The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Pets & Working Animals => Horses, ponies, donkeys & mules => Topic started by: laurelrus on April 05, 2016, 03:01:24 pm
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We have had our donkeys for about six weeks now and they're very sweet, and we're very much learning as we go.
I was advised to use Deosect on them at the end of March so did that at the weekend. One of them did seem to be very itchy and has rubbed off quite a bit of his coat on his backside and the tops of his hind legs.
Despite the good drenching in Deosect he still seems to be as itchy and is always rubbing against the stable/tree/wheelbarrow so I'm wondering if there's something else I should do for him.
I did buy some Barrier louse powder when I first saw him rubbing but have since been told it's not got anything useful in it so would be glad of advice.
Thanks very much :)
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I don't know anything about donkeys but can they suffer from sweet itch? I had a pony with it and he always rubbed himself bare on the stable door
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It does sound like Sweet Itch ( hiya Bionic :wave: ).
Nip into Boots and pickup some Sudocreme (prob in the baby section, it's usually used on baby's bums!).
Apply a liberal amount to the top of tail and underneath top of tail. Massage it right down into the hair at the top of the tail.
I also rub a bit either side of the top of the tail, onto the skin (i.e. either side of bum).
If your equine is anything like mine they will enjoy the massage.
It will help alleviate the itch, help sooth any raw spots, deter the flies that cause it and help stop the tail breaking away (from excessive rubbing).
NB: Rub a bit on the other raw spots too. If it gets worse, or bleeds, prob best to get the vet to check it.
:horse: :hshoe:
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Thanks OhLaLa. I remember it well from when my children were in nappies! I'll get some tomorrow and hopefully sort things out
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was he itchy before deosect?
there are limits on the bottle about how much to use per m2.
just mentioning this because when we used it the first time, we must have under-diluted it and the mare reacted badly, must have stung and she took off, desperate to roll.
never had a problem with properly diluted deosect but using it does take them out of the food chain..
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not many midges out where we are, for sweet itch yet?
barrier lice powder does help with lice but you will see lice. speaking from experience when one bought-in pony spread it to 20 others.
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I agree it's too early for sweet itch. My mule gets it about June onwards, and I find that pig oil and suphur keeps it at bay.
My donkeys often get itchy in winter - I think it's due to mites in the straw or hay. Again, you can treat it with pig oil (liquid paraffin) + sulphur, or use cattle pour on wormer, ie Ivomec or similar. If you don't know anyone with cattle, you can get a smallish bottle from agricultural suppliers. (Don't tell them it's for donkeys.) Use it at double the cattle rate/kg and you'll then have your donkeys wormed as well.
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shygirl - he was itchy when we got him. I definitely diluted the Deosect correctly, it just hasn't made any difference to the rubbing and biting. I tried the Barrier powder first but I've had a really good look and I can't see any lice.
Landroverroy - I wormed them as soon as I got them but thanks for the advice about pig oil and sulphur.
It's another learning curve!
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Yes a bit early for Sweet Itch, but it can depend on location too, I'm already seeing clusters of midges.
It can also depend if near any water (ponds etc) or damp ground which also attracts midges, mosquitoes. Also water troughs....
* The Sudocreme is worth a try, bless him. I always have a couple of pots of it at the ready.
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I would suspect lice or mites. You will only know it is mites from a skin scraping. Nothing much is licenced for donkeys but if you don't know what you are treating then I wouldn't go pouring on more chemicals until you know.
It is early for sweet itch unless he is very sensitive in which case I would suggest he wouldn't have a good mane or tail and his skin would be hardened in these areas from years of rubbing. He would also be rubbing his head and neck as this is where midges like to gather around so I would be surprised if it is sweet itch. However, if it is sweet itch and he is rubbing now ahead of the sweet itch time, you need to think about how you will manage it or he is going to be very sore, very soon
I would get the vet or better still take him to the vet. Get a proper diagnosis and hopefully nip it in the bud now.
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I would say mites.
Or if patchy, could be lice, off hay or straw.
Or have you introduced any new feed or forage?
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Maybe I'm reading the post wrong, i thought the o.p. said they had treated for lice/mites?
Anyhow, let us know how you get on laurelrus.
Best wishes.
PS: When I got my girl she had practically no tail left from rubbing. She has a strong thick tail now, and no hard areas from rubbing - never did have though. Mane never been affected.
laurelrus - biting? what area?
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Ohlala - He is rubbing his backside and the tops of his hind legs and he's rubbed off a lot of fur on those areas. He does have a very sparse tail.
The other donkey doesn't appear to be itchy but she has a bald patch (small, bigger than a 50p but not much) in the middle of her face. I could put photos if that would help.
We don't have water but there are ponds in the neighbours field close by.
I'm sudocreming him today and for the next couple of days but if that doesn't help I'll speak to the vet.
Thanks for all the input.
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consider ringworm
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You've probably already checked, but have you had a look between his buttocks? I had a pony who was a bit on the chunky side when he arrived, who spent most of the first day scratching his hind end on various strainer posts - on inspection, he'd obviously got sweaty at some point and had chafed really badly, poor chap. Took about a week of a mild antiseptic cream twice a day and I got some very funny looks from the neighbours, who'd inevitably drive past when I was up to my elbow between his thighs applying a handful of cream and he had his head stuck in the air with his top lip curling up in a blissful expression!!
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CarolineJ - I haven't had a good look there, but I will now!
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I have no donkey experience but itchy bum/back legs in horses can be a sign of pinworm.
My horse gets feather mites which make him itchy. It generally effects lower legs but I have found scabs on upper legs and his chest before .
As someone has already said it might (no pun intended!) be best to get a vet to do a skin scrape so you know what your dealing with. There are loads of treatments/lotions & potions out there but if you don't know what the problem is you can spend a lot of money and not get anywhere!
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A lot of donkeys get itchy towards the end of winter. They only moult once a year and grow a thick coat, not a double coat like a pony. Anything which works its way down to skin level can create an itch. It could be my luck but every donkey that has arrived in winter has been itchy and some do itch every spring before the coat starts to come away, I blame them getting too hot for it. Do not be surprised if you ever clip your donkey if it has what look like whip marks all over the hind quarters, having brought one up from a foal I know that it is due to itching on blackthorn hedges and not cruelty in a past life.
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Re it being too early for Sweet Itch, just thought I'd update/hijack this thread as my girl for the past few days has now started showing signs of Sweet Itch. Sudocreme always on standby so is now in use.
laurelrus how is your chap doing, has the Sudocreme helped?
:fc:
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OhLaLa - the Sudocreme definitely seems to help!
I've definitely not seen him scratching and rubbing nearly as much. I'm keeping a close eye on him though.
I was at the farm stores the other day and looked at the aisle full of products for itchy horses - there are just so many options and I could end up spending loads of money because the labels claim they're the holy grail of anti-itch products!
I'm trying to groom him more vigorously to help get the winter coat out and hope that is helping as well.
I really appreciate your input and everyone's suggestions and advice :thumbsup:
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just a thought, my gsd gets itchy every spring and after multiple flea treatments we worked out it was from her running through stinging nettles as our place is quite wild.
vet told us to give her piriton.
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That's a good thought, Shygirl.
We've had to give Piriton to our dogs occasionally, the Labrador's tummy gets inflamed and red in the summer which is obviously some kind of allergy, and once the littlest dog needed it for stinging nettles hurting her paws. It's always very effective. I'll ask the vet about giving Piriton to a donkey.
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Are there any raised lumps on the skin? Have a really good look in the eyes, anything "blobby" ? What's your worming schedule like?
I suspect onchocerciasis especially with the donkeys drinking from ponds.
Worm them all with ivermectin and see if it clears up.
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Tattymacintosh - there are no raised lumps and I've had a really good look. His skin looks completely fine where he's rubbed the fur off, it's just really smooth.
His eyes look good, clear and normal.
I wormed them with Equest at the end of February (a couple of weeks after we got them).
I'm not seeing him rubbing or biting anymore. I don't know if it was the Deosect, the Sudocrem or if he would have stopped anyway. I am grooming him as much as I can to help get rid of the winter coat in case that was the problem
What's your theory?!
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Sorry I modified instead of replied duh see above. My little section A gave 6 vets the runaround with this condition. They had never heard of it because with modern worming programs it rarely surfaces x
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I'll look that up Tattymacintosh, thanks!
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Tattymacintosh - I've looked it up, it sounds awful. We don't have any ponds so the donkeys just drink the water I replace every day. It's a real learning curve though and I appreciate all the input :)
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It really is nasty. It's becoming more prevalent Because everyone is worried about ivermectin tolerance these days and switching to other wormers. Glad you are getting on top of the problem, hope donk get better soon x
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My Shetlands are rubbing and rolling a lot. They do this every year when there winter coats are coming out. I have one who is always bothered with hay mites and I use a spray from Barrier H which works well. Maybe a shampoo would help.
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Our donkeys had a bad reaction to a pour on product a few years ago, never to be repeated, it took off a load of hair and left angry, sore skin.
Sudocreme as previously mentioned and a skin scraping if you suspect any mites. Also a vet the understands donkeys is a boon, ours is very good and understnds the differences from horses.
Ours love a roll in the dirt usually as soon as we brush them! Also as previously mentioned they get a bit manky when the shed their winter coat for summer. If you are regularly running your fingers through there coat when having "donkey time" you will see their coat has a "dust" in it and this comes off on your fingers like a lanolin type substance, it's just the natural oils in their coat.
Also they do occasionally have a wee nip of each other and can pull a bit of hair out when they do that!
Hope that helps.
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I really appreciate all the input!
I don't see a lot of rubbing now but he still has large nare patches where he's rubbed the coat off and I'm not happy that we've sorted it out.
I think shampooing is a great idea. It's been very cold this week but as soon as the temperature goes up I will do that. Possibly tea tree shampoo? I will Deosect them again as the rubbing definitely reduced after that.
I wanted donkeys for such a long time and they really are the sweetest, loveliest animals!