cobs with feathers!!!!

A

alfie

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Mar 8, 2005
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:confused: i have a cob heavy type which has feathers, and i wanted to know if anyone else had the same problem with their horse if they have feathers. he gets sores on one or more legs at the bottom near the hoof it can be front or back and on the front right leg he has a very bad patch behind the knee. i bought him nearly two years ago and he had the sore behind the knee then and since i have owned him i have been trying EVERYTHING to clear it up and i hate to think how much i have spent on products, but i would love to clear it up?? i have been down the vet route and they gave me fuciderm to try that started to clear it up but them stopped working then i have tried products for mud fever and sore cream now im back with the vet and they have tried another cream but that did nothing so now im using a shampoo called malaseb?? i have also washed his feathers with lice and mite shampoo because he does rub his legs on anything thats to hand. i have put global herb products in his feed and used their wound cream which does the small sores ok. ANY help with this problem would be grateful!!!!!!!!! :)
 
almost certainly mites. frontline will probably clear it up, and clipping the legs so the skin can dry out and get some air will help the scabs heal. if you can;t bring yourself to clip, keep the legs as clean and dry as possilbe - air will help a lot as the mites like it dark and damp.
 
Unfortunately cobs with feathers do tend to be more prone to mites. :(

It can take a while to get on top of the problem too - even just a few survivors after an insecticidal bath will mean you're back to square one. When I kept hairy cobs we had a couple who seemed to suffer more than others and clipping the legs is the best way to get rid of the little blighters I'm afraid. Echo Mehitabel on the Frontline though - tis good stuff.
 
When I first got Misty and had her vetted the vet said the best way to deal with heel mites in feathered horses was Eqvalan (bit of an expensive way to do it but it works). When I worm her in October I give her this on three consecutive weeks. He said that 90% of feathered horses have mites and its virtually impossible to get rid of them but they can be kept at bay.
 
:) thanks for the replys!! eqvalan is that a wormer paste? sorry if thats a stupid question? im willing to try anything, clipping him is out of the question when the vet came out to have a look at the back of his knee he needed three lots of sedation and then needed twitching!!!!! and that was just to clip around the sore area, we tried to clip all his feathers but just the sound sent him mental!!!! :(
 
Mehitabel said:
almost certainly mites. frontline will probably clear it up, and clipping the legs so the skin can dry out and get some air will help the scabs heal. if you can;t bring yourself to clip, keep the legs as clean and dry as possilbe - air will help a lot as the mites like it dark and damp.
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Frontline? Do they do an equine version? If not do you mean the cat or the dog one?

(just in case i need it for Chez :p )
 
The oral wormer will only work on one type of lice that actually bite thro' the skin. Some lice only eat dead skin cells so wouldn't get reached.

We've had success with lice & scabby heels using Deosect (cypermethrin - same drug family, bought from vets) sponged on, or Spot-On pipettes applied on legs (bought in supermarket, for dogs - smaller weaker amount of same drug group).

Plus Sudocrem applied regularly to clean fetlock / heel wounds soon healed them up on our 32 year old l'il NF.
 
How about using curved scissors and a comb? That'll get the majority of the hair down to a manageable level.
 
alfie said:
:) thanks for the replys!! eqvalan is that a wormer paste? sorry if thats a stupid question? im willing to try anything, clipping him is out of the question when the vet came out to have a look at the back of his knee he needed three lots of sedation and then needed twitching!!!!! and that was just to clip around the sore area, we tried to clip all his feathers but just the sound sent him mental!!!! :(
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Yes it is. I use it as part of her normal worming programme, and then for two further weeks (beginning of October). I certainly don't see her trying to scratch or stamping her feet any more.
 
Mehitabel said:
cat or dog one yes. it's not licenced for use in horses, but it is very widely used even by vets.
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Hmmm... interesting..... we had a stray cat for a while and when i tried to buy some Frontline the vet insisted I take the cat in for a check-over... will they just sell it over the counter?

And secondly.... do you apply it in the same way or directly onto the legs??? Is one capsule enough...?

Again, I don't need it but if I do...... :)
 
i don't know - some vets, if they kn ow you have a cat/dog, will give it to you without seeing them i think. i donl;t use it myself, but have heard good things from liveries with hairy horses, i'm not sure exactly what they do with it.
 
Sounds like my horse. And it sounds more like mud fever. This CAN still occur in summer. Off dust and heat etc. I use flamazine cream - off the vet and it worked wonders. Although one leg will not get better. Its now managable but thats about all :o(

What colour are your horses feathers? And the skin underneath?
 
:rolleyes: i have used that cream and it did nothing for him now the vet has given me malaseb shampoo but that has.nt touched it either?? back to the vets next week to see what the next step is, i have also been given frontline when i first got him im still using it but thats nothing to do with the sores he gets just the scratching:confused:
 
The vet was talking to me about an injection they can get. Ask about that? I have a new gel now for it for the one leg which just doesnt give up, il find out what that is for you.
But im hiby scrubing that leg daily now, afraid where stuck with em eh! :)
 
vet injects mine every spring with invermectin, then I spray the feathers every three weeks with frontline( comes as a spray too ). this seems to keep the blighters at bay- nothing more miserable than watching a cob stamp its feet or try to rub its back legs on the water trough, poor devils.
As for the scabs on backs of knees, I used flamazine which worked well, put cling film over it and then stable bandages to help penetrate the sores. Once I've got on top of it, I comb regularly with a plastic comb to stop the build up of flakes. Liquid parifin softens the skin and helps the flaky bits to slide out easily.
Old remedy is pig oil which is still available from ,a heavy horse web site, name escapes me at mo.
 
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