Ticks (errghh) - Switch or Deosect?

Scot123

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Anybody have any thoughts about which would be the most effective? I've only used Switch in the past which is so easy to apply and lasts well, but last year didn't seem to be as effective. This year the ticks are already out in force and poor boy's face is covered. Is Deosect quite effective for ticks? If so, do you need to apply it to the whole body or does it spread through their sytem? My boy will NOT appreciate my sponging his face with stinky chemicals so looking for something that ideally I don't have to apply to the face but it will still kill the ticks there.
Or, of course, if there's anything new on the market that I've missed then I'm very happy to know about it!
Thank you!
 

Twohorses

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Some folks in the U.S. Like Freedom 45 spot on, if you can replicate it:)

If your horse is home, keep the pasture cut short.

Ticks like dead leaves and love pine & cedar trees.

Ticks seem to NOT like anything sulfur based. I know trail riders who whap their horses legs with a sock full of sulfur before heading out on a ride that included a lot of forest.

I hate MTG but I keep a bottle around for those times the ticks make an appearance. I soak the bottom 1/3 or 1/4 of the tail in MTG and give their ankles and fetlock hair a good rub with it.

You could try rubbing MTG under the jaw, where it would stand less chance of irritating the skin (as opposed to on the face). Maybe wipe a small amount on the forelock AND the edges of the ears. If the horse truly has ticks all over the face, they are in the ears as well.

Ticks need pulled off the horse and put in a sealed jar, even if you think the tick is dead. I have a "tick jar" on the prep counter in the barn and happily throw the little b*****ds in that jar. I check my horses twice daily for ticks during tick season. In the U.S. Anaplasmosis (sp?) and Lymes are both of serious concern for horses - more so in some areas than others.

Our new neighbor has chickens. Even though they can't come onto our property, I have noticed a dramatic reduction in the tick population since they moved in:):)
 

MiJodsR2BlinkinTite

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I read somewhere (might have been on here??) re. ticks, that if you find one then to put it in a sealed bag and then pop it in the freezer.

That way, it can be preserved for the future and if necessary (for instance if YOU get one on you) you can have it tested for Lymes.

Sorry can't offer any suggestions re. getting rid or deterring them; must be awful. I have pasture that sheep occasionally graze on; but I keep guinea fowls which someone told me will happily guzzle up sheep ticks!!! Just a thought.............
 

Twohorses

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Guineas are GREAt for for eating ticks. They aren't practical where there are Coyotes and Hawks because they don't like being rounded up at night..

One of my farm neighbors bought 40 Guineas and they disappeared, one-by-one, before summer was over:(:(

Coyotes will also eat the chickens in a heartbeat but chickens are much happier listening to their human about getting locked up in the chicken house at night.

FWIW, ticks do NOT die in cold weather. They burrow deeper into the dirt, the colder it gets. My area had one of the mildest (also wettest) winters we have had in a long time, so I saw the occasional tick all winter long.

I think that's why I'm not seeing a big "rush" of them now -- the warmer winter allowed them to stay above ground, in turn, allowing the neighbor's chickens to eat them - at least that's my theory :):)
 

Scot123

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Hi. Thanks all. Can you get Frontline for horses? That would be ideal. Yes Switch has worked to kill ticks in the past - its active ingredient is permethrin.
It's the quantity we get which makes just picking them off impossible, maybe 20 or 30 a day just on his face. It's rough grazing and deer/pheasants are regular visitors.
Sorry to be daft but what's MTG?
Never heard that about guinea fowl! I like that idea but unfortunately don't think it will work where we are.
There's really effective tick treatments for dogs so surely there must be for horses?
 

ester

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When using deosect (and/or tritec) I never got ticks on Frank when other horses at the same livery would end up with quite a lot. However they did often tend to go for muzzles and F was less accesible due to wearing a muzzle

People do use frontline on horses off label albeit more often for mites.
 

Scot123

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Thank you and I'm glad to hear a positive for Deosect as there doesn't seem to be much choice in the chemical armoury against ticks for horses. I do use natural repellents too, but more as a secondary line of defence, they don't seem quite up to the job on their own! So can I ask, when you use it, do you have to apply it to the whole body eg sponge it over the face too? Or does it spread through their system?
 

Twohorses

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'
Sorry to be daft but what's MTG?

There's really effective tick treatments for dogs so surely there must be for horses?

https://www.horsehealth.co.uk/grooming/showing-prep/hair-re-growth/shapleys-original-m-t-g-plus

FYI :). I will NOT use this stuff for its listed purpose.m some horses skin cannot tolerate the sulfur and I have read of it costing some horse owners a vet bill.

It smells like over used bacon grease and is very greasy but I don't have any issue soaking the bottoms of the horses tails and lightly applying some to their ankles and fetlock hair to keep the ticks away:)
 

Scot123

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Well if it smells like that it must be good for them!! Thank you, I've never heard of it but I'll go and have a look into it just now. And thanks also for the information meleeka. Honestly at my wits end with the horrible little critters, so this advice is much appreciated x
 

SEL

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Just because a friend is going through it with her horse right now.....

If down the line your horse (or you!) get any muscle stiffness, fevers, general 'being off' then get the vet to test for Lyme. Friend not in a high risk area either worryingly.
 

Scot123

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Thanks SEL. I know, Lyme disease is getting to be a big worry, it really is scary since you don't always know you've been bitten straight away. I've taken to checking myself in the mirror every day (not a pretty sight, but worth it!). I know several people round where we are who have had the 'bullseye' mark and had to be on antibiotics after a bite. Absolutely grim. I haven't heard of a horse with it here before, fingers crossed things will be OK x
 

Snoozy

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Deosect will not repel ticks, nor will switch. Best thing is to remove with a tick remover tool. O'tom ones are great.

^this.
We have water, lots of trees and deer so tick heaven. I’ve tried just about every horse tick repellent on the market since we moved here last year and nothing works so it’s twice daily tick checks with my trusty tick o’tom for the horses, cats and me.
I’ve always used Frontline on my cats but it’s not working either. :(
 
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Is your grass long? You need to keep your paddocks short. We have a high tick population here and occasionally find them on the horses chests (I run my hands over them daily to check them), it’s difficult to manage but needs must. Avoid long grass where you can as they wait in the grass to attach themselves to something brushing past. Hubby got bit a couple of months ago and the dam thing climbed all the way up his jeans and attached to the top of the back of his thigh! He only felt it when he sat down and it bit him. I’m afraid when you have a big deer population, you have lots of ticks.
 
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