Scab on legs - mud fever, mites or something else?

[coby]

I have recently bought a Clydesdale x TB, and on one of his back legs, almost hidden by his feathers, he has a small scabby patch, halfway up his cannon bone. I have had him for a couple of months now, and this problem has not cleared up. It doesn't look like mud fever. Could it be mites, or could it be someting else? If it is mites, what is the best product to treat it with?

 

[lialls]

I doubt it would be mites, They dont actually leave evidence of them on the horse, they only evidence is that the horse scratches/bites there legs to itch. To treat mites you have to get an ointment from your vets. Have you tryed sofening the scabs by washing them to see if they come off?

 

[brightmount]

I would soften and remove the scabs by washing in warm water with hibiscrub or malaseb shampoo. I would then apply aloe vera gel daily and if there is no improvement after about a week, get a vet's advice.

 

[Theresa_F]

Yes it could well be mites - if you PM me, I will send you a very very long PM about dealing with them. Basically frontline, then pig oil and sulphur treatments - even though he is not a pure hairy, the fact that half of him is super clydie will mean he has the genes that make him predisposed to having them.

The place you describe as being scabby is classic mite symptoms.