My horse is being bitten by
insects and scratching all the
time, what can I do to help him?
There are a number of insects that like to bite
horses including mites, mosquitoes and flies.
Try using some insect repellent like Brute
Insecticide for Horses 500ml or Flygon Insecticidal
and Repellent Spray. Any bites can cause initial
itching but they can also cause an allergic
reaction resulting in severe itching and sometimes
damaging the skin. Queensland Itch or Sweet Itch
is a common itch caused by an allergic reaction
to the saliva of biting insects and can prove to
be difficult to combat. To soothe and heal the
damaged skin I suggest trying Heritage Downs
Intensive Treatment or Heritage Downs Coat Oil.
If possible try to put a good quality rug and neck
rug on the horse to put a barrier between the
coat and the insects.
If your horse has ticks this can cause itching
and allergic reactions as well more serious health
conditions. To remove and repel ticks spray
Permoxin on the coat every two weeks.
If the itching continues with no relief you should
contact your veterinarian and seek advice or the
horse may need an antihistamine injection.
12
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my pet magazine
Flehmen is a term used to describe a behaviour
where a horse extends their neck, raises their
head and curls back their upper lip showing
their teeth. Flehmening is a mammalian
behaviour not only seen in horses but also
performed by many mammals including cats,
dogs, cattle, goats, giraffes, lions, tigers
and rhinoceros.
This flehmen response is used as another form
of communication between animals. With the
lip curled back the air is sucked through to the
roof of the mouth and the palate where the
vomeronasal organ (VNO) is located. The VNO
is an olfactory-chemosensory organ which
detects pheromones and scents in the air.
When certain scents are detected signals are
transmitted to the brain which can then trigger
various behavioural and/or physiological
reactions.
The flehmen response is commonly seen in
mares after giving birth and by stallions when
around a mare to determine if they are in
oestrus and ready to mate.
tried+teed
"Great product. At the moment
we have bad mozzies and this
keeps them at bay."
Michael, vet-n-pet DIRECT customer
FLYGON INSECTICIDAL AND REPELLENT SPRAY
Repels flies and other biting insects on horses, dogs, cattle and pigs.
"Buy the big bottle this stuff is amazing.
Works great, sprayed my horse 5 days
ago and haven't needed to re spray yet."
Danielle, vet-n-pet DIRECT customer
Flehmen...
Why
the
turned
up
lip?
