long lasting fly sprays??

[dalesvic]

Not sure if this is the right place to ask about this....

but can anyone recommend any good, long lasting (up to a week preferably ) fly repellents. Felix is losing his mane and is rubbing a lot due to midges I think and as my sister only gets up to see him once or twice a week we need something she can apply which will last.

I tried Switch on our pony with sweet itch last year but frankly wasn't very impressed with it. It didn't seem to work and was difficult to apply safely and accurately I found. As he is being ridden by the general public we also need something that is safe if he gets a pat on the neck!

I was wondering if there are any natural type products out there that claim to fulfil this specification?

Sorry if this has already been discussed- I'll hunt through the site to look at other posts too.
Thanks

[harleydales]

I found this stuff on the net last week - there's a post in Horsey Chat about it called Sweet Itch Product, is on page 2 I think!!
Zelda pulled this from the Net-tex website.....
I might give it a whirl.

From the Nettex site

Itch Stop Salve Complete is the unique and preferred application that requires just ONE APPLICATION PER WEEK!

Over 20,000 users dare not be without a product that guarantees to:

alleviate the scratch and rub cycle
disinfect and sanitise
effectively repel midges and other flying insects.
Blended into a user friendly, lightly textured cream, all active agents when absorbed into the mane, tail and skin will work instantaneously, ensuring maximum protection. It is simple to apply, will not matt in the horse?s hair and is weather resistant!

WORLD WIDE PATENT

Product analysis

DEET - insect repellent

Benzyl Benzoate ? insect repellent

Tea Tree Oil ? Repellent & disinfectant

Calamine lotion ? Soothing

Peppermint oil ? Coolant & repellent

Allantoin ? assists in skin & hair re-growth

Carnation Oil ? Weather protector

Petrolatum ? Weather protector

Plus 20 natural extracts

TIP: use equine surgical shampoo before application of Itch Stop Salve complete.

[bevbob]

My friend is a vet nurse and has got some stuff for cattle called Flypor, it lasts for 8 weeks and you pour it from poll to tail.
I put some on Bobs and watched the flies hover and clear off!!!!
I dont know if it would be good for a sweetitch horse though?

[harleydales]

You can use cattle tags too, that have been impregnated with repellant - you plait them into the mane and tail. Someone on here is trying it at the moment. Very tempted to give it a whirl myself!

[dalesvic]

Thanks for that! I thought there had been something posted like that but couldn't find it- I'll hvae another look. It certainly sounds what I'm looking for in an ideal world- but we'll see if it works!

Thanks for suggesting the Fylpor Bev, it would certainly be an easy and effective way to do it but I'm not sure how safe it would be and as he is being regularly groomed and handled by lots if people if it had any residual and potentially harmful effects on us then I'd rather steer away from them. I'll have to check the active ingredient, but with the Switch I know you have to wear gloves to apply it and not handle the area it's in. I'll look into it though.

Do you know what it is in the tags which are repelling the flies? How do they work?

[bevbob]

Dalesvic Iv just found this on flypor. My vet nurse friend said its only for cattle as they havent spent lots of dosh testing it on horses but would be ok to use.
I didnt wear gloves to put it on and got some on my hands which it says not too! lol!!! I didnt keel over though.

www.vmd.gov.uk/espcsite/Documents/122142.DOC

[merlinalison]

I think FLypor is the same (or v similar) active ingredient as Switch, Ridect and Poron. It has to be applied with gloves along the neck and spine and then rubbed in, and then acts by staying in the bloodstream and killing anything that bites. I've used it on Merlin to treat lice and it does get absorbed fairly quickly, but I wouldn't want anyone patting him there for a few hours afterwards since its quite oily and there seems to be a residue on the coat.

Have you tried the collars which are impregnated with fly repellent? Only other thing I can think of is to use a Boett blanket instead.

[dalesvic]

Lol Bev, I know I got Switch on my hands too, but I suppose my main problem is that as he is at a trekking centre there may be issues with health and safety or something. I'll have to run it by the boss!

Felix doesn't actually have sweet itch but I think it is the midges that are causing the problem as they are horrible up at malham (lots of trees) and being up on a windy hill at our place he isn't used to them . He has big lumps on his crest apparently.

Not sure if a collar would get in the way a bit and get tangled up in his mane (what's left) as he has quite brittle hair. A boett would be ideal but maybe a bit extreme at the moment- I'm hoping anyway as Bonny is first in the queue for one of those!

[merlinalison]

Just checked the Noah Compendium (www.noahcompendium.co.uk) database on Permethrin - Flypor, Ridect and Switch all contain the same concentration of Permethrin (4% B/v) THe first two are licensed for cattle and Switch for horses. (Switch is about 10 times the price of the other 2, presumably because of the horse tag...) Auriplak eartags for cattle also contain Permethrin but it says that you have to treat the whole herd for it to be really effective (does it also involve piercing the ear?). Coopers fly repellent also contains Permethrin, but at a lower concentration.

[dalesvic]

You could have guessed it- like regumate for horses is miles more expensive than regumate for pigs even thought its the same thing!

Thanks for looking that up- I'd better check that it is OK to put permethrin on him first but it seems to be the most reliable way of giving long term fly protection even though i didn't get on with it very well last year. I seem to have it in my head that the ear tags work by rubbing on the skin when the cows groom themselves but I could be totally making that up! lol
I would guess they also are pierced through the ear.

Do you have to apply the Coopers fly repellent every day then?

[merlinalison]

I think it says every 2-4 days depending on the conditions locally. THe Noah database is good because it contains all the details of use, contraindications etc in one place

[jakesmum]

permethrin is used on people for scabies so would not be harmful if touched

[harleydales]

I was told you can make small plaits in the mane and tail, and attach the eartags to the plaits so that they are under the mane and touching the skin.
They'll have much the same ingredients in as the sprays, more chemical based rather than herbal.

[flintfootfilly]

Vicky

Streak was getting quite a few fly bites, but not rubbing her mane or tail. I got her a weatherbeeta fly rug which she wears all the time in the field. I'm sure it's helping, and not only that, but it keeps her BEAUTIFULLY clean! So, a good trade-off between a bit of extra time putting the rug on/off, balanced with saving time on grooming, because she looks so glossy as soon as you take the rug off! An ordinary fly rug with neck is a lot cheaper than a boett - maybe it'd be worth a go, especially if it avoids using a lot of chemicals on a regular basis, and I guess it could soon pay for itself versus the cost of some fly sprays!

Sarah

[dalesvic]

The worry I have though putting aside the effects of permethrin on the skin are if a kid pats his neck and then sticks they're fingers in their mouths of something like that. I'll look it up on the noah compendium, thanks for that suggestion it sounds useful.

Thanks for suggesting the fly rug Sarah, I hadn't thought of that. Interesting to hear that it works too as I'm always a bit sceptical. Might be worth looking into it althought knowing Felix he'd trash it lol! It would be preferable in some respects to using lots of sprays and chemicals, especially if they are comfortable and don't hinder the horse.