from the toxic properties of the chemical. I am going to start using Diatomaceous Earth as soon as the mares' sores have dried up. The girls have just started on a new course of Dectomax. As the DE is completely natural and its action is mechanical, rather than chemical, I will use it daily. I put the powder in large, dry Fairy Liquid bottles and puffer the DE onto and into their feather. Watch this space...
 
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