Perfect timing as my friend’s mare and mine have been coming back loaded with ticks. They aren’t even out in the field with tall-ish grass yet. The local equine vet has added a Lyme vaccination to their core vaccinations this year, though I’m not sure how effective it is.
Still wondering – those of you who use either spot-on products or Frontline spray type products – how/where do you apply it? I’m never sure if I can/should deviate from the ‘locations’ indicated on the spot-on packaging. It never seems like enough. Like, I want to put extra drops in the mane, sheath and tail dock areas. Is that ok to do? Yes I realize it’s ‘off label’…
[QUOTE=Iride;8122485]
Still wondering – those of you who use either spot-on products or Frontline spray type products – how/where do you apply it? I’m never sure if I can/should deviate from the ‘locations’ indicated on the spot-on packaging. It never seems like enough. Like, I want to put extra drops in the mane, sheath and tail dock areas. Is that ok to do? Yes I realize it’s ‘off label’…[/QUOTE]
I use the Frontline spray and spray it completely around each leg from the top of the hoof to about 8 inches up, I spray the bottom of his tail and the dock, the mane, under his jaw, and the insides of both hind legs near his sheath but I don’t spray the sheath directly. I also put a little on my hand and put some up near his ears.
Obviously I can’t spray the entire horse so what I’m trying to accomplish is a barrier that any tick would need to crawl through to find a place to bite. I’m also getting the favorite tick spots like the dock, inguinal area, and the mane.
Make sure the horse is dry when you apply and stays dry for at least 24 hours afterward for the best results. I usually apply every 2-3 weeks.
I brush dead ticks off pretty frequently so it seems to be working.
I use permethrin powder for lice and tick control because my gelding HATES to have his rear legs sprayed. Instruction on the can says not more than 6 Tablespoons per animal, however I only use about 2 Taablespoons on each of the minis. For the big horses, I sprinkle 2 Tbsp on the back line and use a stiff brush to get it all worked into the top hair and way down their sides. Then a teaspoon on tail bone, patted in the with same brush. Sprinkle 1 Tbsp along base of mane, then using same brush, sprinkle about 1/2 Tbsp on each upper leg and brush down the entire leg. If there isn’t a lot of rain, the treatment lasts for about a month. I have NEVER found a tick on any of my horses. Once I’m not worried about lice, I just brush their legs, sides and pat their bellies with a dusting of permethrin about once a month. The dust is quite cheap. About $9 per can, and it goes a long, long way. The flies don’t seem to like it, but since I have garlic supplement, and predators, I can’t say if the permethrin is actually working against flies too.
This fall I will give all the horses a pre-treatment with the permethrin powder and again in late winter. There should not be any lice the following spring. :yes:
I spray the Frontline on the legs, tail and underneath the jaw.
Is this the Frontline spray product you use?
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=15694
[QUOTE=Iride;8125896]
Is this the Frontline spray product you use?
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=15694[/QUOTE]
That’s the one I use.
If a tick has already attached to a horse, can you kill the tick by spraying frontline on it? (I have one rescue horse who tends to kick when I try to pull ticks from his back end.)
One of my horses is a rescue who tends to kick when I attempt to pull a tick from anywhere in his hind area. If I spray a squirt of Frontline around the area where a tick is already attached, will it kill the tick?
I’ve had great luck with Freedom Spot, which is basically the same as Equispot and alittle less expensive. I follow the label directions; I think the permethrin gets absorbed by the body and spreads over the horse.
A lot of horses are very sensitive to permethrin so be careful! My generally well-behaved mare will lift a hind leg as if to kick when I put it on her gaskins. Some horses will get a skin rash from it, too.
In any case, I’m also in a heavy Lyme area, we ride in the woods, and the mare has not tested positive for Lyme in 4 1/2 years.
Yes, I do understand to be careful about permethrin - and in fact I don’t use it for my horses. I wrote a position paper for Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy that dealt extensively with the toxicity risks of permethrin to people, domesticated animals, and wildlife. Frontline uses Fipronil.
Equispot I use it as instructed
Equispot is permethrin-based. As I wrote in my question: “Yes, I do understand to be careful about permethrin - and in fact I don’t use it for my horses. I wrote a position paper for Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy that dealt extensively with the toxicity risks of permethrin to people, domesticated animals, and wildlife. Frontline uses Fipronil.”
So I am just wondering, the fly sprays at fleet farm say that they repelled ticks. I have always used Repel-X and have never had any issues with ticks. Now I have never lived in an area where ticks are extreme or where we have a large concern over Lyme’s but wouldn’t something like a fly spray be enough to repell ticks instead of having to use certain chemicals that are known to cause poisoning if not used with extreme care? Sorry not trying to highjack your post. 
This is the stuff I use
http://www.fleetfarm.com/detail/farnam-repel-x-insecticide-repellent/0000000063688
Because it has permetrhin, the repelex would in theory have some effect on ticks. However, I have never found a fly spray made for horeses, no matter the ingredients, which was made with a strong enough conentration of the effective ingredient to actually work. IOW, they are made so weak, you end up not using enough active ingredient on your horse. Never waste my money on them; they are so hugely expensive it seems ludicrous to pay that much for 4, 10, 25% concentration when you can buy the same stuff and mix your own concentrationso that it actuallly works.
I can’t use Fipronil because both my super-sensitive dog and one of my horses is allergic to it.
Another vote for Equispot, and I follow the package instructions. Works GREAT!
I use UltraBoss as a spot on per my vet’s recommendations. I use it about once a month or when I notice live ticks showing up again.
