We've gone "Native"

[domane]

Poor Gracie has been blighted by feather mites since I bought her. She had a course of Dectomax injections in the summer and I attributed the recent thinning of her feather to coat shedding (Jack's go wispy at this time of year). However, last week I noticed she is stamping and rubbing a lot again and I think the "thinning" is due to rubbing and biting. As recommended by my vet, I nipped in and picked up a bottle of Lime Plus, sulphur wash. G is due to be clipped again next week, so I will have her legs done too, but in the interim I took a pair of sharp scissors to her today, so that I could get the wash right down to her skin. I love her feather but I hate to think think she's all itchy...her comfort is paramount over how she looks. To balance her out, I have shortened her mane as well...not too short, but she doesn't actually have a thick mane so, if I do plait her for dressage, she won't have golf balls!!

Here she is, with yellow legs, following our mega hack. Weirdly, to me she didn't look hugely different....



Meanwhile.....my hands stink of "rotten eggs" tonight!!!!

 

[Flipo's Mum]

Seriously seriously seriously, invest in some pig oil and sulphur, chuck it on once every eight weeks when you’ve had the Farrier out, normally about a fairy liquid sized bottle between four legs and I swear I’ve never had any problems since seven years ago of constant stamping and repeated dectomax situations.
However, I strongly advise to get rid of them first before the pig oil. Otherwise it might incubate the situation.
PS, then there would be no need to clip those very sexy legs of hers!!

 

[newforest]

The midges are making mine stamp. Could it just be that. It's so mild they are still about.

 

[chunky monkey]

Chunkys feathers have thinned. It's the wet grass. I think it makes the hair fragile. Bit like when we wash our own hair it's more prone to break when wet.
I keep applying the pig oil and sulphur which use to control the breakouts now it doesn't seem to be working for chunky. I've noticed it's not working on Billy either. I wonder if the sulphur powder has changed.

 

[domane]

I used to buy PO&S for Cherry, 12 years ago and mix it myself but a lot of manufacturers have jumped on the band waggon in recent years and sell it ready mixed so who knows what ratios they supply. This time I went for Lime Plus as it was actually recommended by the vet.

It's stuff how some houses seem to be plagued with mites (and mallenders and sallenders) and yet others aren't. We have had Jack nearly 7 years now and he's never had mites...or had them enough for me to notice. Albi only got them last year, aged 7, for the first time. All the other hairies I've had over the years have been fine too.

 

[Trewsers]

@domane we've taken Chloes flares off too and my friend and neighbour has done her lads. I know what you mean about the rotten egg smell lol I find the mix of pig oil and sulphur leaves me with an odour.......

 

[Star the Fell]

Mylo has gorgeous thick feather. I knew when I bought him that he had mites, he was stamping occasionally on the couple of times I rode him before I bought him. His previous owner gave me a bottle of Lime Plus shampoo to use, so far though I haven't had to. I dry his feather out overnight at weekend brush out the dried mud ( loads of it here already) and rub in heaps of Pig Oil and Sulpher. So far it's worked really well, no stamping at all. Fingers crossed that works for us going forward.