QuestionHi
I'm hoping you can help. My mini horse has some kind of insects on his legs and body that are driving him crazy with itching. There are tiny light brown spots that I can scrape off of his legs that are under the hair and really attached to the skin. They almost look like little scabes.They don't move when removed or on him. I've looked with a magnifine glass and can not see any legs or movement. The poor boy is just beside himself with itching.They are mostly on his legs.When you wet him down you can see them attached on him. Do you have any idea what this could be? I keep washing him and removing them. Swat seems to make them come off. Maybe because its so greasy.They actually have to be scraped off of him.They are not bot eggs on the hair surface. These are under the hair and attached to the skin. I'm so desperate! CAN YOU HELP!
Thanks- Cindy in CT
AnswerHi Cindy-
Thanks for the question-poor baby! It sounds to me as though he has body lice. It can be VERY itchy and uncomfortable. If you want to be sure- take a scraping into a vet (it really doesn't have to be a horse vet) and have them look under their microscope. There are many medicated shampoos out there for horses that can work on lice or one homeopathic treatment is Bergamot oil. The best, I understand is Sevin powder (some people do this in conjunction with an Ivermectin wormer) although others have had success with vaseline and betadine mixed which also gives relief (similar to your using SWAT) that has been vet-recommended. None of these should hurt your little guy and should quickly give him some relief if this is what it is. By the way, it is very contagious to other horses and some people think it can be spread from poultry. Best of luck, hope this helps. Best, Toni
