Is it lice??

P

PonyRiders

Well-Known Member
Joined
25 October 2010
Messages
61
Visit site
Hi everyone :)

About 1 month ago I realised that my pony was starting to rub herself a lot, not to the point of baldness but still enough for me to notice. Up until that moment she had been living out, and I realised under her belly she was getting little scabs. I washed her belly with a medicated shampoo but it didn't seem to do anything. I monitored the scabs and her rubbing and nothing changed for about 3 weeks. The last week or so she has started rubbing a lot! on anything she can find, and loves us scratching her under her belly, even to the point that she will choose a belly scratch over her feed! (very unusual for her not to be eating) I have now realised that she has got scabs on the inside of her back legs aswell.

I have been washing her with the medicated shampoo, and trying to get some of her winter woolies off (she is molting like crazy). Is anyone else experiencing the same? I have been told that there is a Millenium mite about this year, and because he haven't had a cold winter they haven't been killed off? anyone else heard of this? and what do people use to get ride of mites??
THANK YOUU
 
Coopers Fly Repellent Plus. If it's not lice/mites it won't do any harm (do a patch test before covering the whole horse) and if it is, it's the most effective treatment I've found. Much better than all the vets' patent medicines & injections that we've tried over the years.
I've just had to do one of ours, like you I thought at first that the itching was because she is moulting like mad but no - CFRP has worked a treat.
Just a word of caution, CFRP contains citronella, I have to treat our horses as sister is allergic to it and struggles to breathe if she so much as catches a whiff of the gloves I've used and thrown in the bin.
 
coopers is good for friends! or give her a good dose of louse powder. is she rugged? if so she sounds like she is too hot. you could clip her off (and save the moult) and put a rain sheet on. then at least if you need to wash her you can scrape her dry, towel off and she wont get cold. and you can see what you are dealing with. which medicated shampoo are you using? i would suggest selen or selsun blue or malaseb. good luck. sweetitch could be in the equation though a little early imo. mites could also be in the equation. 2 dectomax injections would sort this out 10 days apart , from your vet.
 
Lice usually (but not always) choose the mane/ears area before the belly and possibly the whorl/feathering area between the barrel and the flank. This is because these areas are the warmest. Get in for a really close look in these areas and the areas she is scratching in. If there are lice present there will likely be eggs clustered around the bottom of the hairs (more uniform and stickier than scurf). You may also spot a live one or two scarpering as you seperate hairs.

On the legs and belly chances are the problem is mites.
 
sorry to jump on board ops thread. I have been treating my colt for lice for 3months. started using powder seemed to be getting on top of the huge infestation. vet came out to do vaccinations told her about lice she said stop using powder use coopers, so i bought the coopers from my vet. treated as instructed for 6 weeks. vet came out again to do 2nd vaccinations all the eggs were still there from 2months ago so she said they were likely dead eggs and shes happy to stop treatment so reluctently i stopped treating him. i still checked his cot most days just incase. any way yesterday i notice him bitting at his sides and legs again so i have been and bought more coopers. today hes still biting at himself. am i applying it wrong im smoothing it on his coat with the sponge. should i be rubbing it in instead to treat lice. god wh are they such a pain to get rid of. his face has 1000s of eggs its crazy.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top