Itchy horse

B

blueboy1

Member
Joined
2 April 2012
Messages
12
Visit site
my cobs seems to be driving himself mad itching in recent weeks to the point when hes causing sores but still not stopping itching! we called the vet last week who prescribed a demetox (sp?) injection as he has mites before i bought him and antihistermines, none of which seem to have eased the itching!

heard that a cold water bathe would soothe it so tried that with pest killer in it and put louse powered on him the next day just incase, that didn't stop the itch either!

hes just been fully clipped today to see if he was too hot but it revealed he was itchy everywhere not just in patches and theres quite a few small lumps on his body but no idea what from! vet is getting called again tomorrow to see what they can come up with and a skin scrap.

also if it helps his next door neighbour started itching months ago like this but again vet couldnt find anything but his other neighbours arent affected so no sure if its infectious?
 
Could still be lice - what powder did you use? Some of them are little more than corn powder, probably gives the little blighters a cough but it's not fatal to them!

Clipping should help in that whatever topical stuff you put on can now get to the skin. Let's hope the vet can find out properly tomorrow.
 
Gold label louse powder,

poor little sod driven himself mad with itching! hes better when hes out in the field but still manages to create sores but not wanting to turn him out just incase it is infectious
 
Is he rugged? Nothing on those? Not been washed or treated with anything that may irritate? Or maybe they are just too hot with rugs on previously, maybe being clipped may help now. Also, could it be a food allergy? I am very aware of this as I gave one of my girls barley for the first time ever last year and it set off the most hideous allergic reaction which even had Liverpool vets baffled initially. Not just itching, but oozing blood out of her skin and almost walking out of her hooves, so far more serious obviously - but have you changed a food recently?
 
hes rugged as he was clipped previously as well, don't think he's been over heating as only been in lightweight / fleeces and never felt too hot, but could be wrong! cant find anything on rugs, a few are shared with my other horse who's one of his neighbors but other horse is unaffected

haven't changed his food recently, hes on alpha a and everyday high fiber which hes been on for about a year with no problems but have just bought new bags of feed recently if that could make a difference?
 
Both mites and lice are very contageous - not infectious as its not an infection! The lice are just visible to the naked eye so you would need to rub at the base of the mane, for example and see what comes to the surface. If it's mites they are very difficult to see with the naked eye but surely your vet took samples with sticky tape to look at under a microscope? If the infestation was/is bad then the skin will take quite a while to settle down and the horse will continue rubbing. Mites burrow under the skin and will continue to erupt and make the horse itchy and sore so treatment must be continued for a while.
All rugs, headcollars etc should be professionally cleaned, and the cleaner should be warned that there is a risk of mites/ lice. The rugs should be placed in plastic bags before they get dumped on someone else's rugs and the problem shared! Your bedding will need treatment too, as will bandages etc. I have used this - diatomaceous earth DE (http://diatomx.co.uk/) which is the active ingredient in most powders, but its better to get it pure as its cheaper and you can sprinkle it all over the bedding.
My horse arrived with awful mites in his feathers and I was advised by vet to shampoo with Selsun - its for humans and contains exactly the same active substance as the vet shampoo which is very expensive. You dilute it 1 in 10 and put on and leave for 10 minutes before washing off. This did the trick for my horse and then I keep the mites at bay with the DE powder.
The latest companion came covered in lice!! It has now been covered in DE powder and seems to have stopped itching. Shampooing in this weather was not an option. Will be doing another covering in a few days time to catch any thet are emerging.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top