Mite infestation in horses

charlies-aunt

Had to have to have the vet to our cob yesterday as he has been a very itchy boy for the last week despite being Hibiscrubbed and groomed every night.

Very upset when the vet diagnosed that he has picked up mange mites - he has had to have all his lovely feathered legs shaved down as closely as possible so that the Frontline lotion could be effectively applied to his legs as his hairy legs and feet were densely infested. I was really upset to find out he had some really nasty infected and irritated aresa that I hadn't spotted because they were hidden by his feathers

Has anyone had experience of this problem with their horse? I really need some advice on what to do to prevent this happening again and how to effectively eradicate any mites that are lurking - the vet said that they can lie dormant for years so I want to do my best to zap them to prevent re-infection.

He is kept at a livery yard, turned out in daylight hours and stabled on straw overnight. The vet said that he could have picked up the bugs from many different place - wooden fences, old straw, contact with other horses etc. No other horse at the yard has been affected but he is a fully feathered Clydesdale Cross show cob with long mane and tail and heavily feathered legs - draught horses are apparently prone to mite infections.

I was going to get some Jeyes Fluid and dilute it and spray this stable floor and walls well - will this kill any dormant mites or is there a better product that I can buy over the counter?

I've already bagged the rugs that he was using for professional cleaning and put clean ones on and boil washed his numnahs, sweat rugs etc.

Do I need to treat his tack with Jeyes Fluid? Also do I need to treat my trailer and riding clothing - boots, jods etc ?

I have been told to apply pig oil and flowers of sulphur to this legs once the mites have been cleared to prevent re-infestation - does this work? or is it an old wives tale?

I would really appreciate any advice on this - I didn't sleep last night as I was so upset and worried about him and have been beating myself up ever since for failing to notice that there was a problem. If I can do everything that I can to get him better and prevent it happening again, it will give me peace of mind. I have had him for nine years and love him very much so nothing would be too much to do.

Many thanks in advance - Chris x

trudij

You can inject (well - you can get your vet to inject!!) Dectomax - that will kill mites, so if you can get in there before they take hold, hopefully you wont have to clip him again. Also - frontline spray is fantastic for this - so hopefully you will be ok with that.Just make sure you completely soak the legs,it doesnt work if you only spray the hair (if you see what I mean)
I thought pig oil and sulpher was a thing for mud fever (bacterial infection) rather than a parasitic thing, but that doesnt mean that it wouldnt work - Im sure someone will be on that has experience of using it. ( I looked into it as a mud fever thing, but my horse told me in no uncertain terms i wasnt going anywhere NEAR her legs,so she is having Thuja capsules, and luckily they seem to be working!)
Hairy legs are a nightmare when it comes to visitors though - hope he gets over them quickly,and they dont retuurn !!

KVet

Depends what kind of mites they are - Cheyletiella or Chorioptes? Cheyletiella will be killed by the Frontline spray as they live on the skin itself whereas the Chorioptes mite will require inj of an ivermectin solution (like Dectomax mentioned above) as they live under the skin.

charlies-aunt

KVet wrote: »

Depends what kind of mites they are - Cheyletiella or Chorioptes? Cheyletiella will be killed by the Frontline spray as they live on the skin itself whereas the Chorioptes mite will require inj of an ivermectin solution (like Dectomax mentioned above) as they live under the skin.

I don't know which kind they are - the vet gave him a steriod injection yesterday and has left me with an Aloe Vera & Oatmeal Shampoo and a Medicated Shampoo to use alternately twice a week - I have to wet the coat on his neck, shoulders and flanks, apply shampoo in small spots all over the area and work up to a lather by rubbing with a tepid sponge. The lather has to be left on for 5 minutes (I covered him with a couple of coolers to keep him warm while the lather did its work) and then rinsed off with tepid water and he has to be rugged with sweat rugs/large towels/ cooler until he is thoroughly dried. I did the Aloe Shampoo last night will do the Medicated shampoo on Monday - I have to see how he is and ring the vet on Wednesday... she will decide then if she will need to do skin scrapings - I presume that this will decide what type of mites they are?

He has multiple small lesions on his shoulders and that have appeared in the last couple of days - in my ignorance, I thought he was too hot and it was a sweat rash because he was over-rugged so I washed him with Hibiscrub... I feel so guilty that I didn't get the vet sooner.

We put the Frontline on his legs this morning - used the full 500ml spray and I made sure that his skin was saturated and I rubbed it well in. My yard manager shaved his legs as closely as she possibly could last night so
there was very little hair left to get in the way. This evening, he seemed a lot more cheerful and more like himself and apart from a little nibble at one point on his side, he wasn't itchy.

Do I frontline his legs on a monthly basis? I'm not sure as the instructions on the bottle are for cats and dogs and suggest appliation every two months but I really want to be 100% sure that he is clear so I want to go on the side of caution.

orlao

Pig oil and sulphur is a very old remedy for mite prevention in feathered horses - it also stops the mud sticking to legs and soothes the skin which it is used in treating (not convinced by this!) and preventing mud fever (swear by it for this ) I also put it through manes and tails all year round to prevent rubbing and make them easier to clean and comb. Much cheaper and more effective than Canter Coat Shine.....

I'd give your vet a call and ask them if you need to frontline again but I don't remember ever having to do it twice.

trudij

basically, every horse is different, and every case is different - you are really best to be guided by your vet.


good luck !!

charlies-aunt

orlao wrote: »

Pig oil and sulphur is a very old remedy for mite prevention in feathered horses - it also stops the mud sticking to legs and soothes the skin which it is used in treating (not convinced by this!) and preventing mud fever (swear by it for this ) I also put it through manes and tails all year round to prevent rubbing and make them easier to clean and comb. Much cheaper and more effective than Canter Coat Shine......

Many thanks for your advice - I think its worth a try with this once the present infestation has cleared up as prevention is better than cure. It would be really helpful if you tell me how you mix yours please.

I have 'Battles' Pig Oil and a big pot of powdered sulphur which came with a scoop - I would be grateful if you can give me the approx mix as he has lovely heavily feathered legs which I would love to allow to regrow but his comfort and well being is my first priority so if I have to have his legs trimmed- that will be that. :rolleyes:

orlao

I buy the PO & S ready mixed but if I remember correctly it is 250g of sulphur to 2.5 litres of pig oil...I use a washing up liquid bottle to apply it every couple of weeks

HTH