Leg Mite Poll

How do you treat leg mites?

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I thought my hairy had leg mites as he'd scratched the inside of one of his hind legs raw, and he was stamping his back feet a lot, so when the vet was out for one of the other horses, he had a mite jab.
Seems to have done the trick as he's no longer stamping, and the hair is growing back over his scratched off bit. (been putting sudocrem on the sore bit)
He needs another jab 2 weeks on from the first though, to catch the second wave apparently.
 
My farrier recommended Dectomax injections 3 times a year. So far it has done the job very nicely with no adverse reactions. Previously I used Frontline spray which was ok but expensive.
Only thing is Dectomax is not licensed for use on horses, only sheep and cattle, but according to my farrier that's more to do with the cost of licensing than it's safety.
<<runs and hides from people who are going to shout for using an unlicensed product>>
 
JustJasper said:
My farrier recommended Dectomax injections 3 times a year. So far it has done the job very nicely with no adverse reactions. Previously I used Frontline spray which was ok but expensive.
Only thing is Dectomax is not licensed for use on horses, only sheep and cattle, but according to my farrier that's more to do with the cost of licensing than it's safety.
<<runs and hides from people who are going to shout for using an unlicensed product>>
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I did have them on my cob but only had one at the beginning of the summer and that was enough.
 
Never using frontline again as our show cobby had a huge reaction from it on his legs.


Tried the jabs but didn't work.


Shall be using the spot-on treatments which work straight away we've found after trying everything else [literally] to get rid of the buggers, and pig oil and suplhur over winter this year probably. Much to my distaste of lathering oil on!!! Blergh.
 
I have tired, injections from vet, frontline and pig oil and sulphur

The pig oil and Sulphur is the only thing that has worked for me :) It is also cheap, easy to use and leaves her feathers in fantastic condition

Please give this a try
 
I thought our mare had mud fever all last summer and was treating it with flamazine cream. We bought her in February 2009 and every time we turned her out in the morning she would lie down to itch her back legs. They were very sore and scabby. I eventually realised it was not mud fever and used Frontline spray and then used pig oil and sulphur all winter. Haven't had any further problems and she is much happier.
 
Interesting post as my lad suffered for years with this problem until I bought him as his past owner never treated him. I used the pig oil and sulphur and was also given pig oil on its own as pig oil and sulphur is quite strong. Pig oil and sulphur add moisture to the legs as mites feed on dead skin therefore takes away the dead skin problem you often find in feathered horses.

Secondly my vet would not give the injection as he said it was not licenced for horses and that some had died from it? Not sure about that.

So I used front line spray, not particularly good as I had to clip his legs.

I am interested to here about the results with the spot-on treatments :)
 
Kaylum said:
Interesting post as my lad suffered for years with this problem until I bought him as his past owner never treated him. I used the pig oil and sulphur and was also given pig oil on its own as pig oil and sulphur is quite strong. Pig oil and sulphur add moisture to the legs as mites feed on dead skin therefore takes away the dead skin problem you often find in feathered horses.

Secondly my vet would not give the injection as he said it was not licenced for horses and that some had died from it? Not sure about that.

So I used front line spray, not particularly good as I had to clip his legs.

I am interested to here about the results with the spot-on treatments :)
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I heard the same about the Ivermectin injections, that's why I tried the Dectomax instead.
 
Kallibear said:
Please be very careful if you're using spot-on and he's allergic to frontline - it's the same stuff! - both fipronel in an alcohol solution.
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No, it's a different one, it's an ivermectine based one for rabbits and guinea pigs. The one for rabbits and guinea pigs contains a different base to the others, which is why we were recommended to try that. It's not the frontline spot on treatments, I can't remember the company off the top of my head. It's not licensed for horse use as it's for rabbits and GP's...but our tack shop and pets and home are always out of stock daily over winter as it's proving quite popular. There's no limit to how many you can buy ['Providing you're not buying them to poison someone' we were told] so we just get a load and stock up when we can :) Our nightmare show cobby suffered them immensely and nothing would shift them till we used them finally.
 
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If they have mites, I start with clean legs and use frontline for three treatments ten days apart. I then use P&S every two weeks throughout the wet months, with an oil top up each week for hair protection and just sulphur in the dry months every three weeks rubbed into the hair.

I have also read that good results can be obtained with neem oil, but as my horses have white legs and neem is yellow have not tried it, plus it is more expensive to use than P&S, so I keep the neem for use in my fly spray as it is also excellent for keeping off midges.

Touch wood, having now had four very hairy horses over the past ten years, none of them have had problems with mites, but you have to accept that this is a routine that must be done all year round and legs checked weekly.

The main problem is when the legs have been left and thick skin and folds develop as this is then difficult to look after, and in these cases, clipped legs may be the way to go.

You don't need to clip legs to remove mites, and clipped legs can get mites, and the secret to healthy legs is to start with P&S from a young age.

Finally some horses can react to pig oil so make sure you do a test first. I have yet to find one that reacts to sulphur so if your horse reacts to the oil, using sulphur is also an effective treatment to kill off mites.

If anyone wants the huge note I do on the art of keeping hairy horses with show condition hair and healthy legs, PM me an email address and I will send it to you.
 
pig oil and sulphur hands down. It's also fab at helping with sweet itch as the midges just get stuck in the oil - not nice, but seems to work :D
 
I am not entirely sure if my little hairy coblet has ever had them or not but what I do is apply baby oil to her feather. This seems to keep them in really good condition and also makes them very easy to keep clean.
 
I'm in the process of attacking my boy's itchy legs. He has had 2 going over with frontline (feathers and mane) and is noticably less itchy (touch wood). I think he will get another frontlaine treatment in the next couple of weeks then I'll get some pig oil and sulphur. Definitely not planning on clipping his legs as he's a Fell but a wide toothed mane comb, plaiting bands and plenty of patience help!
 
I use Deosect solution which has worked fabulously well on my boy. From the look of his legs, he had never been treated before I had him. But the Deosect worked straight away. I just repeat the treatment when he starts to itch again.
 
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