|
|
Discussion on Frontline as a tick repellant for horses? (Lyme related question)
|
| Author |
Message |
Member:
Sondra
|
Posted on Saturday, Feb 4, 2006 - 1:28 pm:
I wasn't sure where to post this... feel free to re-locate it if necessary! 
I recently heard from a prominent vet that a few animal dermatologists are suggesting that horse owners use Frontline - the product for dogs and cats - on their horses as a prevention against ticks and Lyme in endemic areas. Supposedly it's highly effective, possibly even moreso than the permethrin based tick-repellants for horses, such as Spot-On. The vet was careful to add that the product Frontline has not been "approved" for use on horses but that the consensus among the recommending vets is that it's probably safe, and importantly, effective (or as effective as something could be). Is it just that the Frontline company doesn't market to horse owners?
I was wondering Dr. O if you had any opinions or comments on the use of this product on horses? The type recommended is the spray which can easily be applied to legs, belly, etc. I'm in no way suggesting that anyone use a product that has not been tested/approved for use on horses, but I am personally interested in it because I have a young horse (2.5 years) who has an Elisa of 258 and a Western Blot showing moderate level of Antibody to Infection (Cornell lab). He had initial fever but currently shows no clear signs of Lyme though at his age I'm terrified of the possibility that the virus is insidious and could down the road lead to problems if it never gets treated (I'm currently trying to decide if I should or not, with antibiotics tetra/doxi). Further prevention is obviously a big concern too. Many thanks for your feedback on these points! Sondra (below is a link to the Frontline info page)
https://frontline.us.merial.com/home/index.asp
|
Moderator:
DrO
|
Posted on Sunday, Feb 5, 2006 - 8:58 am:
We too have heard these suggestions about Frontline but have no verification. We have also heard it repels flies. The problem is that it is very expensive to use on a horse, prohibitively so I would say for full time use.
You should relax about your titers however. In areas where Lymes is endemic most horses have titers and in large surveys involving hundreds of horses, the horses with titers have no more disease problems than those that don't.
DrO
|
Member:
Sondra
|
Posted on Sunday, Feb 5, 2006 - 9:28 am:
Thanks for replying so promptly Dr. O! Re the expense, you're probably right... I was just looking at the directions for the spray, and on dogs they say 1 - 2 pumps per POUND of body weight! LOL. Can you imagine? 1000 - 2000 pumps for the horsies! Hopefully the equivalent does not compute. I plan to write to them about this topic in general - and to suggest that since their product is so effective, they should look into developing something for equine use. I still haven't figured out what their main ingredient is... permethrin or ??? I'll be asking about that too.
Thanks also for assuaging my fears regarding the Lyme titers. I do wish, however, that more research was being done on this front. The only study I know of (I think the one you've mentioned on this site) did not monitor the horses long term, nor was the study done with horses that spend their lives outside or turned out daily in endemic areas.
|
Member:
Miamoo
|
Posted on Monday, Feb 6, 2006 - 8:46 am:
Sondra,
Please let me know what you find out!
Ella
|
Moderator:
DrO
|
Posted on Monday, Feb 6, 2006 - 8:51 am:
The main ingredient is fipronil, a GABA insecticide.
DrO
|
Member:
Sondra
|
Posted on Monday, Feb 6, 2006 - 10:29 am:
Hi all:
I spoke with one of their "veterinary techinicians" on the phone. She did not know of any plans to market a product to the equine community though she said they're always looking at new avenues... I will be writing to their corp. department to inquire further and perhaps get an answer from someone who knows more.
As for use of the product with horses - she said that while they don't advocate it specifically, they advise people to work with their veterinarians to decide on how/if to use the Frontline spray with horses.
So, all in all, I didn't find out much more from them!
|
Member:
Rob10549
|
Posted on Friday, Dec 1, 2006 - 8:51 am:
Are there any other tick repellents on the market that you would recommend Dr. O? I live in Westchester County, NY and in the last week I've pulled off 4 ticks from my two year old horse. I have had him tested once with no sign of the disease and plan on checking him again in a few weeks. I do not want to use something dangerous on him. Thanks, Robin
|
Member:
Sondra
|
Posted on Friday, Dec 1, 2006 - 10:12 am:
Robin, there are various good suggestions in this thread from the Chronicle of the Horse boards:
https://www.chronicleforums.com/Forum/showthread.php?t=70543
One other suggestion to try is that tick powder they sell for dogs which you could apply to the horse's legs, I imagine. Good luck
|
Moderator:
DrO
|
Posted on Saturday, Dec 2, 2006 - 7:18 am:
I went and looked at the thread Sondra and I have to say I disagree with many of the suggestions, expecially the use of DE powder which can be dangerous if inhaled. I also have to say though I know this is heresy to some that Skin So Soft is not an effective repellant in well run experiments and personally fails me with biting flies on rides.
Robin DEET applied to the legs would be the most effective repellant if the horse is out for less than 3 hours at a time. More important is to keep the pastures and all places the horse has access to clipped low. This makes it hard for the ticks to gain access to the horse. It you run a discussion on ticks you will find hunderds of other discussions on this topic that may have other suggestions but DEET will be the most effective and reasonably safe. For effective concentrations on DEET products see the article on biting flies at Horse Care » Equine Management & Routine Procedures » Controlling Houseflies and Biting Flies.
DrO
|
Member:
Sondra
|
Posted on Saturday, Dec 9, 2006 - 10:23 pm:
Thank you Dr. O for clarifying - I had no idea some of those suggestions (esp. the powder) are not good ideas. Can you identify which ones, in addition to the powder, should not be used on horses? Many thanks!
|
Moderator:
DrO
|
Posted on Sunday, Dec 10, 2006 - 10:20 am:
Sondra rather than reviewing long lists of things that may not work better is to make suggestions that will, for more see the article I reference above. If you have a question about a particular one I will be glad to reply here.
DrO
|
New Member:
lwmilne
|
Posted on Thursday, Apr 16, 2009 - 10:08 pm:
Hi Dr. O- i have also had several ticks on the horses that are pasturing with mine. One was diagnosed with ehrlichiosis last fall. yesterday one had a fever of 106 and they are concerned it might have the same problem. if other horses in the paddock have been infected, is there value in prophylactically treating the others to prevent active disease from likely similar ticks?
|
Moderator:
DrO
|
Posted on Saturday, Apr 18, 2009 - 8:53 am:
Yes I would say so who ever brought in the infected ticks probably did not bring in just one Leslie. For more on tick control see » Diseases of Horses » Skin Diseases, Wounds, and Swellings » Hair and Coat Problems / Itching / Irritated Skin » Ticks and Tick-borne Disease.
DrO
PS: Let me help you get started off right as there are several advantages to you if discussions are kept separate: - there is no confusion about which question is being discussed
- it will help keep Horseadvice more organized
- you review the Article and "ALL" the existing discussions
- more folks are likely to see your post and so you will receive quicker and more responses
You will find the "Start New Discussion" button at the bottom of the "List of Discussions " on every article page.
Before posting you should review the article as you will find helpful information. If it does not answer your question and you don't see a related discussion that answers your question you should "Start a New Discussion" with your question. For more on this and other important information see Help & Information on Using This Site » Welcome to The Horseman's Advisor.
Thanks for helping us stay organized.
|
|
|
