DAN: "What is the best way and/or supplement
to control flies?
Horse's legs are getting bit up by flies
and I'm not sure what to do about it.
He lives in a dry lot paddock."
DR LYDIA GRAY: OK.
So the overall answer is take a well-rounded, comprehensive
approach to fly control.
And that means maybe an insect growth regulator, or IGR,
like a Solitude or SimpliFly--
hard word to say-- that keeps the fly larvae
from maturing in the manure.
You can also use something like a Fly Stopper that
has the beneficial parasitic wasps that also don't let
the larvae grow up to be a fly.
DAN: Fly, yeah.
DR LYDIA GRAY: Yeah, so you're reducing the number of adult
flies in the property, and so that will help your horse.
And also, there's some perimeter things you can do.
You can always clean up your property.
Make sure there's no standing water.
Vegetation, branches, and grass, all that needs to be gone.
DAN: If you have manure piles on your property--
DR LYDIA GRAY: Manure piles, yeah.
Best to have that taken away, compost, or spread,
or removed, something.
But the thing I think for this horse,
because she specifically mentioned his legs are getting
bit up, there's supplements that deter biting insects
and they create a so-called personal fly
zone around horses.
But because the legs are so specific,
I would use physical barriers.
And we have one here that I think is really cool.
The horses at our barn use them.
They're new from SmartPak.
They're the relaxed fit fly boots.
And this is a stiffener that goes up the back.
That's where the Velcro is.
But this would be on a horse's cannon bone.
And so it's very cool, breathable, air flow--
DAN: It feels super durable, too.
DR LYDIA GRAY: Yeah, it's very durable.
I like these a lot.
You can always use your traditional fly boots.
But if for whatever reason you want to try something new,
I would give this a whirl and see if your horse likes them.
We have two at our barn that won't wear fly boots,
they take them off.
We put these on and it's like they
don't know they have them on.
They walk around and we're like, don't tell them
they have boots on.
And that keeps the stomping down and all that.
But then you've got your fly sheets and fly mask and stuff.
But the other thing I would use for legs
I've had a lot of success with as a veterinarian,
and we used to sell--
I don't think we sell it anymore.
Two companies make them.
They're more of a sleeve-like sock.
DAN: Yep.
DR LYDIA GRAY: So EquiFit makes one.
It's called horse socks.
DAN: Yep.
DR LYDIA GRAY: It comes in black and a nude color.
And then Summer Socks or Summer Whinnys is the other company.
And sometimes theirs are silver impregnated for scratches
and wounds on the legs.
Those are really good.
Donkeys get fly strike, this is called, really badly.
And so I like to use those products on donkeys especially.
But if your horse is getting his legs specifically eaten up,
then I would cover them in addition to the other fly
control measures that we talked about.
DAN: I know you mentioned the Solitude IGR and Fly
Stoppers as preventing the fly population becoming
adult flies-- basically maturing.
DR LYDIA GRAY: Correct, yeah.
DAN: So is that something people are
going to want to start earlier in the season?
DR LYDIA GRAY: Yeah, I typically start those about a month
before.
I also start the supplements just for the horse--
the insect deterrent supplements about a month
before to get that in and going.
DAN: And those are supplements that contain garlic
and things of that nature.
DR LYDIA GRAY: And vinegar and brewer's yeast
and things like that.
DAN: OK.
Perfect.
Get ahead of it.
I can't believe it's almost fly season, which is good and bad.
DR LYDIA GRAY: We're way into fly season.
Where do you live?
DAN: Well, Massachusetts has been cold and kind of rainy
until today.
DR LYDIA GRAY: And then the day it stops raining,
they're out in full force.
DAN: Flies everywhere, yeah.
DR LYDIA GRAY: You've got to have all this stuff ready.
DAN: So I'll be making some purchases after this video,
apparently.