# Equi-Spot. Do I dare use it again?



## sarahfromsc (Sep 22, 2013)

I have never had that kind of reaction to equi spot. I have noticed if you cut the tip off to much it really runs out to quickly when trying to apply it. Plus I have never had to use a whole tube on my horse if I apply as per the directions.


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## PaintHorseMares (Apr 19, 2008)

We've never used Equi-Spot, but there was one brand of topical flea/tick treatment that gave our cats a tremendous rash. Perhaps some skin sensitivity?


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## evilamc (Sep 22, 2011)

You could try front lines spray. I used equispot when I was in VA and STILL was pulling ticks off, I switched to the dog's frontline spray and it seemed much better. Maybe see if they have a better reaction to that?


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## DaveT (Apr 25, 2014)

The label does say it can cause lethargy and/or skin irritation. I’ll be keeping a close eye on him for a couple days. The vet should be coming out soon with the meds for the other guy to treat his Lyme so I’ll have him check this other fellow while he’s here. It’s amazing that such a small quantity of this could cause such a reaction. Itching is one thing, but a potential neurological reaction so quickly… in such a large animal?... I didn’t realize just how potent Permethrin is. The stuff must be potent though if 20 drops of it quickly provide protection over a whole horse. I use that on specific clothing that I wear when I know I’ll be working in tick areas. That stuff is lethal for cats and fish.

Frontline spray for dogs contains fipronil. I’m not sure how long an application of that lasts or how effective it is. I’m also not sure if this is safe for use on horses.

I’m wondering how effective Endure is. Supposedly that’s a 14 day spray that’s a fly and tick repellent.


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## evilamc (Sep 22, 2011)

The frontline spray was actually recommended to me by a vet, thats why I tried it. I reapplied every two weeks, basically 1 spray in all the same spots as the equispot. I lost my last horse to lyme so I was trying to find whatever would work best to keep my new horse from getting infected. When I use equispot/frontline spray though I do make sure to use all natural fly sprays...so I'm not mixing nasty dangerous chemicals.


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## DaveT (Apr 25, 2014)

evilamc said:


> The frontline spray was actually recommended to me by a vet, thats why I tried it. I reapplied every two weeks, basically 1 spray in all the same spots as the equispot. .......


So you just spray the same spots, you don't have to coat their entire legs, neck and belly? For dogs, the directions say approx 1 to 2 pumps per pound of body weight.


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## evilamc (Sep 22, 2011)

I just pretty much sprayed the same spots, then did a spray on each top leg and at front and back of belly. Thats what vet had told me to do so I figured it couldn't hurt to try since I was still finding so many ticks even with using the equispot.


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## SlideStop (Dec 28, 2011)

That's discouraging to hear! I wanted to use it on my mare this summer as the bugs are really bad at my barn and the ticks are out of control!! 

Why not try testing it out on one foot instead of his whole body? This way it will be more obvious that it's truly what's causing the irritation.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## 4HHORSEMOM (Nov 7, 2015)

I tried Equi-Spot and while my horses didn't seem to mind it much, it did not seem to work that well. I did have a horse who wanted to scratch her hindquarters afterwards, and she pretty much sat on a sapling tree, breaking off the top.
I have very good luck with a product I found at Tractor Supply called Celebration. It is used twice a month, and is like Equi-Spot but it must be slightly different on ingredients, as my horses act like they don't notice it at all. We have a lot of mosquitoes, flies and gnats, etc. in Florida year round, so I was very happy to find something I could do every two weeks instead of every day. One horse would get bug bites so bad that he would scratch his legs raw with his teeth, even when I was spraying him with Bronco twice a day. Two weeks after using Celebration, he had stopped scratching and the hair was growing back. That was about 10 years ago and I have used Celebration on my horses and donkey ever since with good results.


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## jaydee (May 10, 2012)

I use Frontline but have never used Equi spot
Ticks are very sensitive to anything containing Permethrin (main active in Equi Spot) so most of the bug sprays will work as long as you reapply regularly
The label info doesn't tell you what the 'other ingredients' are in it so maybe your horses were allergic to that and not the Permethrin?


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## DaveT (Apr 25, 2014)

Equi-Spot, Freedom 45 and Celebration all contain 45% permethrin. However some people say their horses had a reaction to one of them but not another one. Perhaps it is one of the inactive ingredients that irritates them?... I would think it would be the potent ingredient that would be causing it. Permethrin is a killing agent.

I may give the frontline dog spray a try. I like using sprays. If that doesn’t work I’ll try either Freedom 45 or Celebration, just a few drops at first and see how they react to that. Thank you all for your input. Greatly appreciated.

When the boys calmed down after their crazy run yesterday they started grooming each other. First time I’ve ever seen them do that. I wonder if it was a mutual “you help get this stuff off of me and I’ll help get it off of you”.

Perhaps I should consider having them vaccinated for Lyme. There’s no “approved” vaccine for horses that I’m aware of but from what I hear the vaccine approved for dogs is quite effective on horses. Bummer is that they would need a booster every 6 months.

BTW… For anyone who may be interested in following suit... next spring I intend to make some devices that should help cut down on my deer tick population. I’ll take cotton ball material and soak it in permethrin, then I’ll put the cotton in short sections of pvc and place them out and about. Mice will take the cotton for their nests, and in doing so they’ll get the permethrin on them, which should kill the ticks on them. Deer transport the deer ticks, but the Lyme comes from mice. What I’ll have to research first is whether or not there is risk to cats that would eat the mice.


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## evilamc (Sep 22, 2011)

I set a reminder on my phone to spray every 2 weeks LOL! I made sure to keep my new boy protected!!

I myself refuse to do the lyme vaccine. There just isn't enough study on it for horses to make me feel safe basically injecting my horse with the disease. They always will test positive after the vaccine so you can't do a simple snap test routinely you'd actually have to pay the big bucks for the multiplex test. My dogs vet actually told me to NOT use it on my dogs when I asked about it...that just rubbed me the wrong way. If a dog vet says I shouldn't even use the dog vaccine for the dog why should I give it to my horse? I think the FDA actually recalled one of the dog vaccines too?

Quite a few of my friends back in DC did vaccinate but I just couldn't do it. Really think hard before doing it, also I don't think you can use it with your already infected horse.


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## gypsygirl (Oct 15, 2009)

^^ my dog had Lyme and his numbers were scary high despite no symptoms. Vet recommended the vaccine. At least for dogs you can give it even if they've had Lyme. 

I have not had my horses vaccinated with it. I use equispot on my gelding with no problems. I have not used it on my mare BC she is sensitive to fly spray (princess). Instead, I got guinea hens to eat the bugs 
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## DaveT (Apr 25, 2014)

I assume the snap test is still something that is performed by the vet?

I doubt our cats (and the foxes) would play nicely with guinea hens.

Something I came across:

*The northeastern U.S. has endemic areas where the people, dogs, and horses all have Lyme and have responded to it with varying success. If you’re bringing horses from an area where there isn’t a lot of Lyme, their immune systems will be naive. Flaherty strongly recommends vaccinating those horses.* (Flaherty is an equine vet in Maine).

Both of my geldings are from Minnesota.


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## evilamc (Sep 22, 2011)

Yeah snap test is done by the vet, usually only costs about $25, I just had it done anytime they came out for shots lol.

Hmm maybe theres new studies with the vaccine...I dunno I'm still very leary of it. I just use tick control religiously, snap test so I can catch it early and I make sure to boost the immune system/keep healthy immune system.


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## gypsygirl (Oct 15, 2009)

The guinea hens are actually pretty good at keeping themselves alive. Something is killing our cats and we have coyotes every where around here. We lost one out of six this year. They will fly up in the trees very quickly. They really reduce the bugs/ticks a lot ! And you don't have to feed them when there are still bugs around 
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Naphth (Jan 7, 2015)

Some animals have reactions to normal things that are generally considered safe for most animals. Just like most people can eat peanut butter, and some get hives or anaphylaxis if they have it. If a horse reacted negatively to it I'd never use it again.


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## jaydee (May 10, 2012)

My vet told me that horses new to a Lyme area (as our UK horses were) seem to suffer more from an infection than those born and bred in the area for generations.
That was just his own observation though and not research based

We had a lot of guinea fowl when we came here but by the second year they'd dwindled down to just a few, the seemed to have no self preservation instinct at all and would ignore foxes and coyotes that were walking amongst them as well as standing in the road in front of oncoming traffic
By year 3 they'd all gone


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## natisha (Jan 11, 2011)

Absorbine supershield repels ticks & is sprayed on. I use it on my dogs too.


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## Yogiwick (Sep 30, 2013)

Wait...what was the neurological reaction??

Sounds like it was irritating. If it was truly a reaction or the horse not liking it hard to say. They shouldn't be able to effectively reach any of the areas you would apply it.

I'd be far more worried about them digesting it.

So make sure you are using it properly and check their skin. I wouldn't be too concerned, spot test to rule out a reaction and reapply. That said I've also never been impressed with that stuff so wouldn't use it at all.

Just use flyspray. Most kinds are effective against ticks, or as effective as anything.

No need to go crazy, it won't help any more either. Not sure on the poisoning mice theory.

I wouldn't vaccinate, there is no good vaccine...


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## Yogiwick (Sep 30, 2013)

We test our horses at least once a year and medicate as needed. We have never had any symptoms. If you stay on top of it it's not too big a deal.


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## DaveT (Apr 25, 2014)

Myself and two others have mentioned that after applying Equi-Spot the horse seemed to try to sit, like a donkey. It was as if the rear legs got weak. The one person mentioned that for several days the horse was not keeping his legs in line. One leg would drift in sometimes, and drift out sometimes. Could that not be neurological? The running around and all… maybe the stuff was “burning” his skin and he just had to react. But the sitting… that was weird. For my horse he didn’t sit all the way down, but I thought he was going to break that board fence. I’ve never seen my boys rub their rumps against fences like some horses do.

Looking at the directions for Equi-Spot (which I did follow) I’d think the horse could get to some of the apply spot, like the side of the belly. BTW – I’m still pulling ticks off of them.

I’ll be heading to PetCo in a bit to see if they have the Frontline spray. Things like Equi-Spot must absorb into the skin and disperse to provide protection. Does anyone know… do things like the Frontline spray and the Absorbine Supershield only protect the spot sprayed, or do those absorb and provide a wider area of protection?


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## Yogiwick (Sep 30, 2013)

The horse trying to "sit" on a fence is not at all uncommon when a horse is itching their bum on the fence. Doesn't at all sound neurological to me. You did not see your neighbor saw the horse rubbing his bum then looking like he was sitting on the fence.

I can't say what the other person experienced but initially you said it sounded similar to your guy and that the vet was not concerned.

Like I said I'm not a fan of it and even localized "burning" is unacceptable imo. That said I'm not hearing anything neurological sounding.


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