Like dogs, horses can also be infested with lice. Horse lice can cause irritation, hair loss, anemia, scarring, skin inflammation, and self-mutilation. If your vet confirms the presence of lice, you can follow simple steps to treat them and relieve your horse's discomfort. This article tells you how.
Steps
Method 1 of 2: Treating the Infestation
Step 1. Fill a bucket with water
Place it close to the horse, but not too close to the hind legs, as the horse may kick it.
Step 2. Combine an anti-lice shampoo with water
You can take a vet-recommended shampoo, such as pyrethrin, and add it to the bucket water. Pour the solution into a large spray bottle.
Make sure it's an anti-lice shampoo formulated specifically for horses. Treatments for cattle or sheep can cause skin irritation and hair loss in the horse
Step 3. Spray the horse
Spray the pyrethrin compound all over the horse's body, being careful to avoid the eyes, ears and nose.
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Although head lice are mainly found in the mane, tail, hocks and along the shoulders, they can hide anywhere within the coat.
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Hence, it is important to do the treatment all over the body, even if it is a mild infestation.
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Step 4. Rinse the horse
Wash it thoroughly to remove the chemical mixture with a sponge or rags soaked in clean water. If the weather is cool, use hot water. If the weather is hot, you can wash it with the garden hose.
Step 5. Dry it well with clean towels
Also be sure to use a specific brush or comb to detangle hair on the mane, tail, tufts and hocks, to remove any lice or nits (eggs) that may be trapped.
Step 6. Sprinkle insecticide on the ground
Spray a light coat of non-toxic insecticide like Carbaryl on the floor where the horse is. This eliminates any residual lice, preventing them from finding a new host.
Method 2 of 2: Preventing New Infestations
Step 1. Clean all the tools you treat the horse with
Use the pyrethrin mixture to thoroughly wash all the tools you use for your pet, making sure to rinse them well. This way you avoid new infestations during grooming.
Step 2. Wash all blankets
Wash blankets or throws that you use for the horse or that are in areas frequented by the horse.
Step 3. Clean the saddle
Scrub it with the infested harness using a leather cleaner or other appropriate cleaning product.
Step 4. Keep the horses out of the areas or fences where there has been the infestation
Lice may still be present on trees or fences that the horse may have rubbed against to scratch.
Fortunately, horse lice can survive without a host for only a few days at most, so pens can be reused within ten days
Step 5. Get a second head lice treatment
Since the specific products do not destroy the eggs, a second treatment is usually recommended about two weeks after the first, in order to kill any louse that may have hatched in the meantime.
Advice
- If you have several horses and one has lice, you should check and treat all of them as needed.
- Head lice treatment is most effective if done early. Check your horse periodically. If you suspect that you have head lice, still wait for confirmation from a veterinarian before starting treatment.
- Equine lice do not infest humans or other animals, but they can spread to other horses.
- Head lice are found mainly under the forelock, mane, tail and hocks. However, if the infestation is widespread, they can be found anywhere on the horse's body.
- Long winter blankets, and insufficient or improper care are the main conditions for a spread of equine lice. Horses in poor health are more susceptible to these infestations.
Warnings
- If the lice infestation is severe, the horse can rub itself to try to relieve the discomfort and cause injuries. These can attract all kinds of infections and make the situation much worse. Head lice need to be treated as quickly and thoroughly as possible to avoid aggravating the problem.
- Make sure you use a horse-specific lice shampoo. If you use that for cattle and sheep you can cause severe skin reactions and / or hair loss in horses.
