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  Discussion on Mites: I'm scratching my skin off!!!!
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Posted on Tuesday, Dec 28, 1999 - 6:25 am:

We have an infestation of mites in our stables, but I seem to be the only human they are biting! And boy, are they chewing me alive!!!
Christmas morning I noticed my horse was scratching herself against the trees and it looked like she had come out in hives. I sponged her down with a betadine solution, which soothed it, and by that evening it was obvious what was causing the problem: millions of mites crawling all over my clothes.
They seem to be concentrated in her stable, not the feeDrOom - one horse next door has some bites but no discomfort and the horse on the other side seems unaffected. None of the other humans have been bitten and are therefore unconcerned, but I seem to have taken the flippen things home with me.
My horse slept out for two nights after I discovered the problem while I removed all the bedding, spraying and bagging it again. I've put clean shavings in, but as it's Christmas and the factories are closed until mid-Jan, I'll probably need to use some of the sprayed shavings later.
My home has been vacuumed top to bottom and each time I return from the stables I first shower outside, using medicated soap.
It's better - both at the stables and at home - but is there anything else I could/should be doing?
None of our hay seems infested, so it was either an earlier load which nested and laid eggs without anyone noticing, or carried by the chickens which often nest in our stables.
Anyone with any further advice, please???
Karen

Posted on Tuesday, Dec 28, 1999 - 8:22 am:

Hello Karen,
As you are in S. Africa, there may be mites there I am not aware of. They may be hay mites. Though frequently blamed, there are few mites or lice that the birds can contaminate your horses with. Collect a few in some alcohol and in some mineral oil and ship or take them to an entomologist or parasitologist for identification. By knowing who they are you can study the life cycle and in turn know where they came from and how to prevent it. If you want send them to me
Stokedale Veterinary Hospital
PO Box 825
Stokesdale NC, 27357
USA
packed in oil and alcohol and I will put them under the scope and see if they match anything I have pictures of. Send along a explanatroy note so that the staff will know who to give it to.

If these are biting lice or mites treating your horse with oral ivermectin dewormer at the regular dose is an effective way to control them on the horse. If they breed on the horse the dose should be repeated every 2 weeks for three treatments. If they turn out to be the free living hay mites they may require lime sulfur or pyrethrin bathes to eradicate them.
DrO

Posted on Tuesday, Dec 28, 1999 - 12:42 pm:

Sorry I'm not in Cape Town to try and help you - but I'm in Johannesburg [Chartwell, north of Fourways]. You have my sympathies - I have never had this problem with my horses but was given a puppy once who was full of mites. I ended up full of bites and puppy, me, house, had to be scrubbed with special soap daily for days.

Do you think the mites came with the shavings? I would be most interested to know, so I can look out for anything similar here.

Posted on Wednesday, Dec 29, 1999 - 10:10 am:

Hi Dr O and AFM
Yup, I suspect the shavings. I put a new bag in her stable Christmas Eve, and it was the next morning that I noticed the bites on her. Would also explain why they're concentrated in the one stable and not in all.
I SEEM to have broken the back of the problem by removing the old shavings and spraying with insecticide - I only noticed the odd few on my clothes last night. I going to do as Dr O suggested and phone the entomology dept at the local university, but everythings's closed up this week so I'll have to wait till next week.
My mom, who's a medical doctor, tells me that the mites burrow into your skin and lay eggs there???!!!!??? YUCK at the thought!!!!!!! Do you know if they all do that, Dr O?
Karen

Posted on Wednesday, Dec 29, 1999 - 5:05 pm:

Hello All,
Yup, she is right, but most mites that do this are species specific. Horses have a host of mites that may cause transient problems on humans but are not able to breed on them so die off pretty quickly. Lice are even more fastidious and will not live off the host hardly any time at all. Somewhat of an exception is the scabies mange mite. Though it is not suppose to breed on humans it does presist in some individuals for weeks. The various forage mites that are most likely to be in shavings are actually free living mites (Thrombiculus and related genera) that do not need animals to breed.
DrO
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