Mites on white legs or is it mud fever?

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Bubblegum

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My horses and pony have just been turned away in lovely grazing at a farm locally.
I am so lucky, as it's all free...but in return I have been asked to care for the resident old hunter mare who lives there. She looks in really super condition for her age (21) but has slightly filled legs. They are slightly scabby and itchy and sore.
So I am thinking mites / mud fever?
Her owner is away for a few weeks and I want to take really good care of her. She is very sweet natured. I have put my pony in with her, and my two horses in the opposite meadow. They all seem fine, and I hopemy pony will encourage her to keep on the move instead of looking over the fence at three together.

Any suggestions of good field mite remedies? I really think it is more likely to be this as the soil is just perfect, and even with all this rain, is so well drained there is not a spot of mud.

Thank you!!

:) :)
 
To treat mites - either get the vet to come and inject dectomax (ivermectin) once now and poss again in three weeks.
Or, use frontline spray on all legs from the knee and hock down (soak through coat) once weekly for three weeks (must not get wet for 48hours before and after treatments)
Or, worm with an ivermectin based wormer (vectin, eqvalan etc) once weekly at the full bodyweight dose for three week.

Ironically out of the three the vet visit is often the cheapest!!;)

Imogen
 
My horse gets feather mites too and is very inventive at finding ways to scratch his itchy legs so that I notice! His latest offering is standing in his (empty) food bowl with one leg and scratching the other one vigorously on the rim. This always turns his feed bowls inside out and often cracks them so action is required! I've always, always had success with the dectomax injection but as IB says, you do need to repeat it after 10 days or so because the eggs are unaffected and hatch out and bingo, you have a mite infestation again. The only trouble with this method is that it takes 2 call outs from the vet, so not cheap. And the perishing little bleeders can live in bedding too so don't be surprised if your horse gets regularly re-infested. Sunny used to need the 2 callouts about twice a year. I've recently tried the Frontline spray method and **touches wood** it's cleared Sunny's mites as effectively as the dectomax. Again as IB says, you need to repeat the Frontline (egg thing again) and you have to make sure it gets right down to the skin. You need the dog strength and so far I've done Sunny's legs twice and my Shettie's legs once with it and there seems to be tons left, so a cheaper option.
 
We do zone days (visits ARE £9.50) for clients so it's ok price wise (dectomax about £15 a shot in our hands!) even if repreated, 500ml bottle of Frontline about £65-70 :eek:
 
I paid £35 for my Frontline and, like I said, there's so much left that I reckon it'll do 2 horses (well, 1 horse and 1 pony), twice a year and twice per infestation for another 2 years at least. Crude calculation (same Frontline spray has already done a ? louse infestation when Molly the rescued Shetland first arrived) gives a price of £1.50 per application! Even if my calculations are over-optimistic, it's still £3.00 per application, tops. The way I see it, if over the counter products actually work (many don't) then owners can self treat for minor problems, same as I wouldn't go to my GP for Strepsils, if you see what I mean x
 
Box_Of_Frogs said:
I paid £35 for my Frontline and, like I said, there's so much left that I reckon it'll do 2 horses (well, 1 horse and 1 pony), twice a year and twice per infestation for another 2 years at least. Crude calculation (same Frontline spray has already done a ? louse infestation when Molly the rescued Shetland first arrived) gives a price of £1.50 per application! Even if my calculations are over-optimistic, it's still £3.00 per application, tops. The way I see it, if over the counter products actually work (many don't) then owners can self treat for minor problems, same as I wouldn't go to my GP for Strepsils, if you see what I mean x
Click to expand...

WOW where are you getting it from!!! Is that the big 500ml bottle?? I generally find that if you havea feathered horse and you soak the hair coat fully on all four legs, it doesn't go that far....maybe I need to have some tips on application or do you have minis???:p

I do think is works very well in a lot of cases...
 
My Clydie has the same problem, I do use Pig Oil and Sulphur, but in April I also got the vet to give Dectomax, it was in 2 lots 2 weeks apart and has lasted until this week, have spoken to them and they think that another single dose should be enough to knock it on the head again. But you will need to check with the owner as it's not licenced for horses, the vet will ask you to sign a disclamer, but for me it worked a treat
 
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