# leg mites



## mandycrosby77 (9 March 2007)

My 5 yr old cob mare seems to have leg mites,she keeps scratching and biting her legs, i have louse powder but not sure its working,i do not want to clip her feather if possible as i show her,any suggestions other than the usual vets injection.


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## ihatework (9 March 2007)

clip her legs and use frontline


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## piebaldsparkle (9 March 2007)

Echo B&amp;F.  Frontline is a dog flea spray (you need the spray, not the spot on), it's not licensed for horses, but works.


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## mandycrosby77 (9 March 2007)

thanks for that! do you spray all the leg area ? do you need to purchase from a vet and whats the cost,thanks


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## piebaldsparkle (9 March 2007)

Yep clip leg to knee/hock and spray all four.  Can only get from vets or online with a percription from a vet.  It's about £25 for 250ml online.  Your vet may however perscribe something else (as it isn't licensed for horses).


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## Stinkbomb (9 March 2007)

Ditto!!! Have used it myself for the same thing it works. Its expensive for a small bottle but i only needed to spray few times


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## Chex (9 March 2007)

I used Barricade, from the vets, have to clip legs and get all the scabs off first though (the mites can hide behind them or something). It was really cheap and worked brilliantly!


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## Magicmillbrook (9 March 2007)

We used frontline, you would normally need to clip legs to remove scabs and ensure total coverage.  Frontline is exspensive so you dont want to be dousing feathers with it.  You normaly do it again a fortnight later to ensure any that have hatched later are caught.   If you have other horses you may need to do them also.  I had a freind at my yard who didnt do her cob a second time and hers came back.  So I doused my girls legs in a herbal insecticide powder to try to prevent them catching them back.  Seemed to work.  I would not recomend a herbal type thing to get rid of them.


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## charley_ace (9 March 2007)

I use frontline on my heavy cob without clipping feathers and it still worked just used more.


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## Agent XXX999 (9 March 2007)

Have you seen evidence of the mites? Only she may be itchy for all types of resaons, such as loosing winter coat, skin infections, etc


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## Toby_Zaphod (9 March 2007)

You can get Frontline &amp; various other potions etc from this website:

http://www.hyperdrug.com/searchprods.asp


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## Theresa_F (9 March 2007)

I have heavy horses - I use pig oil and sulphur to prevent mites.  When one of my gypsy cobs did have mites, I did not clip out, but used plenty of frontline and again in 10 days time and a final application 10 days after that - never came back but I am very careful to maintain the correct enviroment with oil and sulphur.

Only really need to clip out if you have a lot of scabs/cuts etc that need close attention.  Clipping out does not prevent mites - oil and sulphur does.


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## Pidge (9 March 2007)

Question please on mites, a couple of horses on our yard have lost most of the hair on their legs and are dead itchy. they thought it was mud fever to start with but no scabs. vet been today and taken scrappings results monday, could it be mites and if so can our horses catch it? our two are in their own field so don't come into contact with the other horses.


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## Fantasy_World (9 March 2007)

Hiya Pidge it's unusual there are no scabs though because even if it was mites there would be.
Chorioptic mange or leg mange is the mange that normally affects heavy horses or horses with feathers.
The mite mainly attacks in winter as well.
I did a load of reading up on this as I was baffled as to what Mcfly had my daughter's cob when we had him.
He had sores on his front and back legs, mostly at the back and there were signs he had been biting hence the fresh blood he had.
Stud he came from had no idea about the mites ( or at least they didn't when I emailed them). They said he had had mud fever the year before which had burned off his feathers.
After much deliberation as to which mites they were ( originally treated for mud fever) and I had also thought it was harvest mites, I came to the conclusion it was the chorioptes mite instead.
We clipped and treated with frontline and his legs were much better though I do need to do again but it is expensive stuff.
Have also read that wormers like equest etc may be useful as they contain moxidectin which will also kill the mites.
I would suggest waiting to see what the skin scrapes reveal first though. 
I tried to take a scraping off our horse to look under the microscope we have ourselves but sadly didn't find anything.
If it was the leg mange they do normally have yellowish scabs which is dried up secretions from the skin as when the mites feed on the skin it irritates it and the skin secretes a fluid and the area becomes itchy.
With these type of mites as opposed to the burrowing sarcoptic and demodex it is not the mites that are the major problem but the skin irritation which causes the horse to bite and scratch leaving them open to infection and other dermatological conditions.
Depending on what the vet says I would trust their judgement on this but even if it is mites ( unless harvest as they reside in the grass) your horses are not at risk as they don't come into contact with them. 

Please let us know how you get on though as it will be interesting to see what the horses have got?
Cazx


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## Breezesbenefactor (9 March 2007)

Ditto but one further clip a postbox slot at the back of her knee as well, this'll help as they like to hang out here too.


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## Pidge (9 March 2007)

thanks its hard to describe without you seeing it but the legs on one of them are like patchy hair / no hair and sore with pink skin. Owner has been putting aloe vera on all week and it has helped to soothe it. horse is a black and white cob. I'd never seen anything like it before. Horse had been on straw and is now on shavings and has only been at yard a short while. Because there are now 4 with this, 3 in one field and 1 in another I'm obviously a tad concerned not so much for Pidge but Sunny who is a cob and has lots of feathers! really don't want him catching anything. We are supposed to be hacking with said horse in the morning I take it this is a bad idea then?


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## Fantasy_World (9 March 2007)

Does it look anything like this?
these were pics I downloaded from various websites about the chorioptic mange and one of them does show a pinky looking leg where the fur has been rubbed off.
Hope these help ( I think they were cattle though as there doesn't seem to be many pics floating around in cyberspace of horses)
Will also include a couple of other one's on cattle ( the mite seems to attack mostly the rump in cattle and on horses mainly the legs, bit odd I know) see next post for them


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## Fantasy_World (9 March 2007)

more pics and some of the mites too


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## Fantasy_World (9 March 2007)

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## Fantasy_World (9 March 2007)




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## Pidge (9 March 2007)

yes it does look this the first one, have just done a bit of mooching about this on the internet. nasty little things aren't they! Sunny does stamp every now and again so now I'm worried he has it as well


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## Fantasy_World (9 March 2007)

I also found this info on the internet too ( think the link may work if not then just type in the origin and you can read the information directly from the source. I would never paste something like that on here unless it had come from a well known source which this article appears to.

Chorioptic Mange in Horses 9/16/05
Many horses can develop inflammation of the skin around the pastern, called pastern dermatitis or scratches.  This area is itchy to the horse and thus hair loss occurs.  Eventually, the area becomes infected and the skin becomes thickened.  The cause of this condition is often unknown, but one known cause is a mite called Chorioptes equi and infestation with this mite is called chorioptic mange.  This little mite feeds on the outer surface of the horses skin and causes irritation that can lead to secondary infection, and this infection causes the skin to thicken and permanent damage to develop.  The difficulty in dealing with this mite is that many horses can be carriers of the mite and not show any symptoms.  Because of this, cases may recur even after treatment.  Although this disease is common in draft breeds that have long hair or feathers on their legs, it is also common in short haired breeds as well. 
These mites can be identified by examining scales of skin under the microscope.  Other diseases that look similar to chorioptic mange are other types of mange, lice infestation, and allergy to fly bites.  There are many methods of treating these mites.  One common treatment is to use Frontline spray on the horses legs to kill the mites.  Although Frontline is a product approved only for ticks and fleas on cats and dogs, it is effective in treating these mites.  Also Lyme sulphur dip is effective in killing the mites.  Many vets will mix ivermectin in with an antibiotic paste and apply this to the pastern.  The most important point is to clip the hair, kill the mites, and treat with a topical antibiotic and anti-inflammatory ointment.  Some horses with deep secondary infections will also require oral antibiotics. 
Hear the audio of this program at the Texas Farm Bureau Network.
AOL Users: If the audio file does not open and play, you can use your external browser (the IE/Netscape icon on your computer's menu/Open Programs toolbar) to listen to it.
Date Published: 1/2/2006 12:42:00 PM
Date Revised: 01/02/2006
The Veterinary Record, Vol 137, Issue 26, 661-663
Copyright © 1995 by British Veterinary Association


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## Fantasy_World (9 March 2007)

Yes it does sound like Sunny may have as my horse used to stamp as well as scratch. 
I would see what the vet says though and I would advise to treat how he/she sees fit whether it be an injection ( usually ivermectin or similar) or frontline. Some vets that go strictly by the book may not prescribe frontline as it is not yet licensed for use on horses but it does now say on the label it can be used on a variety of mange mites and other mites ( cannot remember all of them but I know sarcoptic -I think anyway- and the one's you get on guineas they call walking dandruff). I would then use the pig oil and sulphur powder as a precaution once treated as that was recommended to me by someone who shows heavy horses and is something I will try as it will be a lot cheaper than keep buying frontline every year.


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## Pidge (9 March 2007)

now got to break that to sis  
	
	
		
		
	


	




 shall we wait till vet confirms what scrappings are on Monday as we have not had vet out to Sunny as no sign of any problem with him, bar occasional stamping - he is a very itchy pony anyway and will scratch on anything, been like that since sis had him. no sign of any problem with his skin either. hmmmmmmmmmmmm


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## Fantasy_World (9 March 2007)

Sorry about delay in replying ( my mum phoned me lol). Yes I would wait to see what the vet confirms first. It could be though that your Sunny has the mites and always has had them though as some horses can disguise them very well.
Does sunny have feathers?
Only asking because we have a mare on the yard who was treated for mites either last year or the year before ( not sure as it was before I joined it) and the mare stamps one hell of a lot and people at the yard believe it is mites again.
However although I have not got up close to her legs and she has full feathers I have not seen any of the bleeding ( that Mcfly had) or baldish areas ( like on the photo I posted) on her. Even though it is obvious to me and others that it is most probably the mites.
Chances are they were never completely killed off in the first place they probably just had the numbers reduced.
I know with Mcfly despite two treatments ( by two I mean a spray, week rest, spray again, then a month or so later repeated and bedding changed etc) he still looks as though he may have some even though my skin scraping found nothing. He doesn't stamp or bite his legs but will sometimes rub the back of his legs but it may be a habit or be a genuine itch ( as mine are moulting don't know about yours?).
He does have an odd few scabs or what look like scabs but it could be thickening of the skin that may take time to heal because this horse ( if it was mites as I strongly suspect) had lived on a place where he possibly had them for up to 6 years and was never treated for them. Perhaps his skin will never go back to normal in places I just don't know.
They are going to be wormed pretty soon anyway and I shall use equest and then treat with frontline a few weeks later as well and then use the pig oil etc over spring/summer and so on.
We have clipped his feathers off and when I get some clippers I bought ( repaired) I plan to keep them clipped anyway as the fields they go in are so muddy in winter I know I will never have lovely feathers on him so it is pointless.
But yes I would wait to see what the vet says first and then depending on the results ask him/her and also about your horse and treatment/prevention and see what they say.
Good luck 
Cazx


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## Pidge (10 March 2007)

thanks Caz, this is Sunny 





as you can see he has lots of feathers. he stamps occasionally, loves his bum being scratched  
	
	
		
		
	


	




, and itches on anything and everything hence field is totally electric taped bar the water trough  
	
	
		
		
	


	




 there is no scabs, bald patches at all. sis does shampoo his legs once a week as with this mud and his feathers he tends to get mud dread locks. We have found though that as he is so feathery the mud never actually gets near his skin and we are on clay  
	
	
		
		
	


	




 Sunny is also moulting loads at the moment. 
Your help and advice has been great  
	
	
		
		
	


	




 Will let sis know today and wait and see what the vet says to the others on Monday. thanks again


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## Fantasy_World (10 March 2007)

No probs Sue anytime 
	
	
		
		
	


	




 I wish I had your determination with the feathers though as I find my lad gets the dreadlocks and that is why we cut Mcfly's off. We are not supposed to hose on the yard either ( water meter) which makes cleaning their legs a lot more time consuming and when I washed them both off last weekend in the end I though sod it and hosed the last few suds off because I couldn't reach some places with the bucket as mcfly doesn't like water chucked on him and he dances and you miss lol.
I would still recommend the sulphur and pig oil though to be honest. Unless you know of somewhere to get some I do have a contact through email and ebay of someone who shows heavy horses and sells the stuff. I was going to buy some last year but I didn't in the end but this year I will.
Sunny is stunning though gorgeous 
	
	
		
		
	


	




 he looks like a palomino and I just love them as does my daughter lol.
Originally I was looking for a palomino or appaloosa but they were either too small, too young, too far away or too much money as we had a strict budget even though it helped me not having to buy my lad as he is on loan.
Good luck on Monday and I hope it is good news 
	
	
		
		
	


	




Cazx


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## Pidge (10 March 2007)

thanks Caz, we find with hosing Sunnys legs twice a week and shampooing once a week that this keeps those dreadlocks at bay  
	
	
		
		
	


	




 though he does have the thermatex leg wraps on afterwards to help dry his legs and touch wood no mud fever or anything to date. Must admit though if we couldn't hose them off it would be much harder to do as we get quite a strong jet on his legs and it then doesn't take too long to clean off. 
What exactly does the sulphur and pig oil do? 
thanks for the compliments on Sunny he is rather nice isn't he  
	
	
		
		
	


	




 and yes he is a traditional palamino. I keep trying to get sis to show him and she did the odd class last year so am hoping she will do more this year. She only paid £2.5k for him 2 years ago which I didn't think was a bad price for him  
	
	
		
		
	


	




Will let you know what the vet says on Monday.
Sue


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## Bex7 (10 March 2007)

When Bert had them i really did not want to clip his feathers so he was frontlined a couple of times and they disappeared.

I bought it from the vets and it wasn't cheap but i would pay anything to keep his feathers.


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## Fantasy_World (10 March 2007)

Sue that was a very good price considering I paid 1.8k for my daughter's cob last year. Sunny is gorgeous though 
	
	
		
		
	


	




I have just been looking for some information on the sulphur and pig oil but I cannot find information on what it actually does, sadly 
	
	
		
		
	


	




I think the sulphur most probably kills the mites as I have heard of lime sulphur dip being used on a range of animals ( not sure about horses?) to kill mites.
if you are interested in getting some pig oil and sulphur ( or anyone else is) try contacting this fellow ( also advertises on ebay for heavy horse sundries ( that was how I found out about the pig oil and sulphur) he may be able to tell you how the stuff works because I cannot remember if he told me or not when I asked him.
Have just found his website so you can contact him through there ( via email) or phone him.
http://www.matthewburks.co.uk/

email matt@matthewburks.co.uk 
I think the following address is correct but double check ( as in my last contact with him in November he had just moved).
But according to the website it is 
RED HOUSE FARM
LOW ROAD, OSGODBY
MARKET RASEN
LINCOLNSHIRE
LN8 3SZ
ENGLAND 
 Cazx


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## Fantasy_World (10 March 2007)

Just found some more information about leg mange and another picture which shows how horses legs can bleed through it ( self harm). Mcfly had bleeding but not as bad as the picture and his was mainly on the upper parts of the back of his forelegs.

Chorioptic mange is common in heavy breeds of horses. Lesions caused by Chorioptes equi start as a pruritic dermatitis affecting the distal limbs around the foot and fetlock. Papules are seen first, followed by alopecia, crusting, and thickening of the skin. A moist dermatitis of the fetlock develops in chronic cases. It is a differential diagnosis for greasy heel in draft horses. The signs subside in summer but recur with the return of cold weather. The disease course is usually chronic without treatment, but the prognosis is favorable when treated.

The following article was also taken from the web.
Chorioptes bovis (mites) 
 Susceptibility to Chorioptes bovis (CB) differs between horse breeds. Those that suffer most have abundant feather, such as the Ardennes, Clydesdale, Friesian, North Swedish, Shire, and Tinker. According to Dan Christensson, a parasitologist, CB is a very common condition.
 To confirm the presence of CB one needs to get a sample of the affected area of skin by scraping it deeply until it starts to bleed. The sample is placed in glycerine or liquid paraffin and then viewed under a microscope. Only one-third of tests prove posetive, which means that the horse still may be infected even though the biopsy has not confirmed the presence of mites. This can occur because if your sample was sent away to a laboratory any mites present can have died during transport. If the horse then shows symptoms of complications of CB, they may show up in the sample in the form of a fungal infection. There are proven cases of CB in both Friesian and Tinker horses. Hans Kinndahl, a veterinary surgeon, has personal experience of CB in his own Tinker horse.
 CB is contagious and can easily by transferred by physical contact, by holding in a common stable or by grooming horses with the same brush. It is disputed how long CB mites can survive in the absence of a host, but can be from 24 hours up to 3 weeks, depending upon weather conditions, according to information received. Mites thrive when it is cool and damp. One should not confuse CB with Shoroptes bovis (SB) which is far more contagious. There are at present no restrictions in cases of CB and reporting is not compulsory though there is no harm in reporting any occurrence to the County Veterinary Surgeon, as many vets know little or nothing about CB.
 In mild cases, CB symptoms can be similar to those of grease. The difference is that the affected area usually is higher up than the pasterns, which is the part usually affected by grease. Crustation breaks out especially around the fetlock joints and canons, but can spread up the legs. Even bald patches can occur on other parts  on its belly in front of the sheath and even on the head. CB can also affect the mane and tail, where it looks like eczema. You can tell when a horse has been infected as it starts scratching its tail and mane and stamps the ground. The horse is bothered by itching which, in more severe cases, can be so tiresome that it is psychologically irritated and gets bad habits such as weaving or just switches off and becomes apathetic.
 What is typical of CB is that summer symptoms are milder while those in February-March are more severe, when its usually cold and snowy - which is not when grease is most prevalent. As grease can be treated and cured, one should be vigilant if the horse does not improve following treatment. CB on the other hand is much more difficult to deal with and can only be relieved (but not cured) by treating the infected area as for fungus and grease.
 If you want to rid your horse of CB, we would recommend treatment by Dan Christensson, Parasitologist at SVA (the National Veterinary Institute) here in Uppsala (Sweden) (tel.no. +46 (0)18 674000). He recommends Frontline, though this is not registered for use on horses, only for cats and dogs. It is forbidden for horses treated with Frontline to be slaughtered for human consump-tion. Spring-Summer is the best time to treat horses for CB as it is then that they are less troubled by CB; in other words, they have fewer active mites to get rid of. To be on the safe side, one should treat the horse three times, at 1-2 week intervals. It takes about 16 days for the eggs to hatch but this is not confirmed. Each treatment should consist of Frontline spray, aimed at the infected area on the legs. Spray first and then rub it well into the skin, wearing rubber gloves.  The remedy is then transported via the subcutaneous fat upward in the horse, which is why it is important to apply the spray low down on the legs even if it is the mane and tail that are affected. If other horses are stabled with the infected horse, then these too should be treated, even if they are symptom-free.
 This is a free translation of an article published in the Swedish Shire Horse Societys members´ magazine Giganten (The Giant), No. 2, 2002.
 Present authors´ comment on the above-quoted text
We have tried another product  Sebacil (Bayer) which is also registered for use on dogs, pigs and sheep, with good results. An intensive course of treatment using the de-worming product Ivomectin can also give good results but we recommend that you consult your veterinary surgeon first. 

There is some contention between the actual type of chorioptes mite found on horses whether it is bovis or equi. Equi is obviously horse and Bovi, cattle. However upon research in books and on the internet both have been described as having being identified on horses so I don't think it makes a great deal of difference as both appear to cause the same symptoms and both can be eradicated with the same treatments. I just thought I would mention it though in case anyone thought it odd there were two types.

here is the picture


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