Mites in feathers...

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Carrots&Mints

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One of the ladies up at the yard has informed us that her cob has mites in his feathers....

Never ever had an experience with mites... So was wondering shall I be prepared for my horse to get them?! (he's a clevland bay x, hardly has any feathers as I trim them) and... If he does get them is there anyway of getting rid?? Or any way of protecting him before he does get them???

Help!!! :)
 
not to likely yours would get them as the buggers seem to like thick feathers, have known folk to use the frontline for dogs/cats on them with good results, tho be careful in case of any irritation on sensitive neds, hope that helps :)
 
Oh thankyou :) I was getting worried we was going to get infected!!! Lol!!!

Woman who's horse has got them says they'll give him an injection that's used for cattle... I thought this was odd! Lol
 
Pig oil and sulpher...you can buy it on eBay, it's relatively cheap. Use it about once a fortnight... Looks horrible for the first day and then settles, stops mites and protects against mud fever as well as helping to keep legs clean! :) super stuff!
 
Sorry just re read your original post... It is unlikely that yours would get them too...usually certain horses are prone to it... Altho I do know a tb cross with them :)
 
Well the pig oil prevents mites as they won't live in a greasy environment. Frontline does work for a short while as does the dectomax injection but both are more pricey for the result you get imo. Neither 'cure' the mites as they just come back once the treatment has worn off.

I have tried everything on my boy and can honestly say that pig oil has been the most effective at actually stopping him from stamping :) but every horse is different!
 
Mine had mites for years and we had no idea what they were, my horse cut her legs to shreds. So the vets injected her three times over six weeks and it got rid of the mites and the itching, it was brilliant! :)
 
My girl's a horror for getting them but has never passed them on to any other horse at the yard.

All the horses I've known with mites have been cobs, all living with other mite-free horses. Not sure why they don't seem to transfer, whether it's just a heavy feather thing, dunno...
 
I did my horse very often with pig oil etc.. Still got mites gave the jab within weeks had them again, all bedding was changed etc.. I think vet poss gave dose wrong as done by weight guess.. So sometimes it is a long hard battle in end I did another jab, front line and had to shave to get them gone.
To those that may not know, mite can live on bedding for a few weeks so once treated always to a full clean out, and straw is ment to be the worse and it's said horses have caught mites from straw, but not sure it that was really true.
 
I would shampoo with Deosect Shampoo (kills anything), and then start using pig oil and sulphur when the feathers are dry - apply weekly, nothing can survive the stuff :)
 
My hairy cob got them and I used a mite powder from my local saddlery after cutting all his feathers off, it worked fine.
I've got to other fine horses with no feathers in the field with him and they didn't get them at all.
 
Dolly first got mites last year. Had the dectomax injection, all cleared up fine, then came back again. We have now clipped her legs right off and have been doing so for about 4 months now, but can't get rid of the mites. She has had dectomax since clipping, but I've noticed over the last week or so that she is itching her back legs again, so vet once more. Any ideas on how I can keep them at bay? Pig oil and sulphur is a no no as she's allergic to it.
 
I have a new horse that had dreadful mite infestation. Three jabs each 14 days apart, frontline and shampoo in Selsun and we have lots of improvement.

Previous groom had clipped her but been very rough with her and clipped straight through the scabs which, needless to say, has made her tricky to clip.

I managed to clip one leg yesterday and the skin is in good order, 3 more to go and then I want to keep her clipped which should make leg care a lot easier, (she is clyde x ID and will not be kept as a hairy cob).

The on going problem is the scabs on the front of the hock and back of the knee, known as sallenders and mallenders in vet speak. I will call them sallamanders !!

Initially I used sudocrem which did soften the scabs a little. I am now using Dermisol which has really improved the sores but has not cured them. What does anyone else use/recommend ? The mare is not stamping, rubbing or chewing at her sores anymore but they are unsightly and need to go.
 
I don't think Deosect kills feather mites - I looked into this at the time and it kills most nasties but not the specific mite that lives under the skin in feathers. Plus, I could never use anything topical on my girl's super-flares - be there all day :(
 
It's unlikely to pass to other horses without close contact, sharing grooming tools etc.
The shot is dectomax and is a cattle wormer related to ivermectin. It's not licensed for use in horses but is regularly used for this and doesn't cause problems. I've used it on several occasions when my mare got mites and within a couple of days she stopped itching, no more problems till she picked them up again (her old box seemed infested, she was fine outside of that box but when in there she got mites several times despite disinfecting it)

It's the most effective and simplest treatment and has the added advantage of worming the horse at the same time:D
 
Well my kwpn mare with zero feathers shared afield with a freisain who got them and she used to get them, drive her demended, constantly stamping her feet. Had to get her a injection to keep them at bay - so is say yes your horse will get them :-(
 
AdorableAlice said:
I have a new horse that had dreadful mite infestation. Three jabs each 14 days apart, frontline and shampoo in Selsun and we have lots of improvement.

Previous groom had clipped her but been very rough with her and clipped straight through the scabs which, needless to say, has made her tricky to clip.

I managed to clip one leg yesterday and the skin is in good order, 3 more to go and then I want to keep her clipped which should make leg care a lot easier, (she is clyde x ID and will not be kept as a hairy cob).

The on going problem is the scabs on the front of the hock and back of the knee, known as sallenders and mallenders in vet speak. I will call them sallamanders !!

Initially I used sudocrem which did soften the scabs a little. I am now using Dermisol which has really improved the sores but has not cured them. What does anyone else use/recommend ? The mare is not stamping, rubbing or chewing at her sores anymore but they are unsightly and need to go.
Click to expand...

I feel your pain - the dreaded sallamanders lol - see my recent thread for my never ending battle against them. Flamazine on the sore itself seems to help. If they are open at all I have found seal and heal to be really useful after a wash down in baby shampoo to remove and debris.

I'm also playing with vertiricyn at the moment but it's not cheap!
 
AdorableAlice said:
What does anyone else use/recommend ?
Click to expand...

I've had success with Skincure from www.bobgrass.co.uk

It's cleared all but one scab on my cob-not sure yet if it's going to get this one or not as it's one of those things that doesn't seem to be doing anything for ages, then you wash it off and it looks loads better underneath. But this last one is really stubborn :( If it doesn't shift soon, I'll stick some Cut Heal on it instead, which will make a huge mess but might just fix it.
 
Sisters big mare has this problem, or something very similar. We have clipped the legs out and used tea tree oil spray on the scabs, this does seem to be working.
 
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