Benzyl Benzoate

[sonjafoers]

I took on a sweet itch pony at the end of last summer so I am quite new to all this but I want to make sure I am prepared for when the season starts.

As well as a DeMeulenkampf rug & a Snuggy Sweet Itch I have bought a spray called Sweet Relief which is mainly BB.

I'm a bit confused as to whether I should only use this if he has any itchy patches as it seems to be marketed as relieving the itch once he gets it, or can it be used as a preventative before the midges start biting?

I was planning on spraying it on his unrugged areas from the end of this month but I'm now wondering if I will be wasting my money and should only use it if he does start itching in which case I will need to buy a midge repellant to start using soon.

Very confused

 

[holeymoley]

I wouldn't say it's a preventative. It works more like numbing the area that's affected. I start using once pony shows signs of itching and then every other day, it depending on severity.

 

[magichorse]

I use sweet relief as a preventative. Brilliant stuff- SI hasn't been a problem since I started using it 2 years ago. I usually start putting it on as soon as it starts getting a bit warmer.

 

[measles]

I have one who would scratch a little & put benzyl benzoate on once every 5 days or so

 

[PandorasJar]

I used BB on scratched areas. What I found brilliant among a myriad of different things was global herbs. Can't remember the name but I scoffed at it and couldn't believe it when it actually worked! Small amount in daily feed - I used ff as wasn't feeding.

You may find you don't have a problem if in a different area. Mine was awful on last yard, in new field with lots of midgies is absolutely fine.

 

[moana]

Keep using it as a preventative. start applying as directed from very soon now and all through the season until all the midges have gone.

 

[mynutmeg]

We use stuff by NAF called D-Itch ointment. It's a mix of various oils, including peppermint, and BB amongst other things. It's quite greasy but a tub lasts ages. It works in several ways in that the greasiness and oils act as a brilliant fly repellent. The flies can't even land on them. Then it also soothes where they have been bitten.
We smear on all exposed bits such as udders and sheaths and makes such a difference. My mare gets so badly bitten on her udders that she bleeds but with this stuff on every couple of days she gets no bites at all. We also put a small line of it down either side of the mane and in the top of the tail and it works really well for keeping them comfortable when riding.

 

[Cahill]

as i have said before,once they start itching,the cycle has already started so i would say to you cover up now, prevention is better than cure..{if the pony has been naked all winter then clip and cover up if you think they will be too hot}
cant rate snuggyhoods high enough.

 

[cptrayes]

I wouldn't say it's a preventative. It works more like numbing the area that's affected. I start using once pony shows signs of itching and then every other day, it depending on severity.

Benzyl benzoate is an insecticide - it kills the midges.

 

[indie999]

Benzyl benzoate is an insecticide - it kills the midges.

Yes I have used it on feathers and it does leave their fur silky so the bugs cant adhere to the fur.

The only repellent for insects is FLYPOR which is a drench but it mustnt be put on broken skin as it can burn. Farmers use it..it is nasty so wear gloves but we put it on our horses backs where they cant reach. Its very expensive. Our equine vet said it is the only thing that will stopfly bites lice etc. None of the other things work ie Naff off etc. We had a mare that started losing fur and couldnt work out what was biting them and this stopped it. We spent a fortune on all the Naff offs etc and even used Deet Jungle formula etc that never worked. So Flypor is cost effective.


I do agree though things like udder cream around their genitals will sooth and stop biting my horse would bleed from bites. I do agree cover up as well. Good luck

 

[Landcruiser]

Another vote for Naff D-itch. It's brilliant for soothing the itchy dry patches, smells nice, stays on for ages, and goes a long way.

 

[Foxhunter49]

Start feding NAF D-Tox as this alters and boosts the immune system and then wash with 2 tablespoons Neem Oil, 2 tablepoons shampoo to 1 Litre of hot water.

Neem is brilliant for keeping the midges away, it is also very soothing for any itching and good for healing any rubs.
Downside is that Neem stinks like nothing else but, you do get use to it!

 

[sonjafoers]

Thank you everybody, I've been looking at the BiteBack products and a lot of their fly repellant is based on neem too.

Magic Horse with regards to the Sweet Relief please can you tell me your routine with it. I don't wish to labour the point but I've now had an email from the lady at BiteBack who says that Sweet Relief is good as a preventative as well as a cure and then goes on to say only spray the affected parts. Surely if I'm using a preventative early enough in the season there should be no affected parts - this is the whole point of me starting this discussion.

So, do I spray the whole pony twice daily with Sweet Relief from the end of Feb time (ish) or do I spray with an effective midge repellant instead and only use the Sweet Relief if he happens to get an itchy spot? He will also be rugged & hooded as I'm really not sure I trust any product enough to be able to leave him unrugged.

I have also been feeding Equidermis Plus since I got him but I'll definitely look at the NAF product.

 

[Piglet]

Another fan of Benzyl, my horse doesn't get sweet-itch but he does get an itchy dock in the summer, I benzyl every day and no itching, I stocked up on it several years ago when I found out that the chemists were not going to sell it, any ideas where I can now buy it as my "secret stash" is running low?

 

[katherine1975]

You can buy it from www.hyperdrug.co.uk I use benzyl benzoate on mane and tail every other day during the sweet itch season and a Rambo sweet itch hoodie. I also use nettex itch stop cream for face and udders.

 

[magichorse]

Magic Horse with regards to the Sweet Relief please can you tell me your routine with it. I don't wish to labour the point but I've now had an email from the lady at BiteBack who says that Sweet Relief is good as a preventative as well as a cure and then goes on to say only spray the affected parts. Surely if I'm using a preventative early enough in the season there should be no affected parts - this is the whole point of me starting this discussion.

So, do I spray the whole pony twice daily with Sweet Relief from the end of Feb time (ish) or do I spray with an effective midge repellant instead and only use the Sweet Relief if he happens to get an itchy spot? He will also be rugged & hooded as I'm really not sure I trust any product enough to be able to leave him unrugged.

I have also been feeding Equidermis Plus since I got him but I'll definitely look at the NAF product.

Hi, I spray the sweet relief onto the parts that are prone to itching and cover the rest of him with fly repellent (have used the biteback one and it is very good) So, basically, every day before I turn out, I do the following-

* Spray Sweet Relief on both sides of his neck, along the crest and brush it in with a body brush
* Spray SR around the top of his tail and brush in
* Cover his whole body in fly repellent
If there is any sign of him starting to itch anywhere else, I spray and brush in SR there (sometimes he starts to rub behind his withers too)

Hope this helps. I have spent a fortune on SI products over the years and this is the only one that has worked for us. Hope it works as well for you too.

 

[Tammytoo]

The most effective preventative is definitely your SI rug, so start with this by the end of February. Benzyl Benzoate is one of the cheapest and effective lotions, just buy a big bottle on-line and it will last for ages - apply to the usual itchy bits like roots of mane and tail, udder etc. with a damp sponge. Another effective measure is Avon SO Soft Dry Oil spray (as discovered by the Army as being very effective in jungle conditions - don't ask how they discovered this!). Again spray this on areas likely to be affected. Anything oil-based will work as midges don't like landing on sticky ! Prevention is the key, once they start scratching it is very difficult to stop.

 

[indie999]

Thank you everybody, I've been looking at the BiteBack products and a lot of their fly repellant is based on neem too.

Magic Horse with regards to the Sweet Relief please can you tell me your routine with it. I don't wish to labour the point but I've now had an email from the lady at BiteBack who says that Sweet Relief is good as a preventative as well as a cure and then goes on to say only spray the affected parts. Surely if I'm using a preventative early enough in the season there should be no affected parts - this is the whole point of me starting this discussion.

So, do I spray the whole pony twice daily with Sweet Relief from the end of Feb time (ish) or do I spray with an effective midge repellant instead and only use the Sweet Relief if he happens to get an itchy spot? He will also be rugged & hooded as I'm really not sure I trust any product enough to be able to leave him unrugged.

I have also been feeding Equidermis Plus since I got him but I'll definitely look at the NAF product.

Flypor have a look it up. It will work even for non midgey. But I do like BBenzyl it does work too but I only used it for harvest mites.

 

[curran]

Hi, I spray the sweet relief onto the parts that are prone to itching and cover the rest of him with fly repellent (have used the biteback one and it is very good) So, basically, every day before I turn out, I do the following-

* Spray Sweet Relief on both sides of his neck, along the crest and brush it in with a body brush
* Spray SR around the top of his tail and brush in
* Cover his whole body in fly repellent
If there is any sign of him starting to itch anywhere else, I spray and brush in SR there (sometimes he starts to rub behind his withers too)

Hope this helps. I have spent a fortune on SI products over the years and this is the only one that has worked for us. Hope it works as well for you too.

I do virtually the same as you and am well into my routine now even though theres not a lot of midges around here so far. Sweet relief is the best spray I've used and also cheap. I don't use a fly rug at all now.

 

[Law]

Seems like i might be in the minority of people who can't use Benz Benz as it's too strong for my boy even used at the right dilution. It brought him out in sores.
I've got one of those 'I've tried everything' horses...

Netex Itch Stop Salve complete,
A spoon of marmite in hot water added to feed
Homeopathic drops

that's the only three things that have ever worked for him coupled with a good sweet itch rug like a boett.
nothing else has touched it