Itchy scabby pony, ideas?

Jane&Ziggy

Jane&Ziggy

Jane&Sid these days!
Apr 30, 2010
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Hello all. This is Maisie, a livery mate's companion pony.

Maisie.jpg
Maisie is aged but fit, bright and energetic - she often accompanies her field companion out on hacks on a long lead rein. She has never been an itchy pony but this year she is suffering, like many of our horses in this very dry weather.

She has been clipped because she was shedding slowly and getting very hot. Even after the clip she has what looks like bad dandruff, lifting off from dryish, creamy coloured, scabby pustules under her mane and on her back. It's itchy and she is scratching wherever she can. Her owner is at her wits' end because she has had to fence off the shelter so that Maisie doesn't scratch herself to death, and her riding horse will go bonkers if he can't get it there when the flies come.

It's hard to get pictures of her condition, but this is one of the dark patches on her back:
Maisiescurf.jpg

And here are some pictures of her forehead and forelock

Maisieforelock.jpg Maisieforehead.jpg

I don't think it's rainscald because it's just as bad under her mane, and also it hasn't rained! It is most like the seborrhoeic dermatitis I get on my head, which is basically an excess of sebum but which makes flakes and scabs and itches loads.

She gets loads of herbs and is otherwise bouncing with health. Her owner is stuck. I thought of two things to try:

(1) a warm bath with a soothing shampoo like Ruggle-It or aloe vera to remove the scurf and relieve the urge to scratch it off;

(2) Aloe vera on the affected areas, which has worked wonders for Ziggy's moult scurfiness.

Can anyone suggest anything else?
 
http://www.flintsyard.com/

I have used the itching lotion and it is truly magic stuff.

I used it very successfully last year on sunburn, on an itchy mane and during fly season.

This year Oscar had very scurfy itchy skin on his back, with lots of little scabs after living out 24/7 in terrible weather during strangles without me even being able to change his rugs more than once in a while as vet advised minimal physical contact. Also he had bare, dry skin all over his face - I think due to lowered immunity, no brushing, itching/rubbing as his winter coat was shedding. I brushed thoroughly with a soft brush on his face and used a stiff brush on his back to get rid of the scabs then a soft brush to get in deeper. The used the lotion a few times on his face and back with amazing very rapid results. I love it.
 
I would probably try seleen shampoo? Chloe gets a sort of scurfy thing on her back, it isn't rainscald we don't know what it is exactly but a nice bath with seleen usually helps. (I seemed to end up with two bottles of it which the vet gave me for something else).
 
Capasal shampoo works well, you can buy it from a chemist( don't mention its for a horse though). You can also use piriton( or generic make) anti histimines to stop the itch scratch cycle but again don't say it's for a pony as they are only licensed to sell to humans( you will have to work out the dose) :D. I buy mine off amazon for apx £1 a pack and use these for our sweet itch pony to bring the itching/scratching back under control. Neem oil is good too ( it smells awful) as it's a soothing antiseptic and anti inflammatory and you can buy a huge thing off eBay for apx £12 and it's a fly repellent too so win win!!! x
 
Jane&Ziggy said:
Thank you all. She's tried neem oil already but will give anything a go!
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I would try anti histimines they are my first turn to once the itch/scratch cycles started. Nettex itch stop salve is fab too and also smells nice:) I've just stocked up as it's on offer on vio vet ATM. Think it was £3.10 for 300ml but it's over around £13 for 300ml elsewhere so well worth trying for anyone with a itchy horse/pony. I normally pay full price for it so it's a real bargain! x
 
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ive seen this quite a lot in shetlands, especially as you say when they need to shed coat and its warm.
This is always what I do.

firstly, ask the vet for a dectomax jag which needs to be repeated in 10 days
treat topically with Deosect and repeat after 7 days.

This makes sure any possibility of lice AND mites are treated. It can be the case that only 1 pony in a herd shows symptoms of crawlies depending on how susceptible they are.

Then shampoo with Head & Shoulders shampoo for itchy scalps. It has to be that itchy scalp one. Use lots of it and work it well into the skin. I would be going through most of a small bottle on a shetland. You’ll find the scurfy stuff will lift out and this will help to ease the cycle of itch - scratch but again, repeat it in 10 days or so.
 
My first thing would be to treat for lice, the last few years hank got them this time of year and I ended up clipping and treating. I don't know if its just because they have so much fluff and then get too warm in spring, I think I got away with it this year as he was clipped at Xmas so I've perhaps been able to keep his skin cleaner. Jess, although in with him, has never had them.
 
If you haven't already tried it and have a good relationship with your vet and are confident giving injections he will just prescribe dectomax for you to administer yourself, that way you will avoid call out charges. However you have to wait 14 days after last worming as it is a wormer itself. Our vet was explaining that some horses are more bothered by mites/lice than others. x
 
And a deep scrub bath with head and shoulders - I don't like tea tree as it dries the skin but we usually use a menthol/mint one as it seems to soothe madams skin. Then lice treat :) follow with baths as necessary to soften and remove the nasty stuff

Aloe Vera on open sores and then consider some turmeric or anti inflammatory stuff in the feed.
 
Jane&Ziggy said:
Apparently little madam tolerates baths with difficulty and won't let my friend wash her head (she rears, which looks cute but is hard to handle). We will bath her as much as possible but any non-water based suggestions for her head and ears?
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For lice, it not as effective but louse powder does work as long as you reapply every couple of weeks (I think it's 2 weeks) for a few treatments. I can't do anything near Hank's ears, getting a bridle on is challenge enough, water there would give full meltdown :rolleyes: but I found just washing his body and neck to be helpful when he's itchy.
 
i wouldnt give her the option to say no to being bathed personally ;) Just get on with it and ignore her.
 
If there's 2 of you bathing her could you not try twitching her, needs must and all that;). I also use deosect watered down in a spray bottle on legs and fly rugs/mane/tail as a fly spray as only needs applying every couple of days, if it is lice may be worth using deosect as a repellant after she's treated. x
 
You could try the equivalent of a frontline spot on treatment if she won't stand baths ?

This isn't licensed for horses, it's a cattle and sheep treatment but I have used it as a fly repellent for the crab flies and and 'visitors' my horse gets in the spring. I used it on the recommendation from my RI years ago and it works a treat. I pour it on the lower lumbar region though, but nothing to stop you pouring it on their withers.

http://www.hyperdrug.co.uk/Coopers-Spot-On/productinfo/SPOTON/
 
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