Feather Mites

TheHairyOne

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Hi all, hoping for some insight and help and advice on the above.

Now this is not my horse (at least not yet), but I strongly suspect that a former hairy (now full clipped and hogged) probably has mites. It defo did last summer as was treated using the injections.

Now this horses legs randomly swell (and it looks like rings up and down them) and is periodically itching them.

This wouldn't bother me in the slightest other than the fact our summer fields are only split by electric fence and it keeps coming down so he gets in with my super hairy gypsy vanner with a 2 foot long mane and beautiful feathers etc.
I have never experienced mites of any sort and from some readying once they have them it's very, very difficult to get rid of them, but I've not read so much about how hard/easy it is to pick them up in the first place?

Anyone have any experience from sharing a field with horses with mites etc, or even better how to stop my lovely boy getting them? The thought of having to clip and hog makes me cry. :(
 

awolstencroft

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When I first got my cob he had mites as well as a whole other list of ailments. At that stage we had to hog/clip him out...
However when he was half way to growing back another horse was brought to the yard (a similar situation to you) and they were turned out together over summer! Luckily they didn't stay long but that time all I had to do was get the vet to give them an injection to kill the mites, I bathed him with Selsun shampoo (from the chemist) and covered him in mite powder every day for a week and he has had no other problems since!
It seems like a lot but when you compare it to all those of those days you have to look at a spikey pony it is definitely worth it!
 

Nasicus

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I seem to recall my vet telling me that the Dectomax stays in the system for a while, so could it be worth getting the Vanner injected as a preventative if that's correct? I could be recalling wrong though, so please do check first!
 

Brandylion

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You could always oil thier legs. To protect your gypsy vanner . I've just got a Vanner who was riddled I've never seen so much more damage before I tried everything insecticide , a course of injections , powder . It did improve but not for long in the end I used oil2horse everyday for a couple of weeks .And wash her legs regularly in an selinum based shampoo and it worked ! It's not cheap and dosent go far but it works .
 

TheHairyOne

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Thank you for all your advise. I washed his legs with warm water and hibiscrub the 2 occasions they got in on the advice of my vet ( leaving on for 10 mins) and have now got more tape and an energiser and double fenced so fingers crossed for now.

I am watching him like a hawk though for any signs of itching at which point will just jump straight into injections.

Fingers crossed.
 
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