[langdon]

taken molly to vet in the morning hoping they can shine some light on her.
will let ye guys know what happenes.
langdon

[faith0504]

fingers crossed for you hope it goes ok 

[maybelle]

All the best for tomorrow 

[langdon]

been to the vet with molly thi morning (plus extras, milly refused to stay behind, shep chasing us up the lane so he got chucked in is well!! )
unfortunally molly has got mange, CHORIOPTIC mange.
it effects the lower limbs ( feet ).
vet prescribed antibiotics for now and gave me a dose for two weeks time.
has anyone had this with their goats and is there any other remedies that might help?
by the way how come milly has not been illed with them also
will let ye know her progress
langdon
p.s. just poped into me head: that blue spray that the vets gave me twice now for this, does that treat mange?
just thinking was it a waste of time and cash?

[shetlandpaul]

Chorioptic mange treatment.
Chorioptic mange is a common skin problem in horses. It is more often seen in draft breeds, especially those with hairy legs (“feather”). The lower legs are the most common sites of infestation, but the base of the tail and body can also be affected.

The chorioptic mites live on the skin surface. Their mouthparts are adapted for chewing and they feed on skin debris. Although they do not burrow into the skin, they can cause considerable irritation.

Affected horses rub, stamp, and bite their legs and kick, especially at night. Mild cases may show patchy hair loss and the skin may become thickened and scaly. In severe cases the skin may become raw, with secondary bacterial infection. The disease tends to be seen more commonly in the winter - possibly as a result of animals being housed close to each other.

Interestingly, some horses can be infected without showing signs, and they may act as a source of re-infestation for treated animals. The mites are also able to survive in the environment, probably for several weeks. So, as well as treating affected animals, it is important to replace the bedding and treat in-contact horses to get the problem under control.

In many countries, including the UK, no products are licensed to treat the condition. Several drugs have been used “off-label” to treat affected animals including fipronil and doramectin.

Fipronil is widely used to treat fleas and lice in small animals. It accumulates in the sebaceous glands of the hair follicles from where it is released over a several weeks. It is marketed, for small animal use, both as a spray and as a topical (“spot-on”) preparation. Doramectin is used against internal and external parasites in cattle and sheep. It is stored in body fat and released slowly to give prolonged activity. A recent study considered the use of these two drugs for treating chorioptic mange in horses.

Mr David Rendle and colleagues at the Glasgow vet school assessed the response to treatment of seventeen cases of chorioptic mange in horses. They treated eight cases with doramectin (0.3 mg/kg, two doses by subcutaneous injection 14 days apart) and nine others with fipronil (0.25%, sprayed onto the lower legs.)

After two weeks, four of the doramectin-treated horses and eight of those treated with fipronil had improved. By four weeks none of the horses showed any behavioural signs of skin irritation. "I am unconvinced that one treatment is better than the other" Mr Rendle adds. "I find both equally effective."

No adverse reactions were noted in any animals. Some of the horses with heavily feathered legs were treated without being clipped. Despite that the treatments appeared to be effective. However, because of the small number if horses involved, that does not prove that clipping is unnecessary.

This work should provide encouragement for vets in practice when faced with this irritating condition.

For more information see:

Comparative study of doramectin and fipronil in the treatment of equine chorioptic mange.
DI Rendle, J Cottle, S Love, KJ Hughes.
Vet Rec (2007) 161, 335 - 338.

hope this helps

[langdon]

thanks very much shetlandpaul
some interesting reading, its still a little over me head!
just glad to know oits the right drug
do you have any idea as to how milly is ok even though she is by mollys side all the time?
thanks for your reply

[little blue]

Interestingly, some horses can be infected without showing signs, and they may act as a source of re-infestation for treated animals. The mites are also able to survive in the environment, probably for several weeks. So, as well as treating affected animals, it is important to replace the bedding and treat in-contact horses to get the problem under control.

maybe this Langdon?
do you have treatment for both Milly and Molly, if not, might be worth it to stop one re-infecting the other?

poor goat, hope she gets well soon.
Have they had their CAE tests yet?   Or found a fella?!   

[ballingall]

We have had it before on the odd occasion, but you can find that some animals are more likely to get it. One of ours had it years and years ago, but she was the only one in the whole herd that got it. She did completely recover.


Beth

[langdon]

thank you beth, hope molly recovers too, funny how one can get it and others dont.
langdon

[langdon]

milly is getting her c.a.e. test soon, showing no signs of being in season though.
hope i dont miss out!
langdon

[Anke]

If you don't have a male on site, they can have "silent" seasons, so you need to get yourself a billy rag (and keep it in a tighly shut jar), and wave it into her face every morning. If she swishes her tail she is in season. Might then also get abit noisier...

My BT did that to me, and also when I wafted the aroma in front of the kids, one of them also started to swish her tail... no other signs before!