Help worming and feather mites

Csc21

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Hi. I’m a non horsey mum. My daughters pony stays up a friends dairy farm as there is no way we could afford to pay for her keep (pony is a therapy one in the first instance as my daughter has anxiety and introduced her to riding and it settled her so now we have a lovely pony of our own)
I know that worming needs to be done. However I have no idea which ones and where. There are so many products and I don’t know what brands worm for which one and how often.
Some people say every six months others say once a year and others like every 6 weeks.
I’m seriously lost in what I should use and how often. We have had her nearly a year and have gone with every six months but I know I need a proper worming program.
Also the pony is like some sort of mini gypsy cob and has lots of feather. She has been getting itchy again more(winter doesn’t seem to be a problem)
Last year the tack shoo gave me deosect and told me to do it once a week and it will also help the flies and control them.
I don’t feel that this worked what so ever. I made sure I got right In to feathers well and all over her body.
I also use the ready mixed pigs oil and make sure it’s worked right into her feathers as this is meant to help as well and also it helps keep mud off her a bit.
It doesn’t seem too much of a problem but is starting more now (I read that’s it’s more of a winter issue but I find it’s the other way)
I read about an injection and asked my vet who said he would but it’s not always that effective and can cause abscess at the site of injection. He also said that it won’t make any difference if we took the feathers off if we get it all right down onto the skin. Last year she lost loads of feathers at the front of her feet and you can see on one that it’s atarting again. Can anyone help me and as much advise and best products and usage and directions would be gratefully appreciated. This pony is so lovely and amazing with my daughter and all my family and is part of our family and I don’t want to see her itching more and more and need to make sure she has a good worming program that’s she deserves.
 

Pearlsasinger

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I have no idea why your vet is reluctant to inject Dectomax, which is the usual treatment for feather mites. I have never heard of there being an abscess at the site of the injection, occasionally there is a reaction to flu/tet vaccine injections which is usually swelling on the chest, the usual advice to inject elsewhere. When I have had Dectomax injections done, it has been on the rump with no ill-effects whatsoever. What has your vet said about worming?
 

meleeka

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You’d be better off with worm counts rather than just blanket worming. There are a few companies that do this and will advise on workers. Wetgate Labs springs to mind if you google.
 

MotherOfChickens

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Dectomax isn't always effective, its not licensed for horses and is a rather large dose of a thickish liquid-I've never seen an abscess from it but my pony was left with a small hard lump at one injection site.

What worked with mites for my pony is fipronil spray. every two weeks for a couple of months and keep an eye on crest, chest, stifle and around dock as the blighters can take refuge there. you must do fortnightly to catch the hatching eggs. the type of mites that cause this in horses aren't blood feeders so in my mind its was more effective to treat topically and it has worked-he is completely free of them as far as I can see. You can buy the 500ml fipronil spray online or ask your vet for it. Patch test first then apply liberally when outside-do not spray pony's face and wear gloves yourself-try and get it right to skin but avoid broken skin.If she is out with other ponies then its advisable they are treated too-even if they show no signs of mites.

For worms, contact Westgate Laboratories -they will guide you through what you need to do and you can do it all by post.
 

Csc21

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I have no idea why your vet is reluctant to inject Dectomax, which is the usual treatment for feather mites. I have never heard of there being an abscess at the site of the injection, occasionally there is a reaction to flu/tet vaccine injections which is usually swelling on the chest, the usual advice to inject elsewhere. When I have had Dectomax injections done, it has been on the rump with no ill-effects whatsoever. What has your vet said about worming?

My vet says about regular worming etc but nothing specific. The vet said he would do the injection and said if he did he would do it into the chest as of an abbess came it would drain better but feels that it’s not the best form of treatment he said that it can be more of a common side effect of the injection. I did also read in a forum about it last year and over half on that thread said their horses had an abscess.
I just want what’s best for the pony and what works best. Did you find the injection worked well
 

Csc21

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Dectomax isn't always effective, its not licensed for horses and is a rather large dose of a thickish liquid-I've never seen an abscess from it but my pony was left with a small hard lump at one injection site.

What worked with mites for my pony is fipronil spray. every two weeks for a couple of months and keep an eye on crest, chest, stifle and around dock as the blighters can take refuge there. you must do fortnightly to catch the hatching eggs. the type of mites that cause this in horses aren't blood feeders so in my mind its was more effective to treat topically and it has worked-he is completely free of them as far as I can see. You can buy the 500ml fipronil spray online or ask your vet for it. Patch test first then apply liberally when outside-do not spray pony's face and wear gloves yourself-try and get it right to skin but avoid broken skin.If she is out with other ponies then its advisable they are treated too-even if they show no signs of mites.

For worms, contact Westgate Laboratories -they will guide you through what you need to do and you can do it all by post.

Thanks I will try that one as the spray I was given I did every week but she was still really itchy and it did nothing to repelling flies like it says too.
Does it get costly with having to do worm counts?
 

sport horse

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We have used Dectomax on several occasions - I bought a feathered cob and one or two of the warmbloods subsequently had mites. My vet and rider blamed the cob! We did regular dectomax for ayear or so and have not had a problem again in probably 8 years or so. The injections were given in the rum and caused no reaction.

I have just had my whole yard (20 +) worm counted - my vets do their own analysis. We are curretnly worming according to the results and it is quite interesting which ones had a high worm burden. The youngsters did not surprise me but that one of my OAP's, who has been on the same worming programme, did. I have not yet had the bill but I think it is about £20 per horse.
 

Hack4fun

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You’d be better off with worm counts rather than just blanket worming. There are a few companies that do this and will advise on workers. Wetgate Labs springs to mind if you google.
I agree. I use Intelligent worming. In the long run it should save money on unnecessary wormers, but more importantly you will know the health of the horse and be helping to reduce resistance too.

PS It is Westgate labs that the earlier post was referring to.
 

MotherOfChickens

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Thanks I will try that one as the spray I was given I did every week but she was still really itchy and it did nothing to repelling flies like it says too.
Does it get costly with having to do worm counts?

fipronil spray is not a fly spray, what were you using? specific parasites need specific treatment-its important that you know what you are using, 99% fly sprays will not treat mites.
My pony had one course of Dectomax and it did knock the mites back, when they returned he had another course and it made no difference. There's unfortunately not enough known about resistance in these type of mites and of course, very few actually get mite identification to know exactly what they are dealing with (I work with mites, just not these specifically).

Please contact Westgate, they will talk you through it-they are experienced professionals who will give you the right advice for your pony.
 

ester

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have you treated with either equest or panacur 5 day over the winter?
These are the most important treatments for the years as they will treat the encysted redworm before the spring emergence.

Worm counts are fine but it is important to know their limits. The quality of the sample you send is very important, it is possible to get false 'negatives' particularly off a single count. They do not account for encysted redworm or tape worm so the latter needs to be either treated, saliva tested or blood tested for.
 

Csc21

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fipronil spray is not a fly spray, what were you using? specific parasites need specific treatment-its important that you know what you are using, 99% fly sprays will not treat mites.
My pony had one course of Dectomax and it did knock the mites back, when they returned he had another course and it made no difference. There's unfortunately not enough known about resistance in these type of mites and of course, very few actually get mite identification to know exactly what they are dealing with (I work with mites, just not these specifically).

Please contact Westgate, they will talk you through it-they are experienced professionals who will give you the right advice for your pony.

I used deosect for the mites which was meant to be applied every 2 weeks and then in summer every week which would help repel the flies (I saw no difference at all for flies and she was still scratching from the notes although she had stopped stamping her feet so much)
 

Csc21

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I'm currently using these products on our shires hairy legs https://m.facebook.com/farriersequinecare/
The mite spray and shire oil instead of pig oil and sulphur which can cause a reaction. If you scroll through the facebook page there is some useful advice about the common leg /skin problems these types have.
Thanks I will look it up. I don’t want to see her like last year. It was heart breaking. Why does it seem to be worse this time and summer time instead of winter like books etc say (if you know by any chance)
Again very non horsey mum has to go by books web sites and advice.
 

Csc21

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We have used Dectomax on several occasions - I bought a feathered cob and one or two of the warmbloods subsequently had mites. My vet and rider blamed the cob! We did regular dectomax for ayear or so and have not had a problem again in probably 8 years or so. The injections were given in the rum and caused no reaction.

I have just had my whole yard (20 +) worm counted - my vets do their own analysis. We are curretnly worming according to the results and it is quite interesting which ones had a high worm burden. The youngsters did not surprise me but that one of my OAP's, who has been on the same worming programme, did. I have not yet had the bill but I think it is about £20 per horse.

I read that it can be in any type affects more feathered horses more due to them living in the feathers making it harder to Treat. Awful that they instantly blamed the cob though as it could have been one of the others.
I’m lucky as I dont have to worry about mine passing it on easily as she is the only pony there and see others on pony club when there is something.
Which is why I want to try to control it more now too before it all starts up again.
 

Csc21

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have you treated with either equest or panacur 5 day over the winter?
These are the most important treatments for the years as they will treat the encysted redworm before the spring emergence.

Worm counts are fine but it is important to know their limits. The quality of the sample you send is very important, it is possible to get false 'negatives' particularly off a single count. They do not account for encysted redworm or tape worm so the latter needs to be either treated, saliva tested or blood tested for.

I believe it was pancur that was used.
There is just so many different brands and I don’t know what one is meant to be given at what time of year and what ones are used for what types of worms. The more I read the more confused I seem to be getting as there seems to be so much different advice on what and when and intervals
 

ester

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It helps if you use the drug names, then they magically become fewer! ;) There are a lot of brands with entirely the same ingredients.

Moxidectin= only equest/pramox equest still I think. It covers the encysted redworms as well as all the other strongyles (round worms). The pramox contains praziquantel which treats tape worm.

ivermectin- A relative of the above, mostly used over the summer grazing period for strongyle treatment

pyrantel embonate- covers a lot of stronglyes but when used at double the dose treats tapeworms (albeit there is some resistance).

fenbendazole - panacur, a lot of resistance about to this option but using the 5 day guard for encysted redworms is usually recommended rather than using the equest on a horse with unknown worming history as it works a bit more slowly/gently.
 

MotherOfChickens

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I used deosect for the mites which was meant to be applied every 2 weeks and then in summer every week which would help repel the flies (I saw no difference at all for flies and she was still scratching from the notes although she had stopped stamping her feet so much)

the only fly spray I've used that did manage to clear up a patch of mites on mine was Tritec 14 which has permethrin and cypermethrin, Deosect contains cypermethrin only afaik. Again, people report that different cases are successfully treated with different compounds so you might have to try several. Both are potent compounds so care is needed when using.

Companies have brought out products that rely either on benzyl benzoate or different mixes of neem/rosemary etc. Benzyl benzoate will kill mites but I am not convinced it would be efficient at the sort of concentrations in otc sprays and at higher concentrations its also not so nice stuff. the essential oil based sprays might help prevent or keep a mite infestation subclinical but its not enough by itself to treat an infestation imho.

a lot of vets are quite clueless about this sort of mite but to be fair, the only recommendation they can make really is the dectomax so I'd not rule it out-I would just personally follow it with two weekly treatments of a topical fipronil treatment for a couple of months. It only takes a few eggs left somewhere on the horse and they will come back-might take some time but they'll be back. My Fell pony showed no signs of mites when I bought him in August-absolutely none but by end of October he had it. I am surrounded by cattle so maybe he picked it up from there, or from my straw or even my other pony who could have carried it but showed no signs (much less hair and no feather).

I do think its miserable for them and I get quite annoyed at people who don't try and treat it! really pleased my pony is completely free of it right now and he seems to be a jollier person because of it so I hope you can get your pony sorted.
 

ester

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I definitely found deosect worked better that tritec, but that it was only really of any use after a dectomax treatment.
F always flared up about May time on livery in wilts, he's always been scabby but he'd get to the point that I couldn't keep on top of them. Post treatment with deosect every so often he seemed to be ok.
He didn't have the issue either before or after our time in wilts back in somerset.
 

Gloi

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Many horse vets do a health care plan where you pay a fixed amount a month and they will give you a suitable worm plan for the pony and it will include an annual (or 6 monthly) dental check and his vaccinations. If you are new to owning a pony this may be a good route for you.
 

MotherOfChickens

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yeah, Dectomax may zero difference the last time we used it and the pony really objected to it. It would be good to know if we're even talking about chorioptes in all cases but sampling is quite difficult-I know that when I wanted chorioptes to play with back when I was working with psoroptes, well in three years I got one sample (from goat's testicles lol) sent in and tbh I'd probably not want my pony scraped either. So there's no work being carried out on identification let alone resistance and given the amount of resistance cropping up in psoroptes it wouldn't be at all surprising.

both deosect and tritec needs applying correctly and thoroughly ;) I tried the tritec on a patch on his chest because thats all I had when I found it (this was after the infestation had mostly resolved on his legs) and then another cheeky patch on his backside a couple of months or so later. This with the infestation on his legs not being that bad (or not as bad as many) to begin with and worse on his off fore. I've been over him very carefully this week, no sign anywhere-no foot stomping, all hair long and curly. I was thinking of using Deosect instead of Tritec this year-undecided as yet.

I have spoken to mite experts who are insistent that spot ons (which I've also used with some success) and injectables will not be effective against chorioptes-that dipping or the equivalent (e.g. topical) is the way to go. but then there is some evidence that certain wormers (orally) have been effective and dectomax works some of the time-or it just selects for resistance! I tried a lot last summer and many helped, they just didn't get rid of it (including Lime Plus Equine Dip which is awful stuff)
 
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Csc21

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It helps if you use the drug names, then they magically become fewer! ;) There are a lot of brands with entirely the same ingredients.

Moxidectin= only equest/pramox equest still I think. It covers the encysted redworms as well as all the other strongyles (round worms). The pramox contains praziquantel which treats tape worm.

ivermectin- A relative of the above, mostly used over the summer grazing period for strongyle treatment

pyrantel embonate- covers a lot of stronglyes but when used at double the dose treats tapeworms (albeit there is some resistance).

fenbendazole - panacur, a lot of resistance about to this option but using the 5 day guard for encysted redworms is usually recommended rather than using the equest on a horse with unknown worming history as it works a bit more slowly/gently.

Thanks. Yes it’s very helpful with the brand name terms as well as it helps me when I need to get. I have found a chart which helps when I should work and what for but I feel so stupid when I have to ask for one as before this I didn’t know what ones I should be giving.
 

Csc21

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Thanks. Yes it’s very helpful with the brand name terms as well as it helps me when I need to get. I have found a chart which helps when I should work and what for but I feel so stupid when I have to ask for one as before this I didn’t know what ones I should be giving.

Is the ivermectin also an injection that the vet uses for feather mites do you know as well
 

ester

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MoC I did take some samples in, but also didn't want to do a full scrape.

Frank was declared odd by the vet because 24 hours post injection he had totally clean legs (which frankly is unusual on a normal day for him)

the dectomax injectable is doramectin which is a 'relative' it is also a wormer (just not one usually licenced for horses) so I don't worm after a dose.

Csc if you are buying wormers in-store then they should all have a SQP with a PML cert who can advise you. Don't be afraid to ask, too many don't.
 
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