Solitude IGR v. Equi-Fly - feed through fly control - anyone use?

[Fantastic]

Anyone out there use Equi-Fly feed through?

I've used Pfizer's Solitude IGR, but am looking for a more cost effective alternative. The results with Solitude are amazing! With 22 horses here now, that is about $260 per month (lasts 29 days) for the 20 lb pail including shipping. :eek: It is safe for pregnant mares and stallions, but I do not have any pregnant mares right now.

I see that Medi-Vet Equi-Fly is amongst the most cost effective that I can find, with Farnam's Simplify being a close runner up. Equi-Fly is about $160 per month (lasts 37 days) for the 50 lb bag including shipping. :yes: Not safe for stallions and pregnant mares (don't have any right now anyway). Will not feed to the stallion (he'll get Solitude)

The idea of saving nearly $100 on fly control per month is very attractive! However, I don't want to switch if it doesn't work well.


So the big question is: Does Equi-Fly work as well as Solitude or does it not?

[deltawave]

I would NEVER feed any of the organophosphate-based feed through fly preventives. No way, no how. Simplifly is a different category--prevents larvae from forming part of their exoskeleton, and is considered safe. From what I can see, Equi-Fly is an organophosphate, along the lines of the original Equitrol (not Equitrol II, which is safe) that was implicated in lots of neurological problems in horses. Not for me. :no:

The active ingredient in EquiFly is Rabon--you can do a search on it. Scary.

[Fantastic]

Deltawave, you're the best!:)

THANK YOU for the heads up and warning! I recall some info about the original Equitrol being dangerous and Equitrol II being much better. Guess I'd better go back to the drawing board and spend more quality time in research and number crunching. Knew it was too good to be true! They are all on Solitude right now, and I will not make a switch until I am better educated!!!:sadsmile:

Deltawave; what is your fly control program? Are you doing any feed throughs or something else?

[deltawave]

I use Solitude, Simplifly or Equitrol II-type feed-through products (they are all the same) and have been VERY happy with them. :yes: The prices are pretty close, so what I usually do is shop in January/February when it's on sale and stock up for the year, waiting until I have enough other stuff to order to get free shipping (although with the amount of the fly stuff I buy I usually wind up paying some FOB fees). That's about the only way I know to really SAVE on these products, but their efficacy (and safety. . . as far as we know, anyhow) ;) is VERY much worth it to me and my herd.

First year on our farm I used fly predators--flies were SO BAD my horses practically lived in fly sheets, boots, and masks from June until late September. :dead: Next year I switched to the Simplifly class of feed-throughs and the fly sheets have not been unpacked since, going on 3 years. :yes: I still put masks on the old mare who gets weepy eyes, but that's it.

[CB/TB]

I use Equitrol II. I haven't even seen the original formula advertised in quite a few years, so ,maybe it's non existent now. I have very few flies each year. I still have to spray and I hang traps for the nasties it doesn't target. This year I've added Bug Check to see if I can REPEL anything. Spring has been cool and rainy, so it's hard to tell if that's working, but I did start early , and NO, the stall/horse doesn't smell like pizza!

[GallopHer]

I started using Simplifly in late March and I've been extremely pleased with the results. I found a good price on a 50 pound tub at KV Vet or Country Supply (can't remember which), but the shipping was high. In my area, shipping is cheaper from Jeffers. So, I called Jeffers and they matched the competition's price.

Moral of the story~~when ordering supplements that weigh this much, compare shipping prices, as well as product prices.

[Oakstable]

I gotta do something.

Predators are not enough. Same with traps. The horses pull the masks off the other horses and trample them. Gets expensive.

I'll start shopping the products recommnded.

Thanks.

[Sparky Boy]

I also feed simplifly. Used it last year and we never had a "fly" problem. Hoping it stays that way. Now if we could just get rid of the B52's that show up later in the summer!

[GallopHer]

Oakstable - Do you have fire ants in your area? If so, the fly predators are like candy to the fire ants. Entomologists don't recommend the use of fly predators in pastures that are prone to fire ants.

[Oakstable]

No, no fire ants that I have heard of.

I think I will start with Equitrol II.

Quite a big difference in prices in this catalog.

I also want a roll-on for their faces.

[LEN]

Why do people poison their horses on purpose? Feed through wormers, feed through fly control etc. Its all poison. The Horse gets Poisoned everyday. Just because someone says its safe. Proven safe, by who the horse? Wheres the common sense. Poison is poison. Not for me.

[deltawave]

It's a matter of perceived risk vs. perceived benefit, LEN, just like everything we do. Got a headache? You can take tylenol, or ibuprofen, or not. It's really up to you. There is risk in everything. The ibuprofen MIGHT shut down your kidneys; the tylenol MIGHT wreck your liver. But it probably won't if you're healthy and you use it properly. But if you're worried, YOU get to keep the headache if you choose. :)

We all get to choose which level and variety of risk is acceptable to us. I'll take horses that aren't stomping and miserable four and a half months out of the year and stack that up against the reasonably well-defined risks of these products (check the MSDS, there are plenty of data out there and it's not that difficult to find). For me the calculus works out just fine, and I can visibly see the more-comfortable horses in my paddock. I'm fairly certain they're going to die someday, but also fairly certain it won't be from fly-growth-inhibiotor poisoning. :) You choose for yours, I'll choose for mine. :yes:

[LEN]

It's a matter of perceived risk vs. perceived benefit, LEN, just like everything we do. Got a headache? You can take tylenol, or ibuprofen, or not. It's really up to you. There is risk in everything. The ibuprofen MIGHT shut down your kidneys; the tylenol MIGHT wreck your liver. But it probably won't if you're healthy and you use it properly. But if you're worried, YOU get to keep the headache if you choose. :)

We all get to choose which level and variety of risk is acceptable to us. I'll take horses that aren't stomping and miserable four and a half months out of the year and stack that up against the reasonably well-defined risks of these products (check the MSDS, there are plenty of data out there and it's not that difficult to find). For me the calculus works out just fine, and I can visibly see the more-comfortable horses in my paddock. I'm fairly certain they're going to die someday, but also fairly certain it won't be from fly-growth-inhibiotor poisoning. :) You choose for yours, I'll choose for mine. :yes:

I can choose asprin for my headache and your right, I can choose what is acceptable for me. Now the horse can't choose, can it. If I were that horse I would hope my owner would choose what is safe for me. Not what is acceptable for he or she just because it makes them feel good and to see me being comfortable out in some pasture. My owner shouldn't have to check data on Poisons to see which Poison is safe. I would hope my owner would use something that is natural or Organic. Fly Control is a problem for us all. Horses have been dealing with flies from the beginning of time. We think we can make them more comfortable with drugs,poisons and sprays. many do more harm than good. There are many ways to make a horse comfortable during the fly season. Its just up to the owner to do it responsablly.

[deltawave]

So something "organic" would be OK with you? Define organic. Natural isn't always safe, either. :)

[Foxtrot's]

Diatamous earth is the skeletol remains of fossilized sea creatures - that is used in feed-through fly control. Anybody know which?

[deltawave]

I think it's in a few different ones in small amounts, but from some of the things I've read the volume that needs to be fed is quite large. (and consensus on efficacy is scant at best) For chickens (as an example) the one book I have recommends that the DE be fed as 2-5% of their ration. That's a lot of DE, even for a chicken! :eek:

[chai]

I did, but I will never use them again in the future. Our horse was in a boarding barn where Solitude was used. The barn was immaculate and the care was excellent. Our mare had been on Solitude the previous summer but shortly after they began putting Solitude in the feed again, our mare developed a trickle of blood from her nose that would not stop. In the span of a week, we had her scoped twice, and when they could not find anything definitive, we took her to a well respected equine clinic.
A scope there disocovere a small, 2 cm round spot on the musosa down low inside the nostril where blood was seeping through the mucosa as if through a sponge. There was no bruising or laceration. Her turnout was a small dirt paddock, her hay and feed hadn't changed, so I looked into Solitude and discovered that there are warnings about this product being inhaled or absorbed through the skin and that it may create skin sensitivities and reactions. I believe our mare inhaled a pellet of Solitude which stuck to her mucosa, causing a caustic reaction, irritation and bleeding. The bloody nose finally stopped on its own, 12 days after it started while she was at the equine clinic.

Thank God we had insurance because the vet bills ran over $2,000.
Here is the link for information on Solitude.
http://www.pfizerah.com/Product_Overview.aspx?drug=SI&country=US&lang=EN&species=EQ

[deltawave]

Chai, that warning exists for pretty much any drug--read the labels. :) Getting pills/meds stuck in body cavities (usually the esophagus) is a really, really common cause of ER visits for irritation, pain, bleeding, etc. and it can be anything from a vitamin to the really scary, expensive things.

But again, of course you have to weigh the PROS and the CONS for yourself. :yes:

[chai]

I agree, deltawave. I was never comfortable with the idea of feed-through fly control, and I should have read the warning label instead of just going along with the rest of the barn. Our mare is probably in the tiny percent of horses that have a bad reaction from the product, but when you're in that tiny percentage and your horse's nose bleeds for twelve days, it is a terrible reality.
I had the same situation with a flea collar on our dog. It was a well known brand, but it burned our dog's neck terribly. We thought we were doing the right thing for our dog, never realizing how dangerous flea collars can be.

[suzyq]

I'm having just the opposite luck with Simplifly. I used fly predators last year and wasn't that impressed. I started Simplifly in Feb this year, and I am overrun with flies right now. I didn't realize how much the fly predators were working till now :)

[saje]

Why do people poison their horses on purpose? Feed through wormers, feed through fly control etc. Its all poison. The Horse gets Poisoned everyday. Just because someone says its safe. Proven safe, by who the horse? Wheres the common sense. Poison is poison. Not for me.


As I understand it, Solitude is not a "poison" like the organophosphates, it's a growth inhibitor for the developing flies. It interferes with the production of chitin - the stuff that makes bugs' exoskeleton. They don't grow an outer shell, they can't survive. Since horses don't produce chitin, it doesn't affect them.

I meant to try it this year, but I don't know if it's too late now to be of much use. I know it's expensive, but so is fly spray x 7 horses x multiple uses per day. Not to mention fly spray IS poisonous!

[deltawave]

Even the feed-through stuff there are definitely periods when the flies seem to "peak". A warm period after rain is classic. But after a day or two they fly burden dies way back down again, unlike the constant high level of flies pre-feed-through. Just my experience--flies are very definitely not "one size fits all" and even with a good program there are bad spells. They're just a lot shorter now! :)

[pony grandma]

I started using Simplifly in late March and I've been extremely pleased with the results. I found a good price on a 50 pound tub at KV Vet or Country Supply (can't remember which), but the shipping was high. In my area, shipping is cheaper from Jeffers. So, I called Jeffers and they matched the competition's price.

Moral of the story~~when ordering supplements that weigh this much, compare shipping prices, as well as product prices.

I posted a thread about the ALS catalog offering free FOB on heavy items thru May 25th. http://www.americanlivestock.com

An excellent opportunity to get savings!! And their Simplifly price was cheaper than Jeffers or Country Supply to start out with.

No FOB Shipping Charge on FOB Items now through Memorial Day!

Orders received now through May 25, 2009, ALS will waive the full FOB shipping charge on all FOB products.
- -If you order through our website use coupon code FOB52009, or if you prefer to call in your order at 1-800-356-0700 just mention this email. (please note: the FOB charge reduction will not show up on your online order however it will be credited on your invoice)

I never had any luck with fly parasites. I spent a ton of $$ trying them for several years. It sure points out how everyone has totally different experiences.

[suzyq]

Can I use fly predators and simplifly together? I broke down and ordered fly predators. Then my farrier came yesterday and said yes, I had lots of flies, but not the biting ones! So I'm thinking the simplifly is helping with the biting flies. I'd like to use both, since I already bought enough simplifly for the summer.

I'm also getting some fly traps. This is war :cool:

[GallopHer]

Yes - you can use fly predators and Simplifly together. The simplifly will not harm your predators.

[WeDoItAll]

and bought a double dose of arbico fly predators (even 2x the predators was cheaper) instead of spaulding labs. I had so many flies that year I went right back to spaulding labs the next year .... so if you are dissatisfied with your predator results, try the ones from spaulding labs.

[deltawave]

The simplifly will not harm your predators.

Can you quote me some chapter and verse on that one? I was under the impression that the Simplifly-type products will put an end to the development of any insect whose life style includes the manure pile. Since fly predators' larvae feed on fly larvae (in the manure pile) I thought the two were not compatible. :confused:

[suzyq]

and bought a double dose of arbico fly predators (even 2x the predators was cheaper) instead of spaulding labs. I had so many flies that year I went right back to spaulding labs the next year .... so if you are dissatisfied with your predator results, try the ones from spaulding labs.

That's what I did. Hope it works!