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  Discussion on Help my horse is covered in bites
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Posted on Monday, May 22, 2000 - 10:17 pm:

Dr. O and everyone:

My horse is being eaten alive by mosquitos. He has welts all over his body. He is outside 24/7 and I am wondering if I should have him put in a stall. I just purchased this horse in February and I had no idea he'd have this reaction.

Can I ride him with these bites on him?

Would a fly sheet help or will they just bite through the holes.

Should I spray him with Cutters or Deep Woods Off?

I have read the other posts regarding garlic and DEET. I am just wondering if anything else will help.

My trainer suggested using IVmectrin paste, as her vet told her it kills flying insects.

Any suggestions would help. Thanks, Liz

Posted on Tuesday, May 23, 2000 - 6:56 am:

The mosquito problem solutions you suggest make sense except neither the ivermectin or garlic is likely to be helpful. Are you sure the welts are being caused by the mosquitos? See the aricle on hives in this section for more information. If the tack falls on the selts the horse may be uncomfortable.
DrO

Posted on Tuesday, May 23, 2000 - 7:33 am:

Hi Liz,
At my barn, most people use the absorbine fly spray - the black bottle. It is expensive, but it works. The label suggests spraying every 3 days, but we spray every day.

Good luck!
Cheryl

Posted on Tuesday, May 23, 2000 - 8:45 am:

Hello Liz,
I live in Florida and here we have a terrible mosquito, gnat, and biting fly problem. My horses are turned out at night for 12 hours. The most effective spray I have found that works on all of the above mentioned pests is Bite Free spray by Farnam. It comes in a maroon colored bottle. It is quite expensive too but really works. I apply it liberally about every four to five days. Sometimes once a week. After a few applications it seems to build up and you can wait longer in between sprayings. After a hard rain or a bath you have to start over with more frequent applications as the spray is washed off. As an added benefit it also has sunscreen in it. I just received my shipment of 15 bottles- my summer supply!

Good luck,
Trudy

Posted on Wednesday, May 24, 2000 - 10:35 am:

Dear Everyone:

Thanks for your great suggestions. When I came out to the barn the next day all the welts were gone. So, I am not sure if it was a reaction to the bites or if it was hives. Or maybe the betadine solution that I rubbed on him helped. In any case I ended up buying him a fly sheet, some weird German fly spray that smells awful but is all natural, and a fly collar (like a flea collar for dogs). He also has a face and ear mask. So, I think he's covered *grin*. I am also going to pick up some Bite Free!! and some Avon Skin-So- Soft which my vet suggested was great for mosquitos, has mosturizers and smells pretty.

Also, I learned something new. If you put a cup of baking soda in a gallon of cold water and use it as a rinse on your horse it relieves some of the itching of the bites.

Thanks again.

Liz

Posted on Friday, May 26, 2000 - 10:42 pm:

At our barn a few years ago, we all had horrible welts all over our horses. Fly sprays didn't help. Then someone found an article that said that no-see-ums could cause this kind of reaction and that the fly sprays didn't work well for them. They recommended that we use both fly spray AND Skin-So-Soft. We bought one of the pint bottles, and put 1 part SSS to 3 parts water in a spray bottle. We used the concoction daily, and found that not only did our horses smell good, but the welts went away and stayed gone. (Those who laughed at us still had "bumpy" horses and were asking to borrow our spray). So I'd try this, if I was you. It can't hurt, and it might work wonders for you, too.

Posted on Tuesday, Apr 23, 2002 - 2:57 pm:

My horse gets very itchy and sore on her belly each spring and summer. I think she is allergic to the small flys that bite there. I can't find anything that will cover her belly and protect her from the biting. The ointments I use melt away from the heat of her body.

Posted on Tuesday, Apr 23, 2002 - 7:24 pm:

Hi, Dixie,
I have a 40 year old Appaloosa gelding that is allergic to black flies and no-see-ums. He looses his hair, his skin gets weepy and he is generally miserable. I have found that feeding Garlic Powder (that I order from Springtime, Inc.) and applying tea tree oil seems to help tremendously.
Holly

Posted on Wednesday, Apr 24, 2002 - 10:19 am:

Hello All,
Careful study of garlic has not found a repellant property for the substance and I do not know of any work to support the tea tree oil.

Dixie, for our specific problem run a search on midline dermatitis and you will already articles and discussions on your particular problem. Next run a search on biting flies for more general advice. Lastly try just flies. These should provide you with enough reading to get you through the fly season.
DrO
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