# Lice on horses



## Lucky-C-Acres-Minis (Feb 24, 2007)

We had a stray cat show up a couple weeks ago and since then a couple horses have been itchy.. I didn't think anything of it as this time of year the horses usually get itchy because of the warmer days and shedding of their winter coats, until today I noticed that a couple had spots on their necks that they had rubbed the hair down and that's when I noticed little bugs..







They've got to be from the stupid cat or the three chickens who have found it necessary to roost in the barn.. So, what's the best way to deal with it? I've found them on two bred mares (one close to her due date) and on two yearling fillies. There are three trail horses and another yearling in the same barn as well.. Only thing I have been able to find on the net is to shampoo them, which is impossible since it is still cold out.. I read somewhere that you can use Sevin powder, but I know that's toxic, so how would that be safe to use?

Just my luck this would happen









I feel bad for playing it off at first, never thought they'd be exposed to lice.. *sigh*


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## lilhorseladie (Feb 24, 2007)

Use Ivermectin injectable orally. That will kill them from the inside out.


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## iluvwalkers (Feb 24, 2007)

[SIZE=14pt]they also make a powder to dust them with. not sure about using it on preg. mares but it will say on the label. you can get it at any farm store. good luck, Nikki[/SIZE]


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## FoRebel (Feb 25, 2007)

We ended up with a bout of lice about a month ago, I dusted EVERYONE including our pregnant mares. We appear to have gotten rid of it but one of our weanling colts still has some bare patches on his neck from the lice. The pregnant mares seem to be fine... I can still feel the foals moving. But, in the spring I would recommend baths with the shampoo and maybe clipping everyone if you can!


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## hhpminis (Feb 25, 2007)

Just so you know, each mammal has its own strain of lice. You cannot catch lice from the horses and they cannot get it from cats. Unfortunately, it is just one of those things that happen when you have horses. Eventually you will have them.

It really freaked me out the first time I had them on my place but it happens. You just have to deal with it. Now if I get a horse in with it I do this. I dust them, then in a couple days I vacuum them and dust them again. I continue this process until I dont find anything moving on them. I also give them a dose of Ivermectin and then hit them again a few weeks later with Ivermectin again.

Also, just because you find them on one does not mean they all have them. It will not hurt to dust everybody though.

Sorry and good luck


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## Ashley (Feb 25, 2007)

Birds are a big culpret to giving horses lice. I know here its a yearly winter battle when the nasty birds take up residence in the barn.

This year I have only seen one horse with a issue.

That said powder then now. When its warmer clip them and throw then out in the sun that will kill them.


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## Happy Valley (Feb 25, 2007)

I sprayed them with fly spray. It says on the label that it kills lice, and it did. Bronco is the one I used, I think, but I have others and they all say that they will kill lice.

Stacye


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## Sandee (Feb 25, 2007)

When I had one with lice, the vet told me that just killing the ones you can see is not enough. They will have laid eggs and then the eggs hatch after you think you've killed them all. That's why you have to keep retreating. As in the shampoo has to be (I forget exactly) every other day for a week or something like that.


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## hafpints (Feb 25, 2007)

I know that I am going to repeat what someone said earlier. You cannot get lice from your horses as your horses cannot get lice from a cat, birds, goat or cows! My vet told me that all lice is host specific they can jump on you and bite you but they cannot live on anything, but the species they are meant for. When my horses get lice I treat them with ivermectin liquid from the vet when I notice the lice and then 10 days to 2 weeks later that will take care of the problem, you can also dust them it does help.


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## MBhorses (Feb 25, 2007)

Why do you have to use liquid Ivermectin and not paste form?


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## lyn_j (Feb 25, 2007)

My horses go out in the woods here....lots of birds and , yes sometimes lice. Regular Ivermectin wormer will help also I have used the bronko fly spray daily for a week. I see that some are rubbing on the trees again... I use Strongid daily wormer but will hit them with ivermectin and start spraying again. They arent the crud that people think....even some really clean well cared for horses get them. Heck, my kids got head lice three times in school! Now thats a night mare, wash and treat every stuffed animal, every piece of clothing and bedding, rid on the heads and pick the nits off..... YUK!

Lyn


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## Mijke (Feb 26, 2007)

We've had lice 'party' on our horses two times now. First time when we got a new horse in our barn and second time when we were with some of our horses on a big horse event (in wintertime).

Nothing to do but curse and start treatment (I asked the lice very nicely if they could leave, but they liked their 'hotel/resort' way to much to listen... :lol: ).

Our vet came with a good idea: he advised to use the stuf that kills fleas on dogs. He said to use the liquid kind and drip it on the horses skin (the same way you do with dogs). That anti-flea stuff is tested to be safe on horses. It was never tested on pregnant mares though.

For our pregnant mares we use the Flea-spray (that has been tested to be safe already). The spray is a little bit more work. The brands name that has been tested is: Boflor (I don't know if they sell that in the USA as well).




: We found this method to be VERY effective and it does not bother the horses one bit. And, we don't have to clip in wintertime....



:


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## stormy (Feb 26, 2007)

There are actually some fly sprays that are labeled for lice and work very well on heavy winter coats.


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## rabbitsfizz (Feb 26, 2007)

Lice are very well adapted to a particular host and even to specific areas on a hostâ€™s body; lice will not survive on other host species. 

As has been stated lice cannot move between species.

They can live for a very limited time on another host animal but the only time they will try is when the host has died- thus in the case of fleas (which are similar host specific) my cat gets infested around the edges of her ears only with rabbit fleas when she kills one as the edges of her ears are where the temperature of her body is closest to that of the rabbit.

In these cases no treatment is necessary.

Every year my horses rub like crazy and every year I used to dust them with louse powder.

But I never found a louse.

There must be something in the powder that alleviates the itching.

Running the clippers over the jawline and neckline and up the "knickers" (translation :- the long fine hair up the back of the rump/ quarters



) using the clippers with the hair not against it, stops all the crazy itching without resort to chemicals.

WHEN I remember to do it!!!

Rabbit had rubbed himself raw under his mane and on the other side of his neck- poor baby.

I brought him up, clipped as stated and also clipped around the area he had rubbed, sprayed it with Listerine and gave the muddy little toad a good groom.

He has stopped rubbing fanatically even though he has gone back to making himself into a good imitation of a cross between a muck heap and a very small haystack.

First make sure you have lice before treating them



:


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## Lucky-C-Acres-Minis (Feb 26, 2007)

It is lice, we found the little beggers.. We treated the horses with a dust from the local farm store and we also bought Bronco fly spray since it takes care of just about all external parasites.. We plan on clipping everyone as soon as it warms up and stays that way and bathing everyone as well.. COME ON SPRING!



: Guess I can look on the bright side, gives me a good xcuse to clip everyone as early as possible this year



:



:


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## stormy (Feb 26, 2007)

Lice on Horses

Irritation, dull coat, hair loss,

mane and tail become matted,

loss of condition and anaemia

Author: Dr. B. Wright - Veterinary Scientist, Equine and Alternative Livestock/OMAF

Lice on horses is not common but questions arise about treatment. Both sucking and biting lice can affect horses. The chewing louse, Bovicola equi, feeds off tissue and cells sloughed from the surface of the skin. The sucking louse of horses, Haematopinus asini, feeds off blood. The species of lice is important since it is easier to kill sucking lice with a systemic insecticide than it is to kill biting lice. Lice cause intense itching (pruritus) around the base of the tail, head and mane. Horses will rub themselves raw.

Lice are normally species-specific. However, the chewing lice of poultry can also affect horses when housed together. The horses should be removed from the building. If the poultry is removed, the lice will continue to harass the horses unless a good cleanup and premise insecticide treatment is used.

Lice and their Life Cycle:

Lice undergo a simple life cycle. They transform from egg to nymph to adult with the entire cycle being completed on the host. The chewing louse is about 1/10 of an inch long, chestnut brown in color, with a yellow abdomen with dark cross bands. They are flat with a broad, rounded head and slender legs. The eggs are attached to the hair and hatch in 5 to 10 days. Nymphs immediately start feeding and mature in 3 to 4 weeks.

The sucking louse is about 1/8 of an inch long and a dirty grey color. They have a broad abdomen which contrasts with their long narrow head. Sucking lice are more common and more irritating than chewing lice. They have piercing mouth parts. When present in large numbers, they can cause anemia. The eggs are attached to the hair and hatch 11 to 20 days later. Nymphs begin sucking blood immediately. They complete their life cycle in 2 to 4 weeks.

Control and Treatment:

Transmission of lice is by direct contact between horses and through contact with infected brushes, blankets and tack. Successful control requires that equipment is cleaned thoroughly with the same insecticide as used on the horses. The cleaning should be repeated in two weeks. Sterilization of equipment by boiling will also kill the lice, nymphs and eggs as will placing blankets and coolers in the drier at the highest heat setting.

The only approved products for the treatment of horses with lice are the powder products, Dusting Powder and Sevin. All other products are used in an off-label, or extra-label, manner and the veterinarian is required to re-label the product, providing directions for use, e.g. the route of administration and frequency as well as human and animal precautions associated with the product.

Powders should be used by dusting the entire animal and ensuring that the dust reaches the skin. It is difficult to get the powder down to the skin when animals have a long winter coat. Wetable powders are intended to be mixed with water and applied to improve contact with the skin. Powders may contain any of several chemicals including: rotenone, coumaphos, carbaryl, and fenthion.

Systemic treatments such as the avermectins are not approved for treatment of lice on horses. Systemic products usually come as a pour-on and an injectable. Care must be taken before contemplating the use of a pour-on form, since the carrier base (e.g. alcohol) may cause a local skin reaction. The injectable form may possibly be used orally for sucking lice treatment but no research has been reported (1).

Pour-on Products

Permethrins can be used as non-systemic, pour-on, insecticides to control lice. A 4% solution is recommended when treating donkeys with lice (2). A 1% solution was very effective in controlling lice in cattle and a 0.1% solution of permethrin was effective against chorioptic mange in cattle. It may be possible to use a 0.1% solution of permethrin for biting lice on horses and reduce the potential for skin reactions which is sometimes seen with a 1% permethrin solution (3). The permethrin solution should be applied along the back and down the face. Two treatments, 14 days apart, are recommended for the optimum control of lice.

The following are products containing permethrin with their concentration of permethrin: Coopers Delice Pour-on - 1%, Disvap Equine 0.1%, Nix (a human product) - 1%, Siecon - 0.5%, and Vetolice - 1%. These can be diluted, as necessary, to get a 0.1% solution (3). Some of these products have an oil-based carrier and will create a mess if the horse rolls in a sandy arena. Siecon, and Disvap-Equine are labeled for use for flies on horses.

Shampoos

Seleen shampoo, Sanofi Animal Health, has been reported as being successful in treating lice on horses. Seleen is approved for the treatment of seborrhea in small animals. The 1% selenium sulphide has antiparasitic action. Patterson reported that whole-body bathing of horses with Seleen three times at 10 day intervals was successful in treating lice. Treatment consisted of using the following amounts of Seleen: for ponies - 150 ml; horses up to 500 kg. body weight - 300 ml; and horses greater than 500 kg. body weight - 450 ml (4).

Choice of treatment will vary depending on time of year, ambient temperature and the number of horses being treated. Your veterinarian will provide you with the best treatment option.

References:

Knight P., personal communication, Pfizer Animal Health

Svendsen E. D., The Professional Handbook of the Donkey, 3rd Edition, Whittet Books

Heal J., personal communication, Environmental Biology, University of Guelph

Paterson S., Orrel S., Treatment of Biting Lice in Horses Using Selenium Sulphide, Eq. Vet. Educ. 1995; 11:11-28.


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## hafpints (Feb 26, 2007)

MBhorses said:


> Why do you have to use liquid Ivermectin and not paste form?


We have found that it works faster it isn't a pour on you use like the paste,but it is in liqiud form, it is what our vets recommend and it is actually cheaper if you have a larger number of horses.


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## Bluerocket (Feb 26, 2007)

When it is warm enough to shampoo them -- I have found that any shampoo with bluing in it kills the lice nicely. I usually shampoo one time - and rinse well - then shampoo again really working the lather into their coats (getting down to the skin) - works even with winter woolies if you get the entire coat really soaked.

JJay


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## jjnov (Feb 27, 2007)

Lucky-C-Acres-Minis said:


> We had a stray cat show up a couple weeks ago and since then a couple horses have been itchy.. I didn't think anything of it as this time of year the horses usually get itchy because of the warmer days and shedding of their winter coats, until today I noticed that a couple had spots on their necks that they had rubbed the hair down and that's when I noticed little bugs..
> 
> 
> 
> ...



What does lice look like on horses? I just found wierd looking bugs on my stud today clipping him. They had brown bodies with white butts.


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## Lucky-C-Acres-Minis (Feb 27, 2007)

http://www.ext.colostate.edu/PUBS/livestk/...MG/ja002cos.gif

Here's a sketch I found... They're hard to describe, but they are darker on the head and legs and have a lighter back part.. The nymphs are very tiny and white..


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## lyn_j (Feb 27, 2007)

Brown bodies and white butts=lice.

Lyn


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## jjnov (Feb 27, 2007)

lyn_j said:


> Brown bodies and white butts=lice.
> 
> Lyn



Thanks! I just acquired 4 new minis from the same farm, so I have a feeling that all 4 have it!


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## hhpminis (Feb 27, 2007)

Best to treat them all.

Although it is possible for only one to have them.


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## PaintedMeadows (Feb 27, 2007)

Some of my horses rub like Rabbitsfizz said. only in the winter and I can NEVER find any signs of anything. They rub extra hard under their thick manes. Does the listerine help with the itching or are you doing it to kill lice? I don't really want to clip them as they live outside 24/7 and we are in northern Canada so we probably still have lots of quite cold weather left. Any advice?


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## jjnov (Feb 27, 2007)

hhpminis said:


> Best to treat them all.
> 
> Although it is possible for only one to have them.



I am going to try and find some clippers at the feed stores tomorrow and clip my prego mare first.


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## rabbitsfizz (Feb 28, 2007)

Yes the Listerine definitely helps the itching.

I have never clipped a horse that had lice- with one exception and that was not a Mini and was so bad it was life threatening.

In that case the lice were so big we actually clipped through some of the bodies so the animal had also to be on antibiotics in case of infection.

One of my Arab mares got lice in the last month of pregnancy and I used an old, OLD remedy.

You put grease (pig fat was suggested but I actually just used Lard) along the back from behind the ears to the base of the dock.

Then a ring around the anus and the neck.

Lice and fleas, apparently, get moisture form the eye and the anus of the host.

The lice also swap sides of the host once a day.

To do either they have to pass through the thick line of grease- they bury their heads in this and suffocate and fall off.

I only used it the once- the lice of this mare were so bog I could see them without any help at all- and they were all gone, completely and without any chemicals or clipping, inside of 24 hours.


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## StormyAcreRanch (Feb 28, 2007)

When I bought my TB gelding he came with lice from the chickens they had. I had to treat him 3 times to get rid of it, I used the powder and I used a pour on that is for cattle and horses, and I also used ivermectin paste wormer. He was so enfested with them I ended up trimming his mane down as there were so many eggs in there. If your chickens have them treat them too, chickens can die from it, not to mention your horses will just keep getting it.

Here's what I used for a pour on. http://www.mytscstore.com/detail.asp?pcID=...;productID=9355

And here is the powder http://www.mytscstore.com/detail.asp?pcID=...productID=16193


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## HGFarm (Feb 28, 2007)

I had lice on a mare I purchased. I gave her ivermectin, clipped her and gave her a bath with flea and tick shampoo. When she was dry, I dusted her down with the powder. Voila! No more lice!!

We dont get that problem here and I had never seen it, so was HORRIFIED about the whole thing. She was not allowed on the property with the others til she was bathed and powdered. She had to spend the night in the trailer and got it all done the next day. Then I cleaned and sprayed down the trailer as well.


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## MBhorses (Mar 6, 2007)

Where can you get the liquid inv. wormer? Also where do you all get the dust power stuff?

thanks


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## lilhorseladie (Mar 6, 2007)

I get liquid ivermec at the vet or farm store in the refrigerator part. Also, I think the sevin dust is found in the garden isle. It is for vegetables.


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## Robin1 (Mar 7, 2007)

I clipped , used flea and tick shampoo (twice the first day), then stripped her stall and sprayed it down to kill anything in there. She got a second bath the next day. No more lice. ICK!!!

My vet said the Sevin powder would not work on the lice.




:

Robin


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## MBhorses (Apr 5, 2007)

hello,

is sevin dust safe on pregnant mares? has anyone use adams flea and tick spray or shampoo for lice? what about liquid ivermectin on pregnant mares? how often do you spray or dip or use liquid ivermectin on your horses.what do you do for your pasture areas?we have 320 acres behind us that belongs to someone else with alot of pine trees.

thanks


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## frekles93 (Apr 6, 2007)

[SIZE=14pt] I am fighting right now! I use PYRAHNA fly spray. thats gets um going! Lice WILL go to other speices if their own is in short supply. The fleas you see on dogs and the ones that bite us are acually cat fleas. They have a perfered host but will go to anything. I take my horses in to where I work and bath them with there flea shampoo and then shave them. Fly spray the rest.[/SIZE]

April


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## Bluerocket (Apr 6, 2007)

Any shampoo with BLUING in it will kill the lice. Wash - rinse - wash and rinse well.


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## tagalong (Apr 6, 2007)

I start with a dose of ivermectin (we use the liquid) ... then use the horse lice powder as well - but never on pregnant mares.

Repeat the powder as per instructions - I think it says 10 days/2 weeks... and problem solved!




:


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## MBhorses (Apr 6, 2007)

what do you use on pregnant mares?


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## tigeresss (Apr 6, 2007)

Use "drykill" (or something similar) and dust them A LOT make sure to use rubber gloves and to really get it in their fur especially this time of year with them not having a short coat! Use the wormer as well and make sure you completely wash anything and everything that has touched those horses. For example you, your clothes, their halters, leadropes, brushes etc. Once you do this they should be gone very very quickly.


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## MBhorses (Mar 30, 2008)

thanks for all the information.


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## Katiean (Mar 30, 2008)

My father bought me a filly when I was 14 and she was LOADED with lice and had mud mange up to her knees along with being very thin. My neighbor brought over some powder that they put in the hanging bag for cows to brush against. We roached her mane and gave her a bath and after she was dry we powdered her. within a week she was free of lice.


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