# Scabs in her feathers?



## claire95 (22 May 2011)

Hello, I own a 9 y/o gypsy cob mare and have recently noticed that she has been stamping her back legs a lot and itching her fetlocks with her mouth. I went to look to her legs and found scabs just below her fetlocks on both of her back legs. As she has such thick feathers, I hadn't noticed them before. I washed her legs and have been applying dermisol cream but they don't seem to be getting any better and they're irritating her. At first I thought they may be feather mites but there are no sign of any eggs and none of the other horses at the stables have them. Somebody suggested I clip off all of her feathers but as it's approaching showing season I really don't want to have to do that

Does anybody have any idea what could have caused them or any treatment ideas?

Anything would be greatly appreciated xxx


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## JoBird (22 May 2011)

It could be mites/lice or mud fever so you really need to know which. I would certainly feed a loading dose of NAF Mud Guard though as it supports the skin and those scabs should fall off within a month whatever it is.  Dont put creams on.  If it is mites you will need Frontline or something, so I would ideally get the vet to identify the cause with a skin scraping. 
Hope it clears up before the showing!


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## Box_Of_Frogs (23 May 2011)

With a gipsy cob + heavy feathers it's a dead cert it's feather mites. You won't see the mites (they burrow into the skin) or the eggs (too small in all those feathers) but the symptoms you describe are absolutely text book feather mites. Frontline (dog strength) will kill the adults as long as you can rub it right down to skin level. On heavily feathered horses Frontline usually doesn't reach the skin so is useless. That's why some people shave the feathers right off. If you can get it deep down to skin level, you have to repeat in 10 days as the eggs hatch out then and will re-infest your horse. Feather mites can drop off into bedding so your horse may need doing a couple of times a year. They aren't contageous as such between horses. A sure fire way to kill them is a dectomax injection from your vet but, again, it needs to be repeated after 10 days. Some people swear by pig oil and sulphur and if you do a search on this Forum you'll get a ton of information.


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## Tnavas (23 May 2011)

Initially try washing them with Nizerol - it is anti fungal and will kill off any fungal infection such as mud fever or greasy heel - both are very itchy too.

You can buy it from the chemist. Dilute with hand hot water and work well into the feathers right down to the skin. Leave to dry.

Repeat a couple od times. Is this doesn't work then maybe your horse has mites. and then follow some of the other treatments.


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## Django Pony (23 May 2011)

Sounds like mites to me!

Jasper gets them too so now he has Dectomax injected 3 times a year and it's sorted it right out! 

Dectomax is not to be confused with Ivermectin - with the Ivermectin injection you need 2 of them about 10 days apart to kill the eggs after they hatch. Dectomax stays in the system so you don't need to repeat it. It also acts on worms, so you can miss a usual worming dose if you time it right!

Dectomax, Ivermectin and Frontline are all not licensed for use on horses. Dectomax is licensed for use on sheep and cattle only, but my vet is happy for me to give it. A trainee vet I know told me that they usually offer the Ivermectin as that way they get to charge 2 call out charges! 

About a week after injection, I wash his legs in hibiscrub and comb through his feathers with a metal mane comb to remove any scabby bits. I also use Pig Oil in the winter (PM Theresa_F on here for a great run-down on the wonders of Pig Oil and how to use it!)

Whatever method you choose, good luck, hope they clear up soon! x


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## alsiola (23 May 2011)

JustJasper said:



			Dectomax, Ivermectin and Frontline are all not licensed for use on horses. Dectomax is licensed for use on sheep and cattle only, but my vet is happy for me to give it. A trainee vet I know told me that they usually offer the Ivermectin as that way they get to charge 2 call out charges! 

Click to expand...

Don't listen to every conspiracy theory you hear.  I would be surprised if there is a single vet in the country who injects ivermectin into horses - it can cause a very nasty myositis.  It will always be Dectomax, which contains doramectin, a very closely related drug to ivermectin.  In theory repeating it after 2 weeks is unnecessary, but in practice it often works a lot better to do this.  I would advise your trainee friend to firstly do some more pharmacology revision, followed by a reading of the Guide to Professional Conduct before making any more sweeping judgements on their soon to be colleagues.


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## Miss L Toe (23 May 2011)

I tried a shampoo from the vet, green, to dilute 50/50 with water, put it on a very wet sponge, leave ten ins and wash off, it worked first time, no call out and no injections (which don't always work), so worth  a try, and can be used as a preventative too.


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## katherine1975 (23 May 2011)

As another person on here has said Theresa_F sent me a brilliant PM on how to look after horses with feathers. I have manged to keep my two girls lovely feathers in great condition and you don't need to cut them off!
I used Frontline to kill the mites - repeat application after 10 days to kill any mites that have hatched from eggs since the first application and then use pig oil and sulphur to keep them at bay. Have had no problems with mud fever or mites for over a year.


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## K27 (23 May 2011)

I have a little coblet too- and for his feathers i use Deosect which does the trick!- good luck!


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## Theresa_F (23 May 2011)

Frontline - every ten days x 3, then go onto pig oil and sulphur - and you need to repeat the P&S every two - three weeks.  In summer you can just use the sulphur - if you send me a PM with an email address I will send you a huge note I do on the care of hairy horses and keeping feather is healthy show condition.

Clipping - only if you have lots of infected sores or huge skin folds would I recommend this, frontline and then P&S normally does the trick but you need to do it regularly or you are wasting your time.


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## MerrySherryRider (23 May 2011)

I've had success with both single Ivermectin and Dectomax injections in previous years. Frontline was not so effective and turned out to be costly because of the amount needed and having to repeat the application.
This year, the heavily feathered one has been bathed with T-Gel shampoo and has pig oil (without sulphur ) massaged into his legs every couple of weeks. So far he is symptom free, but if he shows signs of stamping or irritation, he'll have the vet out for a jab.

He generally gets a brush on the backs of knees alternate days to deter any scabs and massage in pig/baby oil or liquid parafin to protect the skin and when picking out his feet, I feel by using my fingers, under all the hairiness for any indication of bites, scabs, infection or bits of thorny twigs and prickly thistle. So much gets hidden in there.


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## Theresa_F (23 May 2011)

For those who react to pig oil, neem oil is an effective way to get rid of lice, ticks and mites - stinks to high heaven though.  I use a drop in my SI fly spray and the midges hate the stuff.


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## Django Pony (23 May 2011)

alsiola said:



			I would be surprised if there is a single vet in the country who injects ivermectin into horses - it can cause a very nasty myositis.  It will always be Dectomax, which contains doramectin, a very closely related drug to ivermectin.  In theory repeating it after 2 weeks is unnecessary, but in practice it often works a lot better to do this.  I would advise your trainee friend to firstly do some more pharmacology revision, followed by a reading of the Guide to Professional Conduct before making any more sweeping judgements on their soon to be colleagues.
		
Click to expand...

Firstly, I know of 2 horses at my yard who where injected with Ivermectin only last month, and I know for certain it was Ivermectin as I had a discussion with the vet who was administering it at the time about which was better, Decotmax or Ivermectin. So there *is* a single vet in the country who uses it!

Secondly, I was sharing *my* experience of dealing with mites and one injection every 4 months has worked fine for me, with no need for repetition.

Thirdly, the reason a "" was put after quoting my friend was that it was said in a "tongue in cheek" manner. I am well aware (as is she) that no vet will administer drugs lightly and will always choose the best option for the animal under their care, regardless of costs! Having said that, you never see a poor vet!  (See, that was a joke too!)

Lighten up!


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## claire95 (26 May 2011)

Box_Of_Frogs said:



			With a gipsy cob + heavy feathers it's a dead cert it's feather mites. You won't see the mites (they burrow into the skin) or the eggs (too small in all those feathers) but the symptoms you describe are absolutely text book feather mites. Frontline (dog strength) will kill the adults as long as you can rub it right down to skin level. On heavily feathered horses Frontline usually doesn't reach the skin so is useless. That's why some people shave the feathers right off. If you can get it deep down to skin level, you have to repeat in 10 days as the eggs hatch out then and will re-infest your horse. Feather mites can drop off into bedding so your horse may need doing a couple of times a year. They aren't contageous as such between horses. A sure fire way to kill them is a dectomax injection from your vet but, again, it needs to be repeated after 10 days. Some people swear by pig oil and sulphur and if you do a search on this Forum you'll get a ton of information.
		
Click to expand...

I have decided I am going to shave her feathers and apply frontline but I was just wondering whether to use the frontline spot on or spray and how much to use?


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## lizsmith (2 June 2011)

I also have a gypsy cob and at the back of his legs his gland over produce causing scabs to clumps bit of his feathers i find washing them and putting plenty of conditioner on helps comb them out and it is just a case off maintaing them as this is something that will constntly occur, hope this helps


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