# Feather Mites Nightmare!!



## kate.l (4 August 2012)

Not really sure if this post should be here or in veterinary!!
However.. We've had a coloured cob for the last year who throughout his time with us has suffered with mites.  He came to us from a field as a 4yo where to be honest I don't think he'd had the best start in life.
For as long as I can remember he's always itched his legs and mane, so having scrubbed him religiously with dermoline shampoo and various other powders etc with little or no success I decided to hog him and take off his feather. 
Unfortunately this made absolutely no difference to the itching on his legs, it did however stop his mane itching.  None of our other horses have this problem either, and he's stabled on shavings too so no risk of mites from his bedding...
It must be complete torture for him to be itchy all the time, he's constantly kicking himself and stamping his feet - so a few months ago I took him to our vet and put him on a course of dectomax injections. He's had 3 and this has made no difference what so ever, in fact if anything at the moment he's as bad if not worse than he's ever been. I know this time of year the mites should be dying off but he's just not getting and rest from this at all, poor pony!
Any advice would be greatly appreciated, the pony is an absolute star and obviously we want to do our best by him!!
Many thanks


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## JEZA (4 August 2012)

Dear OP
I have many years of this cob problem. One idea is to try the following which is great for my mare.
PIG OIL (you can buy in 5 litre tins)
SULPHUR POWDER
Mix them up in a pot until they are a yoghurt thickness. Apply well and massage in to all 4 legs, 1-2 weekly.  Its a very messy job, and probably best if you can get your horse to stand on a large plastic bag. Wear old clothes. It works very very well on my mare, particularly for very sore, scabby, itchy legs. Apply regularly.
Best of luck with this awful problem.


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## kate.l (4 August 2012)

That's brilliant thank you! Does this soothe the legs? His back legs are very sore and scabby around his heels, at first I thought this was mud fever but I'm convinced it's from the mites.. Poor pony is plagued by them!! 
Thanks again


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## JEZA (4 August 2012)

Dear OP
I would wash legs first and let them dry overnight. It would be better if you could clip the hair off so the oil can get right on the skin. It will grow back quickly. Well all I can say, is that my mare went from weeping, sore scabs from fetlocks to back of knees, and it all cleared in about 1 week. Rub it in gently, and I make sure I NEVER pick scabs off. 
This mixture keeps the legs very clean too. Your horse will look like a canary for a day or 2, but the colour soon goes. As I think I said before, reapply after 1 week or 10 days. 
I would be  very interested to know how you get on.


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## Suelin (4 August 2012)

A friend of mine who has shires has the vet inject hers with Dectomax I think.  It's for cattle but works like a charm on her horses.  Ask your vet about it.


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## Noodlebug (4 August 2012)

I terrible problems with mites and my horse doesn't even have feathers!! It been going on for about 7 weeks now and he has had his 2nd Dectomax injection but he has still got sore heels! Vet thinks they are from foxes and they are the burrowing type!!


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## Goldenstar (4 August 2012)

Ivermectin lotion fixed this with ours .


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## hairycob (4 August 2012)

I have a horse that suffers from mites on a regular basis. Up until this year I have found the Dectomax injections v good, but this year they had a very limited effect. I suspect we have been left with ones that are resistant. A coupe of months ago I started using the Frontline pipettes - 1 large dog size on each leg. Pipettes as I didn't want to clip off his feathers to use the spray. So far so good. I also use pig oil & sulphur every couple of weeks. Be careful though as some horses are sensitive to sulphur, so do a patch test before you use it. Also don't rub your eyes straight after using it, wash your hands first. Similar effect to chillies!


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## Pedantic (4 August 2012)

I would try the pig oil and sulpher, I buy it off the net, apply with a sponge apply all over and rub into heels ect, sometimes my Pony looks like a greasy chip, but it keeps the midges away and most other flying things, he also gets a weird skin condition now and again at certain times of year which is what I actually got it for, which has helped more than anything else, I also put Kossalian bloods salts in his feed which also seems to help.

He had an itchy tail and was start to rub it on the stable wall, rubbed the stuff well into it and it sorted it straight away.


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## lazybee (4 August 2012)

I use the three pronged attack. After combing out the scabs. Frontline, then after that a few days later, baby oil and kill itch (benzyl benzoate). Not at the same but 3 days apart. I get the kill itch and baby oil rubbed right to the skin using the gloves they kindly give away at petrol stations 

I'm not sure what the sulphur is supposed to do, I think the oil is the important ingredient as it suffocates the buggers.


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## indie999 (4 August 2012)

lazybee said:



			I use the three pronged attack. After combing out the scabs. Frontline, then after that a few days later, baby oil and kill itch (benzyl benzoate). Not at the same but 3 days apart. I get the kill itch and baby oil rubbed right to the skin using the gloves they kindly give away at petrol stations 

I'm not sure what the sulphur is supposed to do, I think the oil is the important ingredient as it suffocates the buggers.
		
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I agree with this. Ask a friendly high street chemist to order you some Benzyl benzoate biggest bottles and this does soothe it. It is for mites and is used in humans...but its very soothing. I use to leave it on for a couple of days and it will pick up the dirt. I would sometimes hibiscrub before and after treatment but the Benzyl is v good. I never tried the pig stuff but it is often recommended and I would try it. I think its more the oil or anything that is oily i would used udder cream, aqueous etc more to stop any mites clinging to the hair. The thing I always felt important was to keep hair off the ground. Good luck just keep at it. I never tried frontline but hear this is good as well.


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## katherine1975 (4 August 2012)

You cab get benzyl benzoate from www.hyperdrug.co.UK I would use that on his mane. For feather mites I use frontline spray, you can get this from your vet. Use once on all 4 legs and then repeat 10 days later, this has worked well for me


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## Foxhunter49 (4 August 2012)

The problem with Pig Oil is that if it is left on it can cause blistering especially in the sun.

Try Neem Oil. (Google Neem Team) Mix a5 ml Neem oil with 5 ml shampoo and make up with 1 L of hot water and wash the legs with that and do not rinse off.

All biting bugs hate the stuff and it is 100% safe to use.


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## maxapple (4 August 2012)

My pony had bad heel mites when I bought her - in both her heels and the back of her knees. 

I tried benzol, camrosa (healed the sores but they kept coming back) 

She then had the injection from the vet. She needed 3 in total, each 2 weeks apart, but touch wood it seems to have worked.


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## hayinamanger (4 August 2012)

I agree that Dectamax is not as effective as it was when I first started using it 15 years ago.  In those days, one single injection would get rid of these chorioptic mange mites for good, but there is obviously resitance to it now.  A course of 3 injections 10 days apart has worked very well on a couple of ours recently, and made no differece at all to another.  I use an ivermectin oral sheep wormer on his legs, rub it in well, repeat in 10 days.  I use pig oil and a bit of sulphur on them all, they are more likely to react to the sulphur than the pig oil, so test a patch first.  The tradi cobs have so much more feather than the Shires, who have silky fine feather.  The cobs' feather is very thick and dense and it's quite a job working anything into it, I think it's because they are (whispers) _common_   Neem oil sounds like it might be worth a go, too.  Let us know how you get on.


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## Cinnamontoast (4 August 2012)

lazybee said:



			I'm not sure what the sulphur is supposed to do, I think the oil is the important ingredient as it suffocates the buggers.
		
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It's meant to burn off the scabs.

I swear by Dectomax, always sorts out my lad. I'm surprised it hasn't worked if he's not had it before.

I like pig oil and sulphur but I have found the only thing that has totally cleared all scabs and itchiness is Avon Skin so Soft, Fresh. Bath oil one. I've tried for four years to get rid of the scabbiness (itchiness dealt with by Dectomax) and started using the Avon stuff recently, blinking marvellous.


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## indie999 (4 August 2012)

Thinking again..the other thing that is very good but it will be expensive is Oilatum. Its used on eczema and you put it in ie warm water and wash down. Derbac is the other human scabies treatment. A lot of these treatments contain oils and its to stop the bugs sticking to the hair and smoothers them. good luck. I am sure you will try anything at the moment. The other thing is to move to a different field. I did this and it was an improvement.


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## Twinkley Lights (4 August 2012)

Feel for you Kate, the impact of this condition is so often underestimated.  I've recently lost my 30 something boy but we had a raging battle with the mites and mud fever syndrome for most of those years (I do believe the skin condition from the mites creates the ideal conditions for MF and the cycle continues).  I've tried most of remedies listed and can say that we initially had ok results with Dectomax but not in last few summers.  Benzyl workes sometimes and I tried the three prong approach mentioned including pig oil and sulphur, hibiscrub and mud fever crems from vets etc.  His condition was chronic when he came to me many years ago but I was too green to understand the corregation in his legs.  Best management I found was to be on the case all the time keep feathers clipped and remove all scabs.

I do know what you are going thru its so frustrating to know you cant nail it for them and take away the irritation.

I'm currently looking for another horse (may have found one but setback see other thread) as well as the obvious vices I'm ruling out mud fever, sweet itch etc as far as i can as I dont want to watch another horse live with such a condition.


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## hayinamanger (4 August 2012)

Totally agree with Shivvy re the impact of chorioptic mange.  I have bought several horses who were chronic sufferers, some were truly pitiful cases.  The long term effects of the constant stamping, rubbing, banging of these previously untreated horses, without doubt shortened their lives.


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## MiJodsR2BlinkinTite (4 August 2012)

hairycob said:



			I also use pig oil & sulphur every couple of weeks. Be careful though as some horses are sensitive to sulphur, so do a patch test before you use it. Also don't rub your eyes straight after using it, wash your hands first. Similar effect to chillies!
		
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Yes ditto this. I used pig oil & sulphur on my boy; who's got pink skin & white legs, and he came up very pink and hot, poor chappie.

So, yes, be careful if using for first time.

What I tend to do now is to get the pig oil & put a few drops of Neem oil in and then apply.


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## 5bs (4 August 2012)

Had my cob three months, came with mites did a patch test on one leg and that leg is still recovering from the sulphur.I then clipped his feathers the sun then affected the leg which had been upset by the sulphur. He had lots of sores from the mites,a month ago my vet put him on ten days of antibiotics to get rid of the infection two sachets a day,I wash his legs every three days with sebolytic shampoo,i soak each leg in a bucket of warm water then massage in the shampoo and leave on for ten minutes,rinse off with cold water, towel dry, and I have then been spraying with the new spray just bought out by horseware called hydrocare. Allow to dry thoroughly over night,and put a frontline large dog pipette on each leg massage in really well into the Pastern area.Leave twenty four hours and rub sudocream into the sores,or zinc and caster baby cream.Touch wood, fingers crossed three legs are very good,the leg that reacted to the sulphur is about seventy five per cent there.Having spent a fortune and lots of stress,this combination seems to be working for us,also I keep his feathers long enough so I cant see his skin but short enough so I  can nip anything in the bud quickly.My vet said to me do not underestimate the stress of looking after cobs,and there lower leg skin problems.also you can buy frontline spray,and every five days for a month you thoroughly spray each leg massaging in well into all the creases,this worked just as well for me,but the pipettes are much easier.Just be careful with the sulphur if your horse has particulary sensitive skin, as it really did make a mess of my horses one leg I tried it on.Good luck,my boys legs where a mess,but we are definatley getting there,three legs down one to go.


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## HappyNeds (4 August 2012)

Hi kate.l
I do understand how frustrating and upsetting it is to see your poor horse so distressed kicking, chewing and stamping their feet.  I've posted recently about our sucess with our battle against feather mites, so I've found my old post and hope it can be of some use to you.

Basically you name it, I've tried it.  Our boy came to us with TERRIBLE feather-mites, really bad, golf ball size scarring and bleeding scabs that had just been left for about 6 years. Problem was he had massive beautiful long thick feather so it was so hard to even see let alone get at it, and we had no idea when we bought him how bad it was (we did get him vetted, and vet mentioned it but we didn't know how hard it would be to try and sort them).

The first year we tried everything - 1/2 dozen Dectomax injections from vet (these only worked for about a week), major pig oil & sulphur regime sent to me by the very helpful Theresa_F (thank you Theresa!) which I ended up buying in bulk in drums!, but the problem was nothing solved it.
I started this thread for suggestions http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/forum...d.php?t=502288 and tried most of the suggestions on here, including things like Nettex feather mite powder.

So finally we clipped his feather out - and then we could see how bad things really were and start to get on top of it. We have been following Vet advice (we have a very helpful vet who used to work at Redwings so had seen her share of feather-mite horses).

So here goes...

> Clip feather out (it just means you can see everything, and know treatment is really getting where needed).
> Then Wash each week for 4 weeks with Seleen shampoo (quite expensive, need about 100ml which is 2/3 of the bottle per wash - have since discovered that human shampoo Selsun contains the same active ingredient but even stronger and is cheaper!). You need to wet, lather, leave for 10 mins, then rinse properly.
> Towel dry legs until only damp
> Then put gloves on and rub into damp legs about 8 sprays of Frontline per leg. If horse doesn't like being sprayed then spray onto glove and rub into skin, or just spray straight onto leg but make sure you rub it into the skin with your gloved hands. Buy the big bottle (about £38) from your local cat/dog vets, they had to phone my equine vet to confirm it was ok for me to have it as it's prescription only but much cheaper this way, the bottles look like this:
http://www.animeddirect.co.uk/dogs/f...googleshopping
> Then on the actual existing sores/scabs the vet gave me a steroid cream in an E45 base (as soothing as Sudocrem but actually working to clear it up too), this cream is mostly used for mud fever but works well here, cost about £35 for a huge tub. This can be applied daily as needed. Worth it  really clears up the sores.

> Once all exisiting scabs/sores gone, only wash with the Seleen/Selsun shampoo every couple of months or even only a couple of times a year, if needed.

This treatment works in the following ways:
> The Seleen/Selsun shampoo removes the habit (the scurf) where the mites live, and helps with the itchiness
> The Frontline actually kills the mites
> The vet steroid cream clears up any long-standing sores
End result = one very happy horse (no stamping, chewing, itching at all!)

Sorry this has turned out so long, but weve really tried it all, and after nearly 18 months this is the closest we are to a very happy horse, and I hope within a few weeks we should really be there.  It's been several months now where he hasn't had a single chew, scratch or stamp - amazing!!  We thought we'd never get there.

The plan is to keep him clipped out for another 6 months or year so we can keep a very close eye on it, and see if we can solve it completely. If we can solve it then we will let his feather grow back (and then we will be applying pig oil and sulphur  as I do believe this will work very well as a prevention, but it just wasnt enough to solve the existing long standing problem we had). If it doesnt go away completely but we can keep him as happy as he is now with keeping him clipped and just a wash of this shampoo every few months then thats fine too.  I think it's likely that we will always need to keep him clipped so we can see what we're doing, but even if it never goes away completely, this way of managing it means he isn't in any discomfort at all, makes all the effort so worthwhile to see him so happy.

I hope this is helpful! Sorry it's so long


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## AdorableAlice (4 August 2012)

Happyned,

Do you mean 2/3 of a bottle of Selsun per limb ?


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## Noodlebug (4 August 2012)

Are mite that burrow harder to get rid of? My boy is TB/ID with no feather at all but he is suffering with mites although more from the vets saying it was thrush and having them for 7 weeks!! Frontline didn't do anything for him and the dectomax injection only seemed to last a week, is that normal? His comes up with sores like mud fever but the itching is so low down on his heel that he has chewed away the back of them. He not itching since 2nd injection on Wed but now wondering whether to get third done before 10 days. 

Do the mites coming out of the skin cause the sores or is that through the their bites?


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## Bobbly (4 August 2012)

You could possibly try Diatomaceous Earth powder, (food grade) it kills fleas  (bought it for my dogs today, haven't tried it yet)  by piercing the skeleton and subsequently killing them. Works the same for mites on chickens. Says on the bottle can be used on horses too. It's not expensive, I bought a product called Diatom from Bio Link, from my local feed store in the poultry division.


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## HappyNeds (4 August 2012)

AdorableAlice said:



			Happyned,

Do you mean 2/3 of a bottle of Selsun per limb ?
		
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Hi AA, no it's 2/3 of a bottle of Selsun for all 4 legs (knee down), I mixed it up in a small bucket (it's mixed to 2 parts warm water) and then used a rubber-gloved hand to rub it in really well and work up the lather.  It's really worked, I can't recommend it enough, but the feather needs to be short so you can work it into the skin to remove the scurf thus removing the mites habitat.
I've just bought a 150ml bottle of Selsun from Boots on offer for £5.49, so about 1/2 the price of the vets Seleen shampoo, really good (and it's even cheaper online).


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## AdorableAlice (4 August 2012)

Thanks HappyNeds,


I have a new cob who is very itchy, had 2 jabs and been frontlined, much much better now, but I am keen to do all I can to keep her comfortable in the long term.

Previous owners had her clipped, and she will remain clipped with me.  She is touchy around her legs as I am led to believe scabs were clipped through which would have caused a lot of pain for her.  

She needs clipping now but I want to gain her trust before doing it.  She has rather course, 3 inch long feather on at the minute, which I can wash through and get the frontline through.


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## Shysmum (4 August 2012)

Deosect shampoo, rinse and dry - twice in a week. Then pig oil and sulphur.  The lad has fab feathers - just about to do some showing, god help us. 

Hope that helps


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## Twinkley Lights (5 August 2012)

Bobbly said:



			You could possibly try Diatomaceous Earth powder, (food grade) it kills fleas  (bought it for my dogs today, haven't tried it yet)  by piercing the skeleton and subsequently killing them. Works the same for mites on chickens. Says on the bottle can be used on horses too. It's not expensive, I bought a product called Diatom from Bio Link, from my local feed store in the poultry division.
		
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I tried that too on bedding and legs didn't work for us but interested in other folks experiences.


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## Twinkley Lights (5 August 2012)

AdorableAlice said:



			Thanks HappyNeds,


I have a new cob who is very itchy, had 2 jabs and been frontlined, much much better now, but I am keen to do all I can to keep her comfortable in the long term.

Previous owners had her clipped, and she will remain clipped with me.  She is touchy around her legs as I am led to believe scabs were clipped through which would have caused a lot of pain for her.  

She needs clipping now but I want to gain her trust before doing it.  She has rather course, 3 inch long feather on at the minute, which I can wash through and get the frontline through.
		
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AA support your call to gain trust as its tough once they have been clipped on sore legs before they came to you. This condition is just so awful


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## Rose Folly (5 August 2012)

Are you certin that the problem IS mites? We thought my mare had them, but laboratory tests proved it was a combination of two things (and I've gone completely blank because it's late and I should be in bed) but any way one was something that is in the soil, and the other one has never been propperly named - but the symptoms are quite similar to what you describe.Mites it wasn't!

After trying all sorts of expensive things, what our wise vet recommended and which works a treat for her is washing with coal tar soap (cheap and cheerful from your local chemist) and in between times either pig oil & sulphur or Johnsons Baby Oil. Also, NEVER PICK THE SCABS OFF. They will come off when they are ready with this treatment and there is fresh good skin underneath. the oil will free the scabs without picking.

The other really important thing is to wash, and oil, the legs very very thoroughly. As a guideline, I wash her legs and leave the soap lather on for at least 5 minutes before rinsing off; and I spend at least 5 minutes per leg massaging the oil in - and she loves it! Falls asleep, and no more itching or stamping.


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## kate.l (5 August 2012)

Thanks so much for all of your replies! Keen to try absolutely anything to help the poor boy.  Clipped his feather off again yesterday and washed him in dermoline shampoo, this does give him some relief however it only lasts a day or so...
When I took his feather off yesterday the amount of scurf at his heels was unreal - he only had a little bit of hair that had grown back too. His skin was extremely pink underneath too, he must be very sore.
The mites only seem to really bother him in his back legs, he occasionally has a scratch of his front legs but nothing in comparison. He also has sores where he's been kicking himself - so think I will leave it a while to heal before putting any harsh chemicals onto his skin. 
Heard quite a lot about pig oil and sulphur, is this more of a prevention method than a 'cure'? I am well prepared for there to be no cure and will be happy to just manage the problem - anything to give him some relief 
Thanks so much again for all of your suggestions, will try all of them! Will also let you know how we get on, this truly is an awful condition...


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## kate.l (5 August 2012)

This is definitely something to think about - will carry on to treat him for mites however if nothing works will look in to it potentially being something like this..
He does have all the give away signs that it is mites but there again it could easily be something else!


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## kate.l (5 August 2012)

Rose Folly said:



			Are you certin that the problem IS mites? We thought my mare had them, but laboratory tests proved it was a combination of two things (and I've gone completely blank because it's late and I should be in bed) but any way one was something that is in the soil, and the other one has never been propperly named - but the symptoms are quite similar to what you describe.Mites it wasn't!

After trying all sorts of expensive things, what our wise vet recommended and which works a treat for her is washing with coal tar soap (cheap and cheerful from your local chemist) and in between times either pig oil & sulphur or Johnsons Baby Oil. Also, NEVER PICK THE SCABS OFF. They will come off when they are ready with this treatment and there is fresh good skin underneath. the oil will free the scabs without picking.

The other really important thing is to wash, and oil, the legs very very thoroughly. As a guideline, I wash her legs and leave the soap lather on for at least 5 minutes before rinsing off; and I spend at least 5 minutes per leg massaging the oil in - and she loves it! Falls asleep, and no more itching or stamping.
		
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sorry - above post was in reply to this!


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## HappyNeds (5 August 2012)

kate.l said:



			Clipped his feather off again yesterday and washed him in dermoline shampoo, this does give him some relief however it only lasts a day or so...
		
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This is exactly the thing I found with Dermoline shampoo, is that it did give relief but literally only for a day or 2. (I've still got a huge 5 litre tub of the stuff, if anyone wants it!)

But right from the first time I used the Seleen shampoo (vet recommended it) it gave proper relief which just lasted and lasted, and now I use the Selsun (cheaper human medicated shampoo), it's just brilliant.  And it really removes the scurf, which is why it works so well. 

I know every horse is different, but we were getting desprate and had tried so many things and this has really worked for us, we are so pleased our boy is at last comfortable


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## HappyNeds (5 August 2012)

AdorableAlice said:



			Thanks HappyNeds,


I have a new cob who is very itchy, had 2 jabs and been frontlined, much much better now, but I am keen to do all I can to keep her comfortable in the long term.

Previous owners had her clipped, and she will remain clipped with me.  She is touchy around her legs as I am led to believe scabs were clipped through which would have caused a lot of pain for her.  

She needs clipping now but I want to gain her trust before doing it.  She has rather course, 3 inch long feather on at the minute, which I can wash through and get the frontline through.
		
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Our boy was also very touchy around his legs, the previous owners had clipped him down to his knees and just given up because he wasnt having any of it and left all the feather on.  When we finally decided we needed to clip all the feather off to see what we were doing, we had a professional mobile clipper come out to do him, and although she was very calm and kind with him he just went into orbit, because there were sores and bleeding bits hidden in the feather which must have really hurt when being clipped over, he was so distressed, in the end she twitched him, my husband was holding onto the twitch, I was holding him too, and he still dragged both of us off our feet.  It was really upsetting.

Still, although it looked a bit of a mess she managed to clip enough off so we could start the Seleen shampoo followed by front line treatment, and although the first few times I could only do it lightly, as the treatment worked he was in less discomfort, and he was getting more used to it, which meant I could really work the shampoo and front line into his legs really well, which again improved it no end.

Then my husband took an old electric shaver down every time we gave in his feed bucket in the field, and just turned it on so he got used to the noise, then touched it on him so he could feel the vibration, and gradually, each day over a few weeks progressed to moving it all down his legs.
Becuase he was in his field he didn't feel trapped, and although the first few times he moved away a bit, he accepted it really well.

Then we bought our own clippers (subject of a previous thread of mine!) and we clipped him no trouble at all.  He was brilliant.  The clippers we have also have a plastic guard (which you can take off), so that it wouldn't actually cut him if he still had any sores, and this has helped.

So the desensitising with the old electric shaver, combined with the fact that he genuinely isn't as sore (if at all) anymore, has meant we can treat him brilliantly now, and clip him happily now.


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## Janette (5 August 2012)

My hairy pony lives on a Shire Stud, and they swear by baby oil and flours of sulphur.  Star tends to get a bit of thickened itchy skin in her arm pits and behind her knees.  She also gets a thick, black tarry substance occurring under her fetlocks.
Regular applications of baby oil and sulphur as described earlier keeps all this in check.  It also keeps her white feather in great condition and very white.

( they actually use hydraulic oil on the shire' feather, still works well.  )


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## Joanna710 (5 August 2012)

Rose Folly said:



			After trying all sorts of expensive things, what our wise vet recommended and which works a treat for her is washing with coal tar soap (cheap and cheerful from your local chemist) and in between times either pig oil & sulphur or Johnsons Baby Oil. Also, NEVER PICK THE SCABS OFF. They will come off when they are ready with this treatment and there is fresh good skin underneath. the oil will free the scabs without picking
		
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Sorry to jump on your thread, but could you let me know what coal tar soap you used? I'm thinking of Wrights as it's what the local chemist stock but after looking into it I've noticed it is only "coal tar fragranced." Is it still effective?


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## Twinkley Lights (5 August 2012)

Polytar shampoo for humans is good too.


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## kate.l (5 August 2012)

HappyNeds said:



			This is exactly the thing I found with Dermoline shampoo, is that it did give relief but literally only for a day or 2. (I've still got a huge 5 litre tub of the stuff, if anyone wants it!)
		
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It is a shame about dermoline shampoo as it does seem to give him some relief, although not for very long! 
Just ordered some Selsun shampoo off the internet so update once I've tried it out!
Does anybody know what the difference is between using pig oil and baby oil? Do they do the same job?


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## hayinamanger (5 August 2012)

Pig oil is a light mineral oil like baby oil, they are pretty much the same. I think.


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## hayinamanger (5 August 2012)

Just remembered, I have also used liquid parrafin, from an agricultural store, recommended by a chap who shows Shires, he said you don't get any adverse reactions after using it.  I also use it to protect against rain scald.


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## Twinkley Lights (5 August 2012)

I tried Selsun but with limited success - might just have been us my poor baby was a bad case.


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## kate.l (6 August 2012)

Thanks everyone! Much appreciated, will try anything for him he's so itchy poor boy..
I've used Virkon disinfectant in the past for a horse with ringworm - so thought it was worth a try to see if it kills the mites.  Washed him in it today and so far he hasn't been itchy, not wanting to speak too soon! Have ordered some Selsun off the internet anyway so will wash him in that too and see how we get on. Will update as and when!


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## MiJodsR2BlinkinTite (6 August 2012)

kate.l said:



			Thanks everyone! Much appreciated, will try anything for him he's so itchy poor boy..
I've used Virkon disinfectant in the past for a horse with ringworm - so thought it was worth a try to see if it kills the mites.  Washed him in it today and so far he hasn't been itchy, not wanting to speak too soon! Have ordered some Selsun off the internet anyway so will wash him in that too and see how we get on. Will update as and when!
		
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Like you OP my poor lad suffers dreadfully with mites so am watching this thread with interest........ incidentally, where did you get the "Virkon" disinfectant??? 

Re. the Selsun: I went to the chemists today and looked for it but they didn't have any - but reading the list of ingredients, there's another product which has the "vital ingredient" in (sorry can't remember what it was) - and that's Head & Shoulders Shampoo!!! So I've got some of that; will try it tomorrow and see what happens. 

Blimmin mites


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## AdorableAlice (6 August 2012)

Big Boots the Chemist in Worcester has not stocked Selsen for weeks, but Super Drug do (£4.75)

Boots told me they are discontinuing the stuff.


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## Pearlsasinger (6 August 2012)

Our cob had had feather mites for years with no treatment making much difference, then she got lice from a neighbours' pony and I treated that with Cooper's Fly Repellent Plus.  We haven't seen any mites since.


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## kate.l (6 August 2012)

MiJodsR2BlinkinTite said:



			Like you OP my poor lad suffers dreadfully with mites so am watching this thread with interest........ incidentally, where did you get the "Virkon" disinfectant???
		
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I got the Virkon off eBay, think it cost me around £7 including postage for 5 sachets so well worth it if it does the trick!! I also found Selsun on ebay, however that hasn't arrived yet!
Mites truly are awful  The worst thing is that he seems to be much worse after having decotmax injections -  I think only the very resilient mites must have survived... They obviously work for some people, but my experience has not been a positive one!!


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## MiJodsR2BlinkinTite (6 August 2012)

kate.l said:



			I got the Virkon off eBay, think it cost me around £7 including postage for 5 sachets so well worth it if it does the trick!! I also found Selsun on ebay, however that hasn't arrived yet!
Mites truly are awful  The worst thing is that he seems to be much worse after having decotmax injections -  I think only the very resilient mites must have survived... They obviously work for some people, but my experience has not been a positive one!!
		
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Aw thanks for this.

Incidentally, does yours graze with sheep?? I ask this because my boy has got noticeabley worse in the last fortnight or so....... which is when sheep have been in the field.

He's grazed with sheep before though, and hasn't had such a bad problem as now, so maybe just coincidence.

Perhaps its the weather; mine has got sweet itch as well and last night it was very humid and sticky and he just didn't know what to do with himself, I've never seen him in such a state - he was kicking out and stamping with his back legs and then trying to bite himself on his fetlocks etc. Poor lad, all I could do was just wash his legs down with Tea Tree shampoo which did seem to ease him considerably and he's not as bad today (it is cooler too).

The farrier says to clip his legs (he's got lots of feather) so that (a) we can see what's there and (b) get the necessary potions and lotions to treat it on without a lot of feather being in the way.


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## kate.l (6 August 2012)

You're welcome, happy to share info! 
Our sheep are in the field next to him - not sure if this would make any difference? However they could very easily be moved if they are the problem!!
I would definitely recommend clipping your boy's feather, our pony didn't have a lot of feather but obviously had enough to harbour mites! Only when I clipped him did I see the true extent of the problem. Also - clipping the hair off removes a lot of the scurf where the mites live, with the hair off you can treat the skin better  
I daren't even hope that he isn't itchy tomorrow but am keeping everything crossed!!!


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## MiJodsR2BlinkinTite (8 August 2012)

Am having my boy's legs (plus the rest of him!) clipped on Saturday morning.

Washed him with Head & Shoulders this morning (farrier was coming, so legs needed doing anyway); then as I was on a roll went on and did his mane & tail as well - brought everything up lovely and got rid of a lot of the scurfiness. THEN went on and did the mare as well - and her mane & tail have come up really shiny!!! 

But...... tonight I've brought them in as the midges are biting, and my poor lad was stamping and in considerable distress. Sooooooo, I've got some "Sheep Fly Strike" stuff in an aerosol - got it for less than a fiver - and its supposed to "soothe and calm" the skin. So I've sprayed that on his legs. Jeez, I do hope I've done the right thing, it'll either make him better or a lot worse, but his feathers are so long at the mo that I can't get into his skin with anything other than an aerosol. Plus he's kicking out and whilst he's not intending to kick at me personally, I can't do any more either until he's clipped out on Saturday morning, OR until I've got help - so they can lift a foreleg so that I can get near his back legs without being kicked into the middle of next week. 

Hells bells, hope this will help him.


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## MiJodsR2BlinkinTite (8 August 2012)

Sorry: just seen this!

Worth a look. 

http://www.harlequinfarmsgypsyhorses.com/ChronicProgressiveLymphedema.html

Hope I've posted the link correctly.


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## **Vanner** (10 August 2012)

My boy suffers terribly from this chronic problem.  Having read various papers etc I am currently in the middle of a four week programme to try and combat the mites and heal his poor legs, he yet again has an attack of salanders that I tried treating in isolation but to no avail.  So what have I done? 

Week one:  ivermectin wormer; he wouldn't let me bathe his legs at this point so had to do something from a distance.  Sprayed with purple spray.

Week two: ivermectin wormer again, legs were much less sensitive so I could hibiscrub his sores and apply 'seal and heal'.  Half way through this week I have washed his legs with poly tar shampoo giving it a ten minute contact time on each leg, rinsed and conditioned hair, combed through to remove any loose scabs, once dried I have massaged with equi oil tea tree and carrot seed oil and applied mud guard to his feathers.

So far he is showing serious improvement and his hock sores look much better.

Week three:  repeat poly tar shampoo and then sponge on ivomectin wash or spot on spray eight pumps to each leg.

Week four: as week three.

I will keep you all updated.  Fingers crossed.

I have just found a piece of research that uses a wash and a lime sulphur dip.  This will be my next protocol if this one doesn't work.


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## kate.l (10 August 2012)

**Vanner** said:



			Week one:  ivermectin wormer; he wouldn't let me bathe his legs at this point so had to do something from a distance.  Sprayed with purple spray.

Week two: ivermectin wormer again, legs were much less sensitive so I could hibiscrub his sores and apply 'seal and heal'.  Half way through this week I have washed his legs with poly tar shampoo giving it a ten minute contact time on each leg, rinsed and conditioned hair, combed through to remove any loose scabs, once dried I have massaged with equi oil tea tree and carrot seed oil and applied mud guard to his feathers.
		
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Have you found that the ivermection wormer worked? I've heard mixed results in the past about how well it works/doesnt work.. 
But I was of the understanding that it works on sucking lice as they feed on blood, however biting lice feed on the dead skin so it couldn't possible have any affect on them..

The pony that I washed in Virkon disinfectant has shown massive signs of improvement in terms of his itching. He'd stand on the yard constantly stamping his feet and kicking himself before, now there are still some signs of him itching but nothing like before.  Will wash him in it again tomorrow and see how we go with that - will keep everyone updated!


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## AdorableAlice (11 August 2012)

Shivvy said:



			AA support your call to gain trust as its tough once they have been clipped on sore legs before they came to you. This condition is just so awful
		
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Got the clippers out after working her this morning.  Up the corner she went with a look of total fear on her face.  Two hours, 2lb of carrots and 2 tubes of polo mints and we have 4 clipped legs, not perfect but clipped with the 4 patches of sores left un touched and the horse not knocked about.

In her heel area there are wedges of scurf but no cracked open sores.  I have washed with Selsun.  The hinds are worrying me, again no cracked open sores in the heels but plenty of scurf.  The fetlocks on the hinds are thickened, almost like windgalls but more solid.  Is it likely these thickened areas will improve with the management of the feather mites, or is the horse left with them for good ?


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## tabithakat64 (11 August 2012)

I tried everything on my cob. The onlt thing that has given him any relief is the injection.


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## AdorableAlice (12 August 2012)

I am struggling to clear up the sores on my new cob mare.  Only had her a month, dealt with the manic itching (dectomax).  Clipped her legs yesterday, no sores in pasterns but tonnes of scurf, washed thoroughly with Selsun.

What is the best thing to do for the sores behind her knee and on face of hock.  Sudrecrem has softened the scabs (have not attempted to pick off and won't as she has been through that with previous groom and got very uptight).

Her off hind is thickened above the fetlock, looks windgally but isn't, just wondering if that will come down in time by keeping the mites under control.  The near hind had some thickening above the fetlock but that has come right down.


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## hayinamanger (12 August 2012)

AA, I think Sudocrem is as good as anything, it's soothing, waterproof and total sunblock.


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## **Vanner** (12 August 2012)

Sudocream sounds good.

My boy is still improving.   Have to rewash in polytar and frontline tomorrow


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## RutlandH2O (12 August 2012)

I posted on another thread about feather mite yesterday. I've been having to deal with this for over 17 years with my Shires and late Clyde. I've tried every potion, lotion, balm, cream, oil, paste, salve, powder, shampoo or combination of the aforementioned with minor success and abject failure. The only treatment that gives a modicum of relief for a sustained period (about 4 1/2 to 5 months) is three Dectomax injections administered ten days apart, combined with careful attention to mite control (no straw bedding or hay strewn on the floor where the horses stand). During these years I've made several observations. I've found that hibiscrub, at least on my horses, is too irritating to their skin. Removing scabs is probably the worst thing I have done because the skin is so raw and the possibility of secondary infection is increased. After shampooing, I always dry the horses' feather with wood flour. Leaving their legs to dry, without assistance, invites the possibility of secondary infection because of the warmth and moisture on their skin. I have found that moving the horses to new, lush pasture exacerbates the mite load (last year, when we had no rain, we had no grass, and as a result, the mite problem was minimal). One of the most worrying aspects of the repeated attempts to give my horses relief (and this is just my own theory) is my belief that the Dectomax, while it works, causes a hypersensitivity to the mites as it wears off. It's a vicious cycle of itching, a period of relief, and then a period of even more intense itching. I would dearly like to stop using the Dectomax, as much to break that cycle, as to give the horses' livers an opportunity to recover from the toxic properties of the chemical. I am going to start using Diatomaceous Earth as soon as the mares' sores have dried up. The girls have just started on a new course of Dectomax. As the DE is completely natural and its action is mechanical, rather than chemical, I will use it daily. I put the powder in large, dry Fairy Liquid bottles and puffer the DE onto and into their feather. Watch this space...


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## Fincher10 (11 March 2019)

HappyNeds said:



			Our boy was also very touchy around his legs, the previous owners had clipped him down to his knees and just given up because he wasn?t having any of it and left all the feather on.  When we finally decided we needed to clip all the feather off to see what we were doing, we had a professional mobile clipper come out to do him, and although she was very calm and kind with him he just went into orbit, because there were sores and bleeding bits hidden in the feather which must have really hurt when being clipped over, he was so distressed, in the end she twitched him, my husband was holding onto the twitch, I was holding him too, and he still dragged both of us off our feet.  It was really upsetting.

Still, although it looked a bit of a mess she managed to clip enough off so we could start the Seleen shampoo followed by front line treatment, and although the first few times I could only do it lightly, as the treatment worked he was in less discomfort, and he was getting more used to it, which meant I could really work the shampoo and front line into his legs really well, which again improved it no end.

Then my husband took an old electric shaver down every time we gave in his feed bucket in the field, and just turned it on so he got used to the noise, then touched it on him so he could feel the vibration, and gradually, each day over a few weeks progressed to moving it all down his legs.
Becuase he was in his field he didn't feel trapped, and although the first few times he moved away a bit, he accepted it really well.

Then we bought our own clippers (subject of a previous thread of mine!) and we clipped him no trouble at all.  He was brilliant.  The clippers we have also have a plastic guard (which you can take off), so that it wouldn't actually cut him if he still had any sores, and this has helped.

So the desensitising with the old electric shaver, combined with the fact that he genuinely isn't as sore (if at all) anymore, has meant we can treat him brilliantly now, and clip him happily now.
		
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Hi HappyNeds

What was the regime you found to work in the end?


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## Leo Walker (11 March 2019)

After 7yrs the OP is unlikely to reply! In my case I found clipping the legs and a wood pellet bed sorted the problem. Once the feathers grew back I had to take a nuclear approach! Dectomax injections, frontline spray, neem oil and deosect. Even then it never quite cleared it and any let up and they came back.


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## Ceriann (12 March 2019)

My mare (cob with feather flares) has had mite issues since we moved to current house.  It got steadily worse and the usual regime of washing and using frontline started to fail.  She was very difficult to wash and even worse to spray.  What has worked for the last 6 months is to wash (took me hours!) with the proper medicated head and shoulders shampoo (the one with selenium sulphide ) and then applying frontline but mixed into aqueous cream.  She doesnâ€™t bat an eyelid.  7-10 days later re apply the front line mixed into aqueous cream.  Since doing this Iâ€™ve been able to re apply the cream and wash her feathers without issue.  If you have problems washing the legs, I would suggest you try the aqueous cream with your choice of mite busting topical treatment.  Itâ€™s water based so doesnâ€™t clog up skin or feathers, leave a few days and then try washing.  

Mine hasnâ€™t had mite issues for 6 months now and sheâ€™s been stabled all winter.


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