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Post by gotkiger on Mar 14, 2011 21:34:02 GMT -5
So i have had no luck the last two years helping my mare Doliie with her fly problem. The last two years she has rubbed her face raw and rubbed sores in her face neck and shoulders. She is pregnant but going to foal in the next few days. Is there something that I can do for her or give her? Can she be given a cartazone shot or something to help with the irritation and itch? I got a garlic supplement (that she hates) as a feed through fly control but im not sure it is going to work as it just came and the flies are already coming out. HELP!!!
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Jackie
Weanling
Sweet Sulphurs Sassy Lassy
Posts: 145
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Post by Jackie on Mar 15, 2011 0:07:12 GMT -5
Have you tried dusting her with diotamaceous earth (food grade)? You can also put it in her food to reduce repoduction in droppings...
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Post by DianneC on Mar 15, 2011 14:48:22 GMT -5
Do read the label on your feed through fly control. Not all of them are recomended for pregnant/nursing mares. I've used the green bags of attractant that you fill with water with some success to reduce the number of flies. Some people have had success with fly predators but with six acres they didn't work for me. I would feed Dollie some stabilized gound flax, or much cheaper, get a coffee grinder and flax seed and grind some each day or put in freezer. I just went over to The Horse.com which is my first go to for stuff I don't know. They have an article on Zephyr's Garden's new Stop the Itch Spray that they actually works. I think I'll get some.
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Post by gotkiger on Mar 16, 2011 7:21:49 GMT -5
As We live on a Dairy there is no controlling the flies reproduction unless i want to feed it to all the 2500+ cows as well. The one I got was more of a feed through repellant. It is literally dried minced garlic (and smells just as bad). Do any of the spot on treatments work well enough? I got Freedom 45 to try but i dont want to put it on her until she foals. Will the flax seed help with the itchies or what? I have seen my mother cook it (turns into snot) and feed it to our horse growing up but i never knew why. I dont do a lot of extra feed stuff in general, though she does get her morning warm bran mash for breeakfast every morning right now.
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Post by Brandy Deck on Mar 16, 2011 8:12:02 GMT -5
I have tried one of the spot on repellants. It helped a little bit. I am pretty sure it says not to use on pregnant or lactating mares. I fed the garlic granules all last summer. It worked great to keep the ticks off, but did nothing for the flies. It is very frustrating trying to find something that really works.
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Post by gotkiger on Mar 16, 2011 12:44:42 GMT -5
I havent had any ticks on any of my animals, thank goodness. It is super hard to find something to protect one or two horses amung so many cows.
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Post by fantasykiger on Mar 16, 2011 14:19:58 GMT -5
have you tried fly predators just to knock down your fly populations with so many cows? I have friends that swear by them it may not rid you of all flies, but definately you will have much less. That along with just a good oil base fly spray or wipe on Dollie she may get some relief.
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Post by gotkiger on Mar 16, 2011 15:14:12 GMT -5
I use the pyranah (sp?) Fly spray and wipe and it does help a little but her face is just so sensitive to them that as soon as she starts to get bit she starts to itch and rub. At that point she starts to rub sores into her face, neck, chest and a little on her sholders. I am looking into the predators but because of dairy regulations I have to get it okayed through a long line of people to even try it
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Post by fantasykiger on Mar 16, 2011 16:03:05 GMT -5
I do know there is a antihistamine for equine out there my vet had attempted to put Fantasy on as she is suseptable to allergic reactions from bites. It did work well as long as she would take it but after week she refused to eat grain..thinking I was slipping her something and I was trying to ..LOL
We are lucky in that our bad fly season is only in Aug-Oct. Along with my neighbors all using fly predators I really see a reduction in flies in my area.
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Post by gotkiger on Mar 16, 2011 18:04:48 GMT -5
I wish more people in my area would at least attempt to help the situation ... but they really dont care much. That just makes it super hard for someone like me who is trying to make things a little more comfortable for all the cows and my horse. Our flies come out as soon as it warms up a little so mid to late march. They hit their height throughout the summer but once it cools down they go away, usually around mid to late november. and they arent the house flies they are those stupid little biting flies that hurt like the thingyens when they bite you
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Post by DianneC on Mar 16, 2011 18:53:49 GMT -5
There is something that I've wanted to try. Its a thing that sits in the field and is for horse flies, but I'll bet it would work for any biting flies. We have face flies and they gross me out and my horses HATE fly masks. They take them off each other. I bought expensive ones last year and within a week no one had one on. I'll see if I can find the website for the field thingy.
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Post by DianneC on Mar 16, 2011 19:06:29 GMT -5
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Post by gotkiger on Mar 16, 2011 20:05:50 GMT -5
thanks for that Dianne. I looked at them last year but since we are on a dairy (and as I was corrected by my husband) have about 4000 head of cattle, I would have a full time job just cleaning these out probably two or more times a day since they would have to be all over the dairy. If I had a space with more room further away from the cows then I could deffinately see them working wonders
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Post by DianneC on Mar 16, 2011 23:44:42 GMT -5
There is poison bait too. I think there is information on the internet about how to use it to keep it away from birds etc. Something like the cone and Jar in the build it yourself one would work. There should be something at your Ag Extension Agent can recommend for the cows.
If you built the first one or bought the second you only have to empty the jar. And if you kept it near your horse she wouldn't get bitten nearly so much. It might take a two prong approach, reduce the bites and use the Stop the Itch spray or salve for the itching. Biting flies are different than face flies or house flies. The hunt by sight so repellant doesn't work and neither do bags. Babies hate flies even just landing on their nose.
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Post by gotkiger on Mar 17, 2011 0:17:53 GMT -5
If they hunt by sight how would the trap and bait work? Wouldn't they see the horse and the trap and say "Hey I want to horse not the mesh"
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