Bugs on Colt

[PinkStalkings]

I noticed one of our colts got bugs last week, not bad just found two or three. Another trainer said 2 or 3 bathes should do the trick.. But Erm...

ITS FREEZING. And I do not have a heat lamp. nor a fitted blanket. But What do I need to put on him to get rid of 'em. I'm going to the store to make him a blanket that fits better.

Never experienced bugs before, been told about 75% of babies off pasture get em if they're not handled alot and turned out a high percentage of the time.

 

[hhpminis]

They are probably lice and they are very common on your side of the state as you dont get the cold weather that we get over here but, you are very cold now so I suggest do not bathe. Minis winter coat is far to dense and long to dry them out properly and unless you have the proper facility it is not a wise idea to bath him right now. We are at 2 degrees this morning, I know you aren't that cold but you are very cold too.

Go to the feed store and get your self some lice dusting powder. It comes in a canister that yu can kind squeeze and poof it on them. If you have access to a vacuum you could vacuum him first, Leave this powder on him for a week and then vacuum and dust him again. In the meantime, while you are at the feed store get some ivermectin wormer and worm him according to his weight or even a bit higher.

I know the creepy crawlies are gross but it is a fact of life with animals, expecially when you live in a damp humid area like you do with so much rain.

 

[USMCshamusmom]

One or the other should be enough... the cycle will begin again after about 21 days when the eggs hatch, if you use powder you should dust them several times, for about a month. maybe once a week. If you use Ivermectin, worm every 2 weeks for about 3 times. you want to get the eggs that hatch along with the original kill of the adult bugs that laid the eggs. WATCH OUT if you want to use wormer of any sort and___ read labels carerfully!____ most wormers say not to use them in conjunction with organo-phosphates, which is what many dusts contain, so you don't want to kill the horse along with the tiny livestock.... use only one or the other! check with your vet for the best results. good luck.

 

[hhpminis]

Sorry but I do disagree and so do my vets. We do not have a big lice problem on the east side of the state in Washington but on the west side they do. I have dealt with imports from that side and had horses come in with lice. Unfortuantely this usually happens when it is too cold to bathe or body clip which would be my first preference but is not an option right now in the NW.

Here is an excerpt from "Ask the Vet" where they also state to dust and deworm.

Lice are highly host specific parasites that spend their complete life cycle on the host meaning that lice that infect horses do not infect people. There are 2 main types of lice, the sucking lice and the biting lice. Biting lice feed on exfoliated skin and skin surface debris and prefer the dorsolateral trunk (towards the top and sides of the horse’s body). Sucking lice feed on blood and tissue fluid and favor the mane, tail, and fetlocks. Under favorable conditions lice can live for up to 2-3 weeks on a horse but less than 7 days is more typical. Transmission is by direct horse to horse contact and by indirect contact by sharing grooming supplies, tack, etc. Treatment is usually easy and effective. Topical treatment with insecticidal shampoo or 1% selenium sulfide shampoo can be used once every 10 days for a total of 3 baths or an insecticide powder containing pyrethrins can be applied once every 2 weeks for a total of 2 treatments. We recommend following the product label instructions. In addition, administering an ivermectin dewormer orally may also be effective against the sucking lice.

If you would like to read the entire response about lice here is the site. Lice is the second question on the page.

Ask the Vet

 

[USMCshamusmom]

exactly my point. read labels and ask your vet.