The primary culprits in most problem skin cases are mites. There are three kinds of these nasty little devils that cause the majority of symptoms:
Sacroptes scabii (scabies), chorioptic, and psoroptes.

There are solutions one is the not so well known "Witches Brew" which contains the following:

2/3 pint mineral oil

1/5 pint DMSO

8 ml Ivermectin

5 cc Gentamycin (50 mg per ml)

I have had some succes with this. But the ingredients are pretty nasty and need careful handling. DMSO accelerates absorption and can create a burning sensation on contact. Gentamycin is an antibiotic that is usually used with cats and dogs, but is known to affect hearing. So is never used with working dogs.

Our local vet Tara Timppson has recommended an alternative, Atroban 11% EC which we are about to try.
Approved for use directly on beef cattle, lactating and non-lactating dairy cows and calves, horses, sheep, goats, swine and poultry. For control and aid in the control of; horn, face, stable, house, horse, and black flies and mosquitoes, gnats, mange mites, scabies mites, ticks, lice, sheep keds, ear ticks, northern fowl mites and mange. Active ingredient is Permethrin which you may have come across if your children have ever had head lice.


A 16oz bottle costs about $16 I will keep you posted on how well this works.

By Adrian Stewart