Itchy fetlock

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crazycoloured

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I noticed my mare itching one of her back legs on the stable door and she has been biting it quite a bit. So today i decided to clip her feathers back and look a little closer. On doing so i noticed a bald pink patch and a little crust had formed on the wound. Is there anything i can put on the wound to stop the itching cream spray etc?. I think there is a term for this but the name escapes me.
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Forget the camrosa, it will be feather mites. They drive hairy cobs nuts if they aren't controlled. In trying to scratch the itchiness, the horse can damage its own skin. You may see your horse stamping his legs like crazy or scraping the legs on eg fence posts or laying down to chew its own feet or all of the above.

The only permanent cure is to clip the feathers off. That way you can get to the skin and rub Frontline or any proprietory insecticidal shampoo right down to the skin. If the feathers aren't too thick, you might be successful rubbing Frontline in deep. Another semi-permanent solution is to have a Dectomax injection from the vet. Whatever control method you choose, you have to repeat it after 10 days as the eggs aren't "hit" by the 1st application so they hatch out after 10 days and bingo you have another infestation. Remember too that some of the little horrors will have dropped off into the horse's bedding so stay vigilant! There's a Forum member who has brilliant success with pig oil and sulphur. She does a fact sheet so let's hope she reads your post x
 
i treated mine successfully without clipping.i also think i have read that an invermectim wormer helps used in conjunction.
 
thank you for your comments. I will try the frontline and see how that goes. I have read about pig oilo and sulphur but not quite sure about the product. I have applied zinc and castor oil as a temp measure until i can get hold of some stuff for her.
 
If you want the huge PM I do about keeping hairy horses with show condition hair and all hair intact, PM me and I will send it to you.

Basically it involves frontline followed by applications of pig oil and sulphur - clipping alone does not get rid of mites - clipped legs can still have them. Normally if you don't have huge sores you can get away with leaving hair on.

You must continue with treatment all year round or the buggers will be back in no time.
 
Wash her legs with Nizeral - you can buy it from the chemist. Dilute with warm water and lather up well. Leave to dry, should deal withit in a few days.

If you think it might be mites then worm her with an Ivermec based wormer as this will kill the mites from within.
 
I used deosect on her this morning as the itching was driving her crazy.i plastered it on all her fetlocks so im hoping with a bit of luck that will help her.
 
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