Foal Itching badly

[seaofdreams]

Hi my 4 1/2 week old foal is rubbing so badly, he has bald patches all over him and he is trying to rub on anything, you can see the fustration in his face.
I think it's the flies as when i looked at his tummy it was covered in nasty little bloodsucking flies

What i would like to know is can i put any fly spray on him and are there any you would recomend

Here are some pics of the patches on his neck but he has them all over his legs too, i think he kicks himself with his back feet (well thats what ive seen him doing)

Any advice would be greatfully recived
Hx

 

[brackenhappy]

have you checked that its not lice???.....................i put fly spray on my foal but she was older than yours and just diluted it first with water, applied it with a sponge though so didnt scare her!!!

 

[MillionDollar]

Awwww poor Spyro

I think you should check that its not lice or even ringworm before if you haven't checked already. One of the liveries' ringworm started exactly like that with bald patches like that, and she was so itchy.

 

[Tia]

I agree with the others regarding checking for lice; just to make sure it isn't.

As for fly spray, yes I use it on my little 6 week old filly. I ALWAYS use the spray mechanism and she is perfectly used to this now so has no qualms about it - I start my desensitising as early as possible. I also dilute it, don't want harsh chemicals on my little baby.

 

[silversox]

Get your vet to take a scraping and check for ringworm. One of our TB foals picked up a really virant(?) strain of ringworm and we had to wash it every other day, and dust with anti-fungal powder inbetween days. Took a while to work and by the time it had cleared up she had become so easy to handle!!!! Never did find out how she caught it as she was still in the field with one other mare & foal that she was born in.

 

[Chambon]

I wouldn't be too worried, foals are itchy, especially when they are changing their coats. If he is out with other foals, I would be careful about putting fly spray on the areas where mutual grooming takes place, otherwise his buddies are going to be eating a lot of fly spray! If he's got lots under his belly I would dilute some and wipe a bit on underneath.

My foals look like they have been dragged through a hedge backwards at the moment as the coats are changing and they are all patchy and itchy.

 

[sallyf]

Mine too and they are itching mostly because they are too hot.

 

[_jetset_]

Troy is really itchy, but then he has lost most of his foalie coat now so is not itching as much as he was. I put fly spray on most days and he does not really bother because he has had it done from the very beginning really.