Help! My yearling filly wont stop rubbing her fur off!

[MiniArabLuvs]

My up and coming one year old has been so itchy during our warm weather days and even when its cold that she has rub her cheeks and neck down to the littlest stubble. She's seems quite content but each time that i see her it seems like more fur is being rubbed off. Do i dare shave her a little at this time of year? Our nights can reach into the negitives without windchill even. She as a stall she can get into if she wants or she can roam around.

We were thinking about shaving her slightly next month but if she keeps rubbing the way she does do we dare wait? Her mother often rubs some fur off her face during the winter but not like this. None of the my other miniatures have rubbed like this during this time of month, she's not sick and she not lacking anything. It seems like she just suppppper warm under her thick fur.

Any ideas or suggestions?

 

[Reignmaker Miniatures]

If she were my horse I would suspect and treat for external parasites. Its the time of year when they seem most likely to become a problem.

 

[Marty]

We had a few warm days in January of all things and a couple of mine already went to town itching themselves.I have one that won't leave her face alone and caused sores on it last year Its hot under that hair! But no way can I shave anything at the moment or even in the near future unless I want to end up blanketing which I don't.

For what its worth: I would treat inside and out for lice to cover the bases, de-worm and I also would start the horse on right now Farnum Super 14 in the feed. Super 14 has been around forever and its a coat conditioner. When you shave, it should help leave a super nice coat under that fuzz and also "repair" any bad ju ju caused by the itching..

 

[misty'smom]

I am having the exact same issue with my 9 & 10 month old fillies. They both have been wormed regularly but seem to be very itchy the past 2 weeks. We have had some warm days here in Va also.......How would you comb treatment through that thick winter coat? And can this be pasted to humans?? Yikes! I am a retired Kindergarten teacher and so I have had my share of "lice episodes" in my classroom, and had to kill them in my classroom as well!!!

What about skin issues, do they get any type of fugus or eczema? They both have rubbed off patches on their neck/chest area but their skin is not red or irritated.

Just a thought I have been giving them cut up raw sweet potatoes a few times a week for the winter months....I wouldn't think that would do it but you never know???

 

[chandab]

If I'm not mistaken, Lice are species specific, so you shouldn't get lice from your horse. As far as treating it goes, I usually use insectide dust; just sprinkle it on and do your best to brush it in (I usually wear disposible gloves and just use my fingers to try to get it into the coat). I've been using ProZap dust: http://www.horsehealthusa.com/details/Prozap-Insectrin-Dust/89-10.html [i used to get it at American Livestock Supply, but they closed over a year ago.] I'm sure other places have it besides Horse Health USA, they were just the first I could link.

It might just be the warm weather, but it could be something more making them itchy.

 

[Lil Eowyn]

Thats what my filly was like last year--it hasn't warmed up too much yet though because I'm from MN But anyway, I pounded a green post in her pasture so she rubs on it during shedding season, and a shedding blade works too.

 

[lexischase]

Everyone has made great suggestions. I would definitely worm again as well as treat the horse externally. There are 2 kinds of lice, biting and sucking. The wormer will kill the sucking but not the biting. With my rescue horses who have come with lice I have dusted them with http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc1v/R-202743025/h_d2/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10053&langId=-1&keyword=Diatomaceous+Earth&storeId=10051#.USgc6jmaHS8

Dusted them twice, and all lice were gone. I knew they were biting, but doesn't hurt to dust anyways.

 

[Joanne]

I did a lot of research last year and this is my new best friend. Apply following directions for horses and draw the liquid up using an appropriate sized syringe.

http://www.valleyvet.com/ct_detail.html?pgguid=30e07d62-7b6a-11d5-a192-00b0d0204ae5&ccd=IGO045&gclid=CKvlqoWry7UCFQLhQgod63MAxA

 

[Rhondaalaska]

I am going to look in to this one. It looks like it doesn't take much to use on our little ones.

I like that it works on lots of pests.

 

[misty'smom]

I checked the girls or should I say inspected

really well and did not see any lice. They do have lots of dander and dust from rolling in the dirt!!! Both seem to like getting and staying muddy! I brush them and get them fairly clean and then they roll in the mud!!!!

In fact Misty laid down right at my feet and rolled seconds after a good brushing!!! I think I have little piggies not mini horses.

Anyway I will keep checking them to make sure and try using the shedding blade to thin out some of their woolies!

 

[MiniArabLuvs]

She's on a regular deworming schedule and I will most defiantly check her over very well tomorrow! I have a question thou if she had lice wouldn't my two year old have the same problem then? They have been living together sense the fall.. How do you check to see if it is lice? Or would it not hurt just to do it anyways?

 

[lexischase]

Not necessarily. My mini came with several others and she was the only one who had the lice. They are VERY hard to see, we found them on/in her mane. They burry in and go with the way the hair is and are very tiny. The only reason I even knew they were lice was because my friend had a microscope so we put a couple under to look. With handy google I found they were biting lice. I would suggest dusting then waiting a week and dusting again.

 

[Marty]

And getting back to the original thread, let's just imagine how HOT it is under all that hair on a warmer day. sweating themselves to pieces. One morning I started out with 28 degrees and it shot up to nearly 60 so this is a nutty winter. We can dress in layers and remove clothing one layer at a time but they are stuck with what they are wearing until we can shave them. So keeping that in mind, besides sweating, they are feeling clamy at best so sure, combine that with snow or dampness is a great recipe to be growing all kinds of fungal and bacteria under it all. The itching is like "Get this hair offa me" . But sorry I can't comply with that request right now.

And a lot of it is plain old filth too. Mine have gone months now without a bath. But although I deep clean groom with clean brushes, and vacum, its just very temporary. I suspect I'll be using some aloe based shampoo for the first baths of the year,

 

[MiniArabLuvs]

Finally back on

We did dust both our younger girls and our herd just in case, my filly has stopped her rubbing!!! Thank you all so much! It's nice to see that she's keeping her fur on now

 

[Rhondaalaska]

I am trying the ultra boss pour on insecticide. So far it works great on lice.

I did one application already last month and will do another today. My mare is not itching any more.

I like that I only have to apply it once a month and it works for a lot of the flies, mosquitoes and other bugs as well as the lice.

My mare hated the dust but doesn't mind this.