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  Discussion on Itchy Tail... Driveing me BONKERS!
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Posted on Wednesday, Aug 25, 1999 - 1:01 pm:

My mare just will not stop itching! We are lucky to have a backhoe so we could remove any object in the field that she could straddle and itch her belly bloody but she still finds places to rub her tail off! I got so frustrated that I shaved the top half of her tail dock just so I could get to the skin to treat it.

It is constantly flakey all year round, if I wash it it will be clean for a day or two but then the gray flaky yuck appears again and she is back to itching. Sometimes the whole tail dock and belly will get oozy and scabby.

This has been a problem with this mare for years, infact when I got her she had magots in the raw flesh of her belly and a terrible case of lice (long story). She is much better now but understandably she has scared tissue on her belly with minimal hair growth for 7 in wide strip from front to back.

I am not real jazzed about the idea of putting her on steriods. Anybody have any Ideas? I have tried listerine, oatmeal shampoo, most other home remidies, and she is on an excelent feeding and worming program... Would a human cortizone cream help? I think the only reason she has any skin left on her belly is because we have made it impossible for her get at it unless she levitates! Oh, but the tail! *sigh*

Posted on Wednesday, Aug 25, 1999 - 1:41 pm:

Emily,

Do you have any idea why she is itching? Has the vet made a diagnosis? Does it come and go with the seasons, or does she itch year round? Is she out all the time? What part of the world do you live in?

With my mare, she seems to have seasonal allegies that occur in the warmer months. I believe it is a combination of environmental issues - insects (culicoides midges or gnats), insect sprays with pyrethrins and perhaps pollen.

So, right now, I clean her itchy areas with a very mild shampoo at least once a week. If she's been scratching and it looks tender, I will use some cortisone cream for humans. Then I dust the areas with Gold Bond medicated powder, in a yellow can, from the drug store. I leave the powder by her paddock and my friends apply it as they happen to go by. She is no longer in the main barn as there is an insect spray system there. I've noticed, whenever she gets sprayed with pyrethrins/permethrins, she itches worse. I only use "natural" repellents on her and watch closely if they add to her reactions.

If she seems especially bad, we put on a fly sheet. I've sewn a light weight cotton hand towel on the sheet to make a protective cover for her tail head.

She is in a large turn out paddock with run in stall 24/7. This seems to distract her from itching some, and allows her to go in/out depending on what is biting her.

Overall, she is doing pretty good with this regimen, but is missing some hair from her dock and has a few itchy spots on her ventral mid line. (Last year, she was not on this program and had rubbed some raw spots, her tail dock was totally bald and raw in areas, her mane was rubbed off, etc. - generally she was miserable.) She doesn't appear depressed or obsessed with the itching this year, so I guess she is okay. (I'm not wild about putting her on prednisone (prednisolone is now recommended instead of prednisone) every year, but was ready to it if she started to get as bad as last year.)

Once it gets a little cooler (by the mid to end of September) she stops having the reaction.

Maybe some of this will be useful to you. If I were you, I'd probably discuss it with my vet and try to determine if it is an allergic reaction or some sort fungus, etc.

Then, maybe you can form a plan of action for her.

Good luck. I really understand how frustrated you must be.

Cheers.

Posted on Wednesday, Aug 25, 1999 - 5:20 pm:

Chris-
She is in a turn out sitution with non chemical fly control. She isn't overly sensitive to fly bites on other areas of her body. The previous owner had her looked at and was told she had dermititis or psorisis (sp?), I have asked my vet about it and at the time he saw her about it was when we first got her and it was horible! Like I said magots, raw proud flesh, oozing,... The belly is not too bad now, just a few crusty spots mixed in with a hair or two. But we have taken everything out of the pasture for her to straddle, I know she still itches on the belly cuz she still tries to park way out over the feeders but they are just too short fro her to reach!

Now the tail she just won't leave alone. She dose IMO seem to be obsessed with her itching in the summer, the place we got her from had a stump in the pasture she had mushroomed out rubbing on.

Her mane she has never messed with (thank God!). May be I'll try the cortizone cream. I am very nervous about steriod shots, she was the horse diagnosed with EPSM I wrote about in other posts so I am not wanting to further screw her system up.

I don't use a bunch of fly sprays unless I have to but it dosen't seem to effect her either way. I almost wonder if she developed an obsessive behavior.

I guess last resort is steriod shots like my cattle dogs gets that is allergic to hay! With my luck my mare is allergic to hay too! I just want her to ahve a tail again (that dosen't stick up like Bart the Horse!).

Posted on Wednesday, Aug 25, 1999 - 7:08 pm:

Hi Emily,

I wonder if the maggots aren't at the root of it all. It sounds like she had a horrible infestation and, perhaps, now that they are gone the skin has become "sensitive". Or it could be a habit she's developed. I had a cat that would lick off all her fur that she could reach and then go to work on the skin. Steroids and "nerve pills" did not work. So I just bathed her regularly and tried to give her a spot where she could hide when the world got to be too much. Worked like a charm.

Can you wrap the tail for a little while so that maybe she can break the habit. Also for itching how about some straight vitamin e on the spot?


Teresa

Posted on Wednesday, Aug 25, 1999 - 7:41 pm:

My vet felt the gross condition of the belly was the opportunistic nature of flys to feed off and lay eggs in literally raw meat. This is not the first horse I have seen in this condition unfortuatly ( I work with animal rescue) however she just persists in the itching which make us think that there is still an underlying cause. I too wonder about a habit but because there is still scabbing and occasional oozing on the belly now that she can't get at it also make me think that this is more than habitual.

I don't belive Pin Worms are the cause here but I do wonder about a sensitivity to onacho... aw heck I can't remember what they are call, Dr O has a good artical on the parasite. But I do remember reading that once the horse has them you're basicly out of luck unless you worm with Ivermactrin once a month for like years.

I have tried tail wraps, but...
That itch...oh how it persists...

She rubs off the tail wrap licky split! and I worry about creating a warm environment for more yuck to grow. But Vit E might be a good idea for her belly, she ain't got no hair there anyway, the tail is still hard to medicate due to the hair left that I can't bring myself to shave off...

Posted on Thursday, Aug 26, 1999 - 11:54 am:

If you are giving her oil for the EPSM diet, be sure to select one with Omega-3 fatty acids. I've been told this helps with the itching. Canola is one source. The highest source oil is flax seed, but it turns rancid quickly and seems to be only available in health food groceries, which automatically jacks the price up.

As far as the monthly worming with ivermectin for the onc. (I'm not trying to spell it.) As I understand it, the microfilia which cause the response can become active, but the monthly worming keeps them down. So, you'd get an immediate positive result (although lots of itching may occur if heavily infested and now they all are dead after the worming).

In your horse's case, given the history and misery she seems to be in, I'd probably try the prednisone (prednisolone is now recommended instead of prednisone) pills for immediate relief and then try to migrate to Dr. O's alternate day therapy scheme. Check out his article on that.

There are fly sheets that cover the horse's neck, body and tail - a "wug" design. Someone (Dover? Libertyville?) had one for sale for around $120. Certainly, if you could protect her from bug insult, it would tell you if they were they problem.

Just a few more sticks to fuel the flames, :O)

Posted on Thursday, Aug 26, 1999 - 12:34 pm:

Chris- Ya, she is on oil for the EPSM, 2+ cups a day, currently I am useing Soybean oil as it is the cheapest and has other vits that I like to boost. I don't know about the level of Omega 3 in it. I will say that her over all coat condition has improved and the amount of flaking has decreased but has not entirely gone, nor the itching. I was told by my EPSM Doc not to use too much Flax seed oil as they can not tollerate that much (2 cups) a day. Maybe I'll try mixing in some canola oil.

Where is the alternate day therapy you spoke of... Parasite or Skin Disease?

I would love to put a fly sheet on the mare but that would last less time than her winter turn out... we loveingly call her the "Ripper" for her refined skill of shredding blankets!

Thanks, for all the great ideas so far...
-Emily

Posted on Thursday, Aug 26, 1999 - 1:17 pm:

Hello Emily,
The seasonal nature is still not clear to me. You say it seems worse in the summer but does it go away in the middle of winter? Or do you have a cold winter? Your horse has classic symptoms of culicoides allergies but only if it occurs just during the warm seasons and you have ruled out ticks as a cause. Of course the wounds and broken hairs may take time to heal.

Topical cortisone cremes may help, but they creep into the bodies system also. For more on corticosteroid treatment check out, Drugs: Antiinflammatories: Steroids.
DrO

Posted on Thursday, Aug 26, 1999 - 5:34 pm:

If it is allergy to culicoides midges, this seems to be a world class, definitive site for information:

https://www.tekstotaal.com/itchinfo.html#menu

Posted on Thursday, Aug 26, 1999 - 11:23 pm:

Dr.O,
The itching (& all of the related "symptoms") are
definatly worse in the summer but the tuff almost
crusty skin on the belly is year round. The tail
has that flakey, and sometimes ozzy/scabby stuff
in the winter as well but again the itching is not
as prominant in the winter. Some of the worst
scabbing on the tail dock was this last winter,
but that may have been a secondary fungal or
bacterial infection due to the constant moisture
here. I live in the Pacific Northwest US, so our
winters are in the 30-40 degrees with alot of rain
with minimal deep freezing. Needless to say we are
lucky if it kills off the bugs for the next
season. As for ticks they aren't a big problem
around here and I have checked her thuroghly.
-Emily

Posted on Friday, Aug 27, 1999 - 12:59 am:

PS- would the ammount of steriods that make it
into the system from the cream be significantly
less than oral dosage of Steriods? I am just realy
nervous about adding anything to her system

Posted on Friday, Aug 27, 1999 - 7:00 am:

I have never seen any numbers, but recently saw a report where the tiny amount added to the eye in eye ointment significantly added to the system. How much makes it into the system wold depend on dozens of variables: concentration, amount applied, condition of the skin it is applied to, skin temperature, etc...

Emily, your horse is itching itself to the point of mutilation and alternate day therapy provides you with a relatively safe tool that works everytime on all but infectious diseases. I do not recommend it until you have managed all the bugs factors to there optimum (see Culicoides Itch) and have done all you can to eliminate other causes.

In your case, the fact you still having itching in the middle of the winter makes me wonder if you have some other problem. Perhaps a skin biopsy with a special look for autoimmune disorders is in order (see Diseases: Skin: Pemphigus). Unfortunately if this is the problem corticosteroids are still the treatment of choice but the prognosis is worse.
DrO

Posted on Friday, Aug 27, 1999 - 8:28 pm:

Thanks, Dr O, I read both articals again and she
definatly fits more into the Culicoides Itch than
the other. I have an appt with my vet next week so
we'll see what he feels comfortable doing. BTW I
cleaned her tail and belly and sprayed her wth
some fly spray and she left her tail alone today,
so I realy think this is a bug issue with a touch
of equine mental illness just to make it
interesting!
:0)

Posted on Sunday, Aug 29, 1999 - 9:51 am:

We and the local 4H ran a test about 14 years ago comparing fly repellants. We were having a horrible face fly year. Horses were having hundreds of flys landing around the face. We compared pyrethrin sprays and wipes, SWAT, and Vaseline petroleum jelly applied around the eyes: Vaseline won hands down and since it did not require much it was fairly economical. I wish we had tried Off also but personal experience suggests it stings the eyes.

I continue to recommend it for severe ventral midline dermatitis with a little Deep Woods Off added for good measure. If there are deep erosions you could sub a over the counter antibacterial in petroleum jelly base and when the swelling is remarkable cortisone ointments with a petroleum base could be used. When all three are present why not mix the antibiotic and corticosteroid.
DrO

Posted on Sunday, Aug 29, 1999 - 3:31 pm:

Over the last week I have been have good luck with
a similar concoction.
Belly: Bag Balm + BioTeck + Fly spray
Tail: BioTeck + Flt Spray

It has been keeping it at a minimum, althoughnot
conpletely cleared up its better. I still have to
add some cortisone cream to the tail.

Posted on Tuesday, Feb 22, 2000 - 10:16 pm:

Emily, I know your posting was very long ago, but maybe you are still watching. I hope your horse's skin disease, ?allergy is improved. I want to ask you though about your comment in the first note about maggots. How did you get rid of them. I am nursing open wounds from melanomas under my horse's tail and when it broke down there were maggots. I clean each day and redress but each day I reopen the bandages and find more. It' now almost a week. Dr.O has recommended daily irrigations with the hose and a nitrofurazone based spray which I'm using as of today. (I did do hose irrigation some before but was afraid I was dislodging clot formation.) Before was using caustic powder.They are under and around surrounding melanomas. I keep spraying with the water and think it's all clean but they are back the next day. I'm a retired nurse but I am not prepared for this and don't have any one to consult. If you are still out there please let me know what to do. Do I sound desperate? then that's right.

Posted on Wednesday, Feb 23, 2000 - 11:48 am:

This is so yucky! But for my mare we cleaned the area 1-2 times a day with Nolvasin, we allso double wormed her with Zimectrin and then between scrubbings put Bag Balm on the open wound during the day as well as fly repellant made for wounds and then left it open and clean at night when the flys wern't out.

The biggest diffrence here is that I was dealing with a flesh wound and your dealing with a tumor growth that has opened up. I might be wrong but I think there are big diffrences in the way to handle an open tumor so that they won't spread or cause other problems. That would be a question for your vet and is worth finding out for sure.

But I know that terrible feeling to see maggots on a wound, I think it evokes a panic in us that goes deep.

Moons allergy has improved, we have had no more maggot incidents and I watch her closly in the summer and as soon as she starts itching I treat her with Cortizone cream which seams to keep it at bay.

Let us know Judi how it is comming.

Posted on Wednesday, Feb 23, 2000 - 7:47 pm:

Judi - I've only been with this site a few months (and to me, it's the best site on the web ) but viewing this this discussion I find I must comment. My 20 yr. old quarter horse mare developed the allergy to culicoides when she was about 3 yrs. old. Back then we didn't know what it was - only that it returned during the warm months every year. We had to roach her mane each summer, her mid-line was a scaby bloody mess, and her tail was rubbed raw and hairless at the top. After years of trying everything, anti-histamines,steroids ( injectible and topical ) all kinds of shampoos - everything!....( we too, moved everything out of the paddock but then she actually got right down with her belly on the ground and rubbed ) we hit upon a regimen that seemed to keep her comfortable....we would wash all the affected areas and apply "SWAT" wound fly ointment...THICK. She looked rediculous...but it worked! Since maggots are larval form of flies, if you check with your vet first about the safety of this product in regard to the melanomas, it may help with the problem. Good luck - Liz

Posted on Wednesday, Feb 23, 2000 - 10:56 pm:

emily, I've made note of the names Nolvasin and Bag Balm. Am not familiar with either but will get info. Yes, I think I have been definitely letting my gut react to the creatures instead of my brain, but it's a new job. Liz, thanks. If I can get these gone I think the SWAT cover up may get to be a daily routine. I had a message posted under wound management and got some good info there too. This is a good site; of course, I just joined because I knew I needed help and it has been very helpful already.

Posted on Saturday, Feb 26, 2000 - 4:57 am:

This may not fit at all, but you may want to look again at your worming program. We had a mare here last year with mane and tail rubbed raw and scabs on the belly. This had been a seasonal problem for years. We started her on Quest in the Spring, which was the product we were using for our rotation year, and last summer was the first time since the woman had owned her that she grew a full mane and tail and didn't rub herself raw. Don't know why that is, but maybe worth asking about?

Posted on Sunday, Feb 27, 2000 - 9:26 am:

Sometimes female horses scratch their tails when their teats are itcy or when they are itchy behind their hind legs. These are places they can't scratch for themselve.

Posted on Sunday, Feb 27, 2000 - 11:20 am:

We have a quarter/appaloosa pony (with the appy part, never had a lot of tail to begin with) that started rubbing out the top of her tail. She is (had been for years) on daily Strongid CX, had just been given Ivermectin by the vet and we tried Quest, too. My daughter also tried everything anyone told her about (even washing the tail in Listerine!). Then we hired a new and very experienced groom to help out and run things at our barn. He took one look, and then banned my daughter from using Show Sheen anywhere except the bottom part of the tail. He says he's seen some horses really react if the Show Sheen touches the dock, base of the tail, or the underside of the belly. I'm happy to say that the problem is solved.

Posted on Sunday, Feb 27, 2000 - 2:08 pm:

Hi Gay (remember me from my horse buying search?)!

I ditto Show Sheen as no longer being the equine's best friend. I used it for years (even on the body). It is a product of the past in my opinion.

I, too, have a young TB/WB cross with a little fringy tail. While it may never be long and bushy, it has improved at lot since I stopped using Shown Sheen and started using Cowboy Magic.

Hair, in my personal opinion, is a genetic thing. My own hair is fine and thin and no product in the world (yet) can make it grow thick and beautiful.

Posted on Sunday, Feb 27, 2000 - 7:34 pm:

I have a mare with the dandruffy stuff you mentioned on her tail. If I'm religious about rubbing it with Listerine every other day, the scruff goes away and she doesn't rub it.

Posted on Monday, Feb 28, 2000 - 12:48 pm:

Some of these issues are much deeper than what my suggestion is, but like Marion said, many times if a mare is rubbing her tail and is already on a regular worming program - it could very well be the smaga between her teats. It is very similar to the build up you clean from your gelding or stallions sheath & is equally important to keep clean. It only takes a few seconds to clean out with your fingers (gently though) or my mares love it when I use nice warm water with a little hibitane soap and give it a thorough cleanse. But, in the colder months, just use your fingers to clean out the bulk of it! Your mares will learn to appreciate it, mine do! Hope this helps. Lanna

Posted on Monday, Feb 28, 2000 - 1:02 pm:

Has anyone tried this product for skin irritations? It is very pricey.

https://www.medequine.com/

Posted on Friday, Mar 24, 2000 - 10:14 am:

Hi all. I have a 16 year old Arab mare who, every summer, will rub her mane, base of her tail and her belly raw (on the ground!). I'm trying a couple different treatments than are mentioned here, and thought I'd share. I've heard that feeding MSM has helped some horses, so I'm trying that. Supposedly the anti-inflammatory property in MSM helps some allergic horses. Also, my mare is receiving sub-Q allergy injections, to desensitize her to her allergens. The serum was custom made by taking a blood sample and sending it to a lab, who analyzed it to find out what she is allergic to (which turned out to be many, many things, including common trees, weeds, and those lovely well-known gnats). Previously, the only thing I've found success with controlling her itching is with Azium. Since this mare also had a bout with EPM last year, I'm sure her immune system is already stressed, so giving her Azium is risky. The allergy injections are not an inexpensive treatment, or a quick fix (I probably won't see full results 'til next year), but hopefully will build her immune system in the long run. I know some vets believe the allergy injections work, and some do not. I know from personal experience with my own allergies that these desensitizing shots do work for me. I'll keep you guys posted, and if you want more info, let me know.

Posted on Thursday, Mar 28, 2002 - 12:14 pm:

HI everyone!

Chris, I looked up the website you posted above....my Arab gelding rubs all the hair off the top of his tail as soon as the weather starts to get warm every year. I've tried so many different things and both the vet and I are stumped. He gets flaking skin all over his body and gets somewhat ichy, but only seems to really go after the top of his tail. He is wormed regularly and hasn't tested positive for any allergies. And I've tried all sorts of topicals, etc without any big difference (part of me wonders if the tail rubbing is partially habit, he's been at it so long).

At any rate, I went to this website, and the product looks very interesting. Seems to have a broad application. I would also be interested in hearing if anyone has any experience with this MedEquine product. As you mentioned, Chris, it IS expensive...but it does say they have a moneyback guarantee.....hmmm....I might just try it and see if it helps....

Daisy

Posted on Thursday, Mar 28, 2002 - 1:49 pm:

Daisy,

The only thing that really works for my mare with the culicoides hypersensitivity is the Boett pyjama. This shields her from gnat bites.

The alternative is alternate day therapy with prednisalone (sp?) as described in Dr. O's article.

This year's supplement du jour experiment is ground flax seed as I found a small double blind study that suggest this helped when used with Icelandic horses.

I found topicals to be a waste. Smearing with petroleum jelly or Swat discouraged the gnats from landing. Keeping the horse in at night, dusk and dawn helped some.

Cheers.

Posted on Friday, Mar 29, 2002 - 10:39 am:

Thanks Chris!

What is a Boett pyjama? Is it a type of blanket?

I had thought about trying your original suggestion of adding a hand towel as a tail flap to a fly sheet to cover his tail area....

Daisy

Posted on Monday, Apr 1, 2002 - 1:46 pm:

Boett Pyjamas are like a fly sheet that cover much more. Here are some web sites:

https://www.sweet-itch.com/

https://www.boett.com/

Posted on Saturday, Jun 1, 2002 - 4:14 pm:

Hi Chris!

I ordered the Boett Blanket, and got it about 3 weeks ago. The Sweet-Itch website is GREAT. I read everything and thought, FINALLY this makes sense for what's going on with Haley! Bathed my horse like they recommended, and put the blanket on.

Only one problem. Since we last spoke (on this post) my horse had stopped rubbing his tail...I thought shwew, maybe that was the worst of it this year. Then he rubbed out a whole section on the underside of his mane. So I ordered the blanket.

Well he wore the blanket for 3 weeks, and I noticed that he has started rubbing his tail again, and this time it's getting worse and worse! He's rubbed a 5 inch long 1 inch wide track bare down the middle of his tail! SO I finally just took the blanket off of him, since he hadn't been rubbing the tail for so long BEFORE I put the blanket on. He's my show horse so I can't have him rubbing out hair like that!

He's never rubbed himself raw, but he's always very itchy. As I mentioned in previous posts, I've tried a lot of other things on his mane and tail when he itches (which does seem to be seasonal) and the only thing that seemed to help at all was a cortizone cream. (but that didn't eliminate his itching completely)

You have so much experience with this stuff...what would you recommend? Should I keep the blanket on even though it seems like it was CREATING a problem with his tail? Should I try something else in conjunction with the blanket? I'm feeling very frustrated for Haley, poor guy...not to mention being in the middle of show season and having a partially hairless tail! UGH.

Daisy

Posted on Sunday, Jun 2, 2002 - 8:17 am:

Hello Daisy,
My recommendations are at, Equine Diseases: Skin Diseases: Culicoides Hypersensitivity: Sweet & Queensland Itch. To rely on any one technique will result in failure Daisy you need to have a thorough comprehensive program of which a fly sheet is just one aspect.
DrO

Posted on Monday, Jun 3, 2002 - 12:05 am:

I have the same problem with 4 horses, every year I try everything and they always end up with no hair because of rubbing. This year I used a product called MedEquine for 2 days on all 4 horses. About 4 days later I gave them a bath and so far only one has rubbed, and I think because I didn't wash her tail good enough. (she was not being a good girl about it) I put pj's on 3 of the horses, including the one that rubbed. Its been about a week, so this is the best results I have had so far. Its turned colder here (very few bugs) so I took the blankets off last night and they still didn't rub yet. I did have the vet out to see if she thought there was something Iam missing and she didn't think there was. If I find that the product works good I will be sure to post it. By the way, I didn't put a blanket on my horse who usually rubs the most, and so far no rubbing. If you want to check out there web site it is, www.medequine.com.

Posted on Monday, Jun 3, 2002 - 6:55 am:

Hello Bonnie,
I went to their site and see no reason this product should be effective for Sweetitch. It states it is an antimicrobial treatment yet Sweetitch is an allergic disease. It does make a claim of repelling biting insects but I do not find a list of ingredients. Is there one on the bottle you have?
DrO

Posted on Monday, Jun 3, 2002 - 1:28 pm:

Hi Daisy

My mare wears her Boett PJ 24/7 in and out of the stable. This protects her from the gnats for the most part. I was just at a show and had mane to braid and her tail looked normal. If you part the tail hair, you can find she rubbed a little before I put her in the PJ. Around here, I should start the PJ on her the first week of May. I was about a week late as it needed a bit of repair and I wanted to observe if the flax seed was of any value.

Her coat is extra shiney, so I think that was the maximum benefit of the flax seed.

If a day is deadly hot and she is stalled, the owner of the farm turns on her fan and removes the PJ - but most of the time it stays on.

For amusement purposes, I hung a very fine mesh curtain over her stall window. It creates a lot of ribbing/teasing, but my twisted mind figures it stops the bugs from flying into her stall and if they come in another window or the door, they find a different horse. I've the fabric to curtain all the stall windows .... looks very classy, wink wink!

I've not had notable success with any topical or food additive.

I've been eyeing those new devices that emit a vapor that attracts mosquitos and biting insects to their demise. The names crack me up - mosquito deleto, etc. There are still pricey for my wallet. The ones that run off of a propane tank are about $500!! I think coleman has a system for the back yard for less than $200 - but it needs electrical power so wouldn't be useful in the paddock.

It would be fun to experiment with one and give it the "real" test.

Chris

Posted on Tuesday, Jun 4, 2002 - 1:09 am:

Hello DrO,

The ingredients on the bottle are, Stannous fluoride, zincgluconate, glycerin. I think I bought this from a Veterinary Research Corporation,(thats on the bottle also) because shortly after I recieved there product I got in the mail a long list of questions from them asking what my horses had and how the product worked on it. I didn't fill it out because at the time we still had snow on the ground and I wasn't using the product yet. Its been a couple of months since I looked at there web site, so I think I will go back and see what there claims are about the product. Thanks for taking the time to check this out. Bonnie

Posted on Tuesday, Jun 4, 2002 - 6:39 am:

Wow, stannous fluoride and zinc gluconate huh? There two agents are well known but there use in this context are unknown or at least unpublished. Stannous flouride is knwon for its action of toughening teeth and the zinc gluconate is what is in the current crop of cold remedies. There is very little work on either of these products when applied to the skin. Zinc has been used experimentally for acne and thought to be mildly effective.

The new mosquito devices do look promising, at least for mosquitos and what we know about culicoides suggest it may be effective for them also. I do wonder however. Do you remember the first time you saw one of the fly traps bottles, the ones that rapidly filled with hundreds (thousands?) of flies? Though it trapped thousands it also seemed to attract thousands more, I wonder if this will be a similar situation? Coleman also includes a repeller that I believe emits a high frequency sound and I have seen no reports on the efficacy of this.
DrO

Posted on Tuesday, Jun 4, 2002 - 2:12 pm:

Yeah, that is why I'm holding on to my wallet.

Doesn't someone else want to try one???

I remember when the bug zapper lights first came out, too. Now they are determined to kill the "good" insects.

I think the deal with the fly traps is to locate them away from your stable, but in "sniff" distance. Same thing they suggest with the Japanese beetle traps.

For flies, I like the predator insects. Too bad they don't go after the gnats.

At least we aren't dealing with hungry locasts eating our food supply like they are in northern Afganistan.

Posted on Tuesday, Jun 4, 2002 - 5:16 pm:

I say my blessings everyday.
DrO
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