HELP! Lice!!

[Cheshire Chestnut]

I found two lumps on my horse near his whirl last Sunday that he started to bite and scratch at as soon I took his rug off. They were two 10p sized lumps and I bathed them, before putting some cream on them I had used for fly bites in the summer. It's normal for him to react like this to bites so I just put the cream on and then monitored them.
I brought him in from the field yesterday and he had rubbed himself raw on a patch on his face. I didn't link the two and just thought he had done it playing in the field or something that day. Then today I came up to turn him out and he had another (even bigger) rub on his face and two more lumps, one near his whirl and the other on his back.
I think they are lice as he's so itchy and just biting himself all over and rubbing is neck on the door I went to buy powder straight away and covered him, his rugs, brushes and bedding in it. I'm leaving the rugs overnight with the powder on and then washing them on a hot wash.
Don't know what to do now - has anyone experienced this before? I don't know where they will have come from - all his rugs are new, he's out with the same horses he's always out with and there's no new arrivals. Can they be in straw?
What shall I do next? Help - my poor boy is so fed up!!

 

[twiggy2]

have you actually seen a louse?

 

[Cheshire Chestnut]

No but then he's liver chestnut with flecks of white/grey so they would be really hard to spot. He's a Welsh D and not clipped so he has a really bushy mane and coat so trying to find them is hard. He's not too hot with his rugs, he's in a thin-ish medium weight one so it's not him overheating or anything. Don't know what else it could be, he's just so itchy and he's not usually like this.

 

[twiggy2]

could be an allergy or mange, I would be keeping a close eye on how it goes as they can rub themselves raw in nextto no time-hope he responds to the lice powder-maybe clip a patch to see if you can see anything?

 

[WelshD]

Do you have a thinner rug you can try just in case. My clipped pony has been too warm in a 100g this week

If it lice try Deosect, its excellent stuff

Also have you changed his feed at all as that could be part or all of the problem

 

[Cheshire Chestnut]

Could be an allergy - that's what I thought but I haven't changed anything. He's still on his Happy Hoof and hay. Same feed and same hay but just wracking my brain trying to think of anything. I just feel so helpless - if only they could talk at a time like this! If he is too hot, would that cause the lumps though? They are hard but don't seem to hurt him. It's not ringworm as I've seenthat before and this doesn't seem like it at all. Might do as Twiggy2 said and clip the patch to see if I can see anything else.

Makes me all itchy thinking and talking about it! Arrgh!

 

[Abby-Lou]

I had exactly the same last weekend with my mare & I can't see any lice but I have treated both my ponies with lice powder. My Shetland had lice about 5 years ago and I could see them running around horrible sight ! I clipped and bathed & powdered to get rid of the little ******* ! This time I'm thinking mites or maybe early stages of lice. She hasn't rubbed since and things seem to healing up nicely so I am going to powder again and fingers crossed that will be it cracked !

 

[em_123]

Louse powder is pretty useless nowadays it's like they've built a resistance to it.

Get some coopers fly repellent and put it on them near, focussing on making sure it gets into his mane along his spine and dock well. But also put it all over his body.

I transfer it into a spray bottle and spray it on.

Brilliant stuff and kills any eggs that hatch within a week or two week I can't rember which. Follow instructions and if there is any lice that will clear them up.

 

[Mr Punch]

Try Switch or Z-Itch. Is for sweet itch but my vet advised me to use it for lice. My horse seemed immediately better after I treated him with Z-Itch.

 

[Cheshire Chestnut]

I had exactly the same last weekend with my mare & I can't see any lice but I have treated both my ponies with lice powder. My Shetland had lice about 5 years ago and I could see them running around horrible sight ! I clipped and bathed & powdered to get rid of the little ******* ! This time I'm thinking mites or maybe early stages of lice. She hasn't rubbed since and things seem to healing up nicely so I am going to powder again and fingers crossed that will be it cracked !

How did you powder? I covered him in it and tried to brush it into his coat but he shook a lot of it off I then used a new rug and put it all over him and then put the rug on to hold it all on before he could shake it off again. Did you just treat her the once? What do you do if it's mites? I have no idea where they've come from!

 

[Cheshire Chestnut]

Try Switch or Z-Itch. Is for sweet itch but my vet advised me to use it for lice. My horse seemed immediately better after I treated him with Z-Itch.

Just ordered some - thanks! I'm probably being over cautious but the last thing I want is for him to rub himself raw.