What on earth....mite this work?

I know the M word causes even more discussions than the weather, but it's back to talking about mites. We have been fairly fortunate not to have had any excessive reactions to mites within the herd, however the tell tale evidence of hair loss and dry skin around the feet of one or two of the herd, means that they are there alright. We have tried all the usual systemic and topical treatments in the past. Most work to a varying extent but they are both time consuming and expensive. Not to be beaten I have decided to give Diatomaceous Earth (DE) a trial. DE is an organic product consisting of fossilized remains of diatoms. The mites are killed by ingesting the fine powder. Now getting it on to the alpacas is very entertaining......sprinkle on the floor and watch the queue to roll in it! I have been putting it in the barns and shelters for a couple of weeks now and it does appear to be working (it is important to reapply regularly to catch the hatching eggs). I still use Ruggles on any bald areas to encourage regrowth. Unfortunately I haven't taken a very scientific approach i.e kept a control group etc, so my evidence is low grade but I'm going to continue using it for now. As you can see from the photo of Pebbles you wouldn't want to use on your show team!

I have had visitors today and lunch out again (as Paul would say "it's a good life for some") Claire is keen to join the relief team and came for some training. She is a natural and always gets a warm welcome. The girls (the alpacas ones) even managed to demonstrate some good manners for Claire at feeding time

Claire (fair hair) and Chris with Minnie and Willow.