Feather Mites v Eugenol. Success!

[Orca]

I've posted before about the extreme feather mite infestation which Orca arrived with.

I began treatment with fipronil (frontline).

Vet and I decided against Dectomax (Orca arrived overweight).

We decided to continue with fipronil, which I ordered online but which failed to arrive in time for her 14 day repeat dousing.

So, I did a little research and found that the efficacy of eugenol (found in clove oil) in the treatment of various mites has been found to surpass the efficacy of commonly prescribed treatments.

Having some to hand (for tooth aches!), I decided to try it while waiting for the fipronil to arrive (she had started to itch again quite severely), diluting clove oil into baby oil and brushing into the feathers.

The results have been instantaneous. Over the past two weeks, her feathers have grown nearly an inch. She is no longer chewing them (although this could be attributed to the possibly unpleasant taste of the clove oil!) but nor is she rubbing them - the tell-tale stained rub stripes have gone.

I've decided to continue with clove oil treatments (rather than fipronil), lessening the quantity of clove oil in the carrier as we go on. I will continue to add a couple of drops into her feather maintenance oil in the future in the hope of discouraging future infestations. I know oil in itself can help fight feather mite but given the extent of the infestation, I would be surprised if this improvement could be attributed to that alone.

I thought this might be of interest to others with hairy hosses but it is worth keeping in mind that clove oil is an irritant and must be diluted.

In high concentrations and with repeated, direct applications to the skin, it can cause liver problems in humans (although many use it to numb horse crests before mane pulling).

Fortunately, I've found combing it in a carrier oil, through the feathers to be effective enough, without having to apply directly to the skin. If the infestation reappears, I'll let you know but for now, clove oil is looking to be an effective, affordable, readily available and relatively safe option ��.

 

[FFAQ]

Thank you for sharing this! Very interesting reading. A cheap, effective solution is always welcome! Did your mare object to the clove oil or was she happy to have it brushed in?

 

[Orca]

She was more than happy to have it brushed in. Having gone so long without having the mites addressed before coming to me, she finds any attention to be a relief, fortunately! She even likes the aroma and quickly developed a positive connotation between that and itch relief.

Dectomax has the advantage of not having to handle potentially sore legs of course, so there are other options if fipronil or eugenol application is out of the question.

 

[Alec Swan]

As Feather-mites live under the skin, I'm wondering just how an external application of anything would be effective. I'm also not sure how Dectomax would either be ineffective or in any way a problem for horses which may be overweight. We've used it on 'stout' cobs, with no ill effect. I'm not contradicting you, I'd interested to hear of your thoughts.

With Dectomax injections (home administered by me) we found that they worked best with a 2-3 week window between each jab because re-infestation would be likely. We had one session, and then as they reappeared 6 months later, we had a further session. Touch-wood! we're now free of them.

My vet advised a single injection as a preventative, every 6 months and that's what we now do.

Alec.

 

[Orca]

Chorioptes equi/ bovis (feather mites) are surface mites according to the literature I've researched but interestingly (I think!) most studies on the efficacy of eugenol is regarding its topical use against Sarcoptes scabiei (a burrowing mite). I shall investigate how much of the carrier oil reaches my mares skin and report back ��. While I have made no effort to apply it to the skin, it may have reached it. It does appear to work, so accurate methodology is important!

Dectomax is probably no more or less perilous than any other systemic wormer would be, to an equine who is already classed as a laminitis risk. Because my mare arrived overweight, my vet and I decided it would be prudent to at least wait until her weight is under control before considering its use.