# is it dry skin or lice?



## suz (Jan 30, 2007)

Okay, I"m paranoid here. (again!)

While grooming my guy, I lift up his mane and find lots of flaky white, hopefully dry skin dandruff.

How do you identify if it's lice or just dry skin?

I sprayed a mix of listerine/water on either side of his mane and worked it in just in case and will worm him with Ivermectin (as this is his rotating wormer for this month anyways).

Question: Can you actually SEE the lice crawl and wiggle around if you look at it?

I look with just my eyes and then actually get a magnifying glass out to check it out. Nothing wiggling around, but you know after you stare at something so long, it actually looks like it may be moving. tricks your eyes and mind can play sometimes...

So, I guess what I'm asking is Can you actually see the lice moving around or would it be such a slight movement you wouldn't really see anything?

Thanks much


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## MiniforFaith (Jan 30, 2007)

Hello, I just had a bout with lice with my new filly.. Never had it before with my other two.. I couldn't find anything, but when the vet came out for the sores, yes we did see two in her mane. And yes they do move. The vet found them with a flashlight. These weren't white-- kinda brownish reminding me of a dog flea.. It really gave me the heebie geebie's, I'll tell ya..



: But yes they do crawl around..

Jodie


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## suz (Jan 30, 2007)

MiniforFaith said:


> And yes they do move. The vet found them with a flashlight. These weren't white-- kinda brownish reminding me of a dog flea But yes they do crawl around..
> 
> Jodie



Yea, that would definately gross me out too! I'll take my flashlight out and take a closer look.

Glad to hear that they are brown and not white and that they do crawl and you can see them.

Makes me feel alot better and tend to think it's just dry skin/dandruff.

Thanks, Jodie.

anyone else want to put their 2 cents in and share any of their lice experiences ?



:


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## FoRebel (Jan 30, 2007)

Yes! Lice move... we just did a final treatment for lice on our herd because one of my little weanling (I guess yearling, now) stud colts had some fur missing with little sores. When I checked, it was lice, sort of an off white color with brown heads! Best thing I have found to treat for lice is the livestock lice powder that you can find at your local live stock store....

YUK! Just thinking about it makes my skin crawl!

This time of year depending on where you are, your horses might get dry skin too though. Wouldn't hurt to get some lice powder and dust them just to be sure though.


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## suz (Jan 30, 2007)

lbsfarm said:


> Yes! Lice move... ! Best thing I have found to treat for lice is the livestock lice powder that you can find at your local live stock store....
> 
> Wouldn't hurt to get some lice powder and dust them just to be sure though.



so, you CAN actually see the critters moving about? so, if they aren't moving, i can assume it is just dry skin?

There are no patches of hair missing.

What type of lice powder did you use?

I heard that Listerine wil kill horse lice, as well as people lice. Anyone hear about that? I read it somewhere on the internet....

Anyways, I doused the area with listerine hoping that may help - guess it couldn't hurt!


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## Gena (Jan 30, 2007)

If I were you I would get the powder and apply it and if its lice you should see them come out of the hair. This is a bad time of year for lice with all their thick hair. The powder is inexpensive and then you won't worry and even if there is just a few it will get rid of them. It could be dry skin too though



:

Edited to say I tried to find the name of the powder on the internet and couldn't find it - we have Fleet Farm in our area and the powder is in a tall white plastic container in the horse isle - hopefully someone else will post with the name of the powder, sorry I can't remember the name of it...


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## FoRebel (Jan 30, 2007)

suz said:


> so, you CAN actually see the critters moving about? so, if they aren't moving, i can assume it is just dry skin?
> 
> There are no patches of hair missing.
> 
> ...


Suz,

Yes, you can see the critters moving. To be on the safe side I would go to your local livestock store (fleet farm, Farm and Home, Farm and Ranch, whatever you have in the area) and ask someone where their livestock lice powder is. I found it with the cattle stuff at our local store Stockman's. I don't know that I've ever heard about the listerine thing... But like I said, be on the safe side and get the powder. I think I paid 5 bucks for a huge thing of it. Also you are going to want to brush it in, so maybe get a cheap brush to use just for the lice powder.

GOOD LUCK!


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## suz (Jan 30, 2007)

Okay, here are some pics:






and






and






what do you all think? dry skin or lice?


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## pepperhill (Jan 30, 2007)

That looks like dry skin to me. My horses sometimes get that around their manes in the dry air of winter. The lice I've seen are round, or oval, and are kind of a cream/tan color. They were visibly roundish shaped. What I'm seeing on your pics is dry skin flakes. You can start on some skin supplements to fix it, or just wait until spring and see if it clears up. Best wishes!


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## rockin r (Jan 30, 2007)

: I would say dry skin...My arab got it once in his mane and on the tail bone. LOTS of deep brushing

( but not to hard as not to break the skin ) and corn oil did the trick for him. I did use a good w-i-d-e tooth comb first to get the tangles out, then a grooming comb to get most of the loose flakes out, then a good brushing everyday. In about 10 days and he shinned like a copper penny!!!


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## suz (Jan 30, 2007)

rockin r said:


> corn oil did the trick for him. In about 10 days and he shinned like a copper penny!!!



how much corn oil and which feeding, am or pm or both?

thanks





glad to hear that the consensus so far thinks it's dry skin and not lice.

don't know the first thing on how to powder him for lice... but it's something i'm sure i should know about...


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## suz (Jan 30, 2007)

anyone else wanna give their opinions on the dry skin/lice debate per the pics?

I'm noticing he is scratching his butt too.... boy, I CAN'T WAIT to clip this guy and/or give him a bath to put him out of his misery!

also will try the corn oil - how much should I use? i'm thinking BOSS would also help moisturize his coat? how much BOSS are you all feeding your guys?

thanks


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## PrestigeMiniHorses (Jan 30, 2007)

Wow I am glad that I'm not crazy on this one...I just had a bout with Millie. I made the mistake to board out on a livestock farm that raised sheep. Well a ram had gotten lice while he was running out near the tobacco barn. Well he got it and the man thought that horses couldn't get it. Well she did. I had never heard of it before...We tried everything and nothing worked....Well I was in the process of moving her to a new farm where she could roam with Minis..The vet had me move her to the new farm and body clip her. I hated the idea of body clipping in the winter...Well I did and we blew her out really good and then used the livestock dust on her. Well after all that work, we finally got rid of it. It was so nasty though. Sadly no she's being stalled all winter with blankets and lots of hay. I will never make that mistake again. But I am glad I got rid of it. However for you it only looks like dry skin..


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