Feather mites

[Box_Of_Frogs]

My 15.2 cob gelding has suddenly developed itchy feathers round his hind feet due to mites. They are driving him mad and he has found a way to try to scratch the itch by rubbing the back of one leg with the SHOE of the opposite foot! Whilst this may give him some temporary relief, it has also made his skin under his feathers sore. This has come out of nowhere in the last 3 weeks. I have washed the affected feathers in Hibiscrub and when dry, applied Frontline spray to the area. I trimmed a bit off the feathers just to be able to see what I was doing and he now looks as though he has fallen into a lawnmower. HELP! Will this treatment do the bizz? I've heard/read that Camrosa will stop the mites in their tracks and will also help heal the sore skin AND is waterproof. Would that be a better option? I've also read that ivermectin wormers help, but I don't understand why. Also, there may be some injection that the vet can give that will help if given fairly regularly. Anyone got any tried and tested cures???

 

[Paint it Lucky]

My friend uses frontline on her cob and finds it works well though she has to reapply it every few months. She also trims her mares feathers off as this makes it a lot easier to treat. She then applies camrosa to any sore areas and it really is a miracle cream!

 

[chestnut cob]

Friend's coloured cob has mites. Clip his feathers off totally up to the knee, or as far up as they go. She washes with hibiscrub and rinses v well, and also washes with a special scrub from the vet every day as well. Also has to be very careful about when she uses boots as if he gets hot under them he gets v itchy. She also uses frontline.

 

[vicster]

A cob at our stables gets them really bad too and he has to be inhected by the Vet every 6 months. This seems to work wonders. My rabbit had them too and he has to have injections too.

 

[Ali2]

Our cob had mites when we bought him. We clipped his feathers off up to the knee and sprayed with Frontline. His feathers were kept clipped after that and he never had them again.

 

[Theresa_F]

There is no need to clip out the legs unless the sores are infected.

First get some frontline and spray the legs so they are good and damp and really rub into the hair and skin. Do this again 10 days later. Obviously this is easier on clipped legs, but I have traditional cobs and a clydie so I prefer the natural look and never clip out. I have ever only done this once and then kept with the pig oil and sulphur.

Then there is a good old fashioned tried and trusted remedy. Get pig oil and sulphur - mix together and paint the legs from knee/hock to the floor. Rub well in. Doing this every couple of weeks keeps the hair and skin in excellent condition and in nearly all cases will prevent mites/grease. In the summer I just wet the legs and rub a handful of sulphur in every couple of weeks.

PM me if you want more details of how to do this.

Personally I find having full haired legs easier to keep - no mud fever, no clipping, no washing out in winter - just oil up and check every other weeks.

 

[Kat1e]

Dectomax jab from vets stopped my hairy one itching her feathers- she had 3 shots in total as it doesn't kill all stages of the life cycle. Didn't treat her with anything else, didn't trim feathers and it hasn't recurred in the 3 years since.

 

[Chex]

When Chex had mites I was told to remove his feathers, pick off any scabs, and he gave me Barricade to use - which cleared them up completely. This for chorioptic mites though, rather than the other type (harvest mite maybe?).

 

[Donkeymad]

If you are lucky enough to live near the sea, ride or take your horse in every-so-often. Works wonders on the mite problem!!

 

[LEEW]

My Welsh Cob has mites but no just contained to her legs. She has patches of lost hair on her face and behind ears. She's had this before about 3 years ago. Vet recommended Front Line. Phoned Vet this a.m. to remind me how often I should use this - every 10 days - but because it is wet she will have to stay in. Going to be a problem as although I have a fly net on her (she has already trashed on through scratching) she is rubbing on everything. When out she's got electric fencing so can't. Anyone any ideas? We could do with dry spell but don't think we are going to get it.

Many thanks.

 

[han_mojo]

Is the front line for horses or just for a dog/cat? My cob has just started to bang his legs on the floor, and kicks himself, so i am sure its mite or something!

 

[charlottenicol]

Frontline is not licensed for horses, my vet asked me to sigh a disclaimer, but it does work, also the best thing ever is the oil and sulphur.

 

[twinklinggem]

Where do you get pig oil from?

Do you have to get frontline from the vets?

I have had my lad injected but hes still going mad

Would it be ok to use frontline now he has had the jab?

 

[HeleenaB]

Hi I'm new to this site so hope I'm doing it right. Can you tell me more about the pig oil and sulphur thing please? x

 

[star]

i got my horse jabbed by the vet last year - he injected Dectomax IV twice 2weeks apart and it definitely sorted him out. I'd already tried Frontline spray (which incidently is precription only so only available from the vets) and it hadn't worked. there are no licensed treatments for mites in horses. recently read an article in the Vet Record comparing efficacy of Frontline spray and Dectomax jabbed IM and both appeared to work well.