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Eco-vet Fly Spray

8K views 55 replies 11 participants last post by  Hondo 
#1 ·
So....I'm a believer in this.

Ecovet

Another forum member had linked it to me asking what I thought about it. Its different from any other fly spray I've tried...and I swear I've tried them all! Chemicals....natural...home made concoctions...I've just never SEEN anything actually work.

Well.

Today trailered Jax over to little park, had not fly sprayed him yet today. So get him out of trailer and hes instantly swarmed....tail swishing and kicking at his belly. I just got my 4oz bottle in of eco-vet, planned on keeping it in my saddle bags, so figured perfect time to try it!

Literally, seconds after spraying him all over he didn't have a single fly around him.

So we started riding, granted we only did 4 miles but he didn't have ANY flies bothering him. I got a few bites...didn't spray myself...but they didn't even want to land on him!

So got to the house, untacked him and grabbed Orianna and tacked her up...again fly sprayed her in the eco-vet.

Not a single bit of fly trouble riding her the 4 miles back to trailer.

I honestly can't believe it, I almost recorded some of my ride just to show that some flies would fly near by...but not land LOL! It was pretty amazing. Can't wait to test it out more.
 
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#2 ·
That is great to hear! My bottle is due in on UPS tomorrow. The downside is that it's 40, 60, and 50% rain the next three days.

No matter though. If this stuff end my 2 year search for my extremely bug allergic horse it will be wonderful.

Thanks for the report.

Smell too bad to put it on yourself? :)
 
#4 ·
I may have to get me some. Nothing, and I mean NOTHING I have tried on my boy has worked.


I'm going to try diluted Skins So Soft next, and if that doesn't work, this could be next in line to try.
 
#11 ·
Welcome to the wonderful world of ecovet. I loff it. Except the smell, but even that I can get over and it goes to give me a migraine like most perfumes. I find it lasts about 1+/2 days. I apply it once a day to my sweet itch and bug phobic horse, but the company said it could be applied less to,regular horses. It will wash off with heavy sweat or water.
 
#12 ·
Sounds more and more like being worth a try... If it lasts 1 day, I am happy. Regular fly sprays just don't cut it, as my mare is out 24/7 and needs relief around the clock.
With spot treatment and feed through repellent she is quite ok (at least not eaten up), but she gets bad hives from bites, so I am looking for improvement...
Only thing she sweats like there is no tomorrow...
 
#13 ·
Wow. I may have to try this. The fact that its actually cheaper than a bottle of Ultrashield EX makes it very attractive.
I haven't really needed fly spray at the new barn though. The flies are literally next to nothing. The only thing I know BO is doing different from most is feeding Permaguard, if you all are interested. However, all we have are the house flies. We only get mosquitoes when it rains. Most of the time, its too dry for most types of pests so at least the desert has that going for it.
 
#15 ·
I think it deters regular flies because the smell is so strong it masks the smell of the horse which is what attracts them and I did find it worked well for that but it didn't do anything at all to reduce ticks or horse and deer flies and they're the bugs that cause me the most problems, it has nothing in to kill ticks either plus it contains silicone and I try to avoid using any products that have silicone in them on my horses
You could probably mix your own concoction of the herbs/scents they use and mix with a light oil to get the same effect for less money
 
#16 ·
It is working for the deer flies with my horses. They are what get my guys running this time of year. I ride 10-15 miles 3-5 days a week in the woods of Northeast Ct, about as deerfly and tick-Y a spot. So far so good. The fatty acid base is what is supposed to make the bugs not be able to detect them.
 
#18 ·
Deer flies are attracted to things like movement, shiny surfaces, carbon dioxide, and warmth so I'm not sure that the fatty acid technology works so well on them though research has shown that fatty acids and triglycerides in some plants can deter mosquitos
When I used the Ecovet on its own I was finding lots more ticks on my horses again
 
#19 ·
Label says not to get it on human or horse skin. Use on hair only.

Front label in large letters says fly repellant. Fine print on back under environmental hazards says it is a pesticide and harmful to fish and invertebrates.

First aid lists concerns.

From the name Eco-Vet and the discussion I got the idea in my head that it was non hazardous. There is no restrictions on Deet being on the skin. My horse is rubbing himself all over with his nose and wipes his eyes on his front legs so I'll need to be selective where I use it. I know that now a days manufacturers have to cover themselves but I need first aid for it being on my skin, so does my horse.

So I started researching the active ingredients:

Octanoic Acid: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caprylic_acid

Nonanoic Acid: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nonanoic_acid

Decanoic Acid: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decanoic_acid

Now after reading the uses of each I can't see what harm any of it could be. The eye irritant apparently is from one acid that is used in some pepper sprays. Octanoic Acid is even used to sanitize food contact surfaces.

Non suggest ingesting is harmful.

So I dunno. Any chemist out there?
 
#20 ·
Interesting Hondo.
As with all things, natural and synthetic chemicals, when using them people should always try on a small test area first and avoid contact with any sore areas/broken skin that are more likely to get irritated
As for ingesting it - I personally wouldn't want to do that, you can use bleach to sanitize work surfaces but you wouldn't drink it.
 
#22 ·
you can use bleach to sanitize work surfaces but you wouldn't drink it.
Ha ha. Good point! That said, most city drinking water has some bleach in it. I have a 2,000 gallon storage tank that I pump into and add 1/2 gallon of bleach per filling.

That said, I suppose moderation may be key.

I read some .gov stuff on each of the chemicals after posting. Still doesn't sound too bad except most was at lower concentrations.

I used some this morning before pulling Hondo's fronts and trimming. Seemed to work. I used it very sparingly.

I have heard all my life that the hulls from black walnuts were toxic to fish. I suppose if whatever it is was extracted and concentrated it could be bad.

All said, I'm over my worry. If it works as it has seemed to, I'll keep using it. My insensitive male nose didn't really notice any objectionable odor.
 
#24 ·
Cautiously optimistic here :wink:

Got my bottle in the mail last week and I think it may actually work for us! :D

The real test is starting now, as my mare had an equi-spot 2 weeks ago... But that normally stops working after 12 days and we are now on day 14... But, there are hardly any flies on my mare :D
Quite a feat for a pasture horse in MS!
 
#28 ·
#29 ·
Yep, same stuff. It's supposed to be really good for lice and I wanted to rule that out. Did not seem to affect the culicoides, or at least he kept rubbing his mane, tail, and hind legs on his tummy.

The smallest bottle does like 50 cows or horses. I have most of mine left.
 
#30 ·
Thanks
I will give it a try. if it keeps the big horse flies away, that drive horses nuts, and draw blood, not to,mention, major carriers of EIA, then worth it
So, you just made a dilution and used it as a spray?
I was told to apply about 15 cc around the withers and another 15 cc at the rump area
 
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