# Farnam TRI-TEC fly spray



## Box_Of_Frogs (7 July 2011)

Anyone else bought this having been lured by the fact that the advert in this quarter's BHS magazine says the spray isn't affected by sweat, lasts 14 days, kills almost all flying things that hang round horses stone cold dead and thus ensures you don't get marked down on your dressage tests because of flies. I have 2 rescue shetlands and they don't make 7hh and 8hh sized permethrin impregnated fly sheets. In fact, most shetland sized rugs don't really fit, they all slide back and threaten to cut off circulation to their brains after an hour or two! So this fly spray seemed a perfect way to help them. I ordered it on line Monday, it arrived today. Squinting at the minute writing on the bottle (£36 for a huge spray bottle) I read the following: DO NOT APPLY DIRECT TO ANIMALS. What?????? Advertised as above, that's fraud. Presumably it's a surface spray designed for the stable??? Dunno. Anyone else bought it? My advice is DON'T until I've spoken to Pegasus Health Thursday to find out what the hell is going on.


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## FrodoBeutlin (7 July 2011)

No, no - of course you can apply it directly to animals, and it works a treat - I have bought mine in Italy and the bottle does NOT say anything like that at all (just says be careful not to spray onto eyes, like all sprays!!!!) - same in the US. Apparently the problem is that it is not (yet?) licensed as an on-horse fly spray in the UK, hence the strange UK-only label. 

And...it DOES work a treat!! Brilliant stuff, absolutely the only thing which keeps flies away in the heat of the Italian summer.


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## Box_Of_Frogs (8 July 2011)

Thanks FrodoB. I spoke with Pegasus Health (where I bought the Tri Tec 14 from) today and they said pretty much the same thing that you have. The exact same product is used all the time in USA and Europe but Leslie Sutcliffe (they have the licence to import it to UK) have jumped the gun. Their current licence doesn't allow them to sell it as a horse fly-spray, only as a surface insecticide for eg stables. I still think it stinks because any sensible horse owner wouldn't put what seems to be a pretty powerful insecticide on their horse if the instructions say DO NOT SPRAY ON ANIMALS. And Mark from Pegasus Health was telling me today of a horse owner who sprayed his horse with DEET and it dropped down dead. So there'd be no comeback at all if I sprayed my shetlands with TriTec14 and, god forbid, they dropped down dead, because the bloody product isn't licensed yet!

And will Leslie Sutcliffe answer my voicemail messages? No. If no response by Friday, I'm reporting them to BHS for a misleading (and mis-selling) ad carried by British Horse July/Aug 2011 edition.


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## FrodoBeutlin (8 July 2011)

I do understand your point but trust me, it's used all over Europe without any issues - I find it invaluable and would be lost without mine - I don't think it is any more 'dangerous' than any other fly spray.

The whole UK labelling is purely caused by a mis-timing issue, not because the spray is potentially dangerous and they are awaiting further tests!


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## easypeasy (10 July 2011)

just found this thread whilst googling Tritec to buy more supplies - and saw these posts- I used Tritec when I lived in Canada for years and believe me if you have a horse thats sensitive to flies & mossies its a godsend.  If you can't get your head around the labelling issue spray it on the rugs instead.  I spray the pony and rugs and stable and nothing goes near her.  Last year my shetlands got lice ( Tritec is great for lice) and my vet told me to buy the powder from the feed merchant - the label says DONT APPLY DIRECTLY TO ANIMALS- I called my vet and he said its just a labelling issue with European law - blah, blah blah.
Can't see there's anything special about your shetties that will make them drop down dead when thousands of horses all around the worls use it regularily!


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## easypeasy (10 July 2011)

see above post


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## Box_Of_Frogs (11 July 2011)

There's absolutely nothing special about my shetlands. They're just 2 ordinary ponies but, as I said in original post, I can't get a fly rug to fit them. If I could, I wouldn't have forked out £36 for a bottle of something that STILL says DO NOT USE ON ANIMALS on it. For god's sake, it also says to move the bloody animals even before you start spraying it anywhere. The point I'm making about horses dropping dead is that the instructions say NOT to use on animals. What's the point of putting instructions on chemicals if owners are told to just ignore them? I finally spoke to Leslie Sutcliffe (I kept ringing her) and she pretty much tried to wheedle out of it by saying a member of staff cut and pasted the US advert by mistake, then that I could use it on the stable walls and that would solve the horse fly problem (had to explain about horse flies and fields), then more waffle about licensing laws. The bottom line is she's jumped the gun and is advertising a product that is NOT licensed for use in the UK and is therefore probably illegal. It's sheer greed to get the product out in time for this summer's horse flies. She should be ashamed of herself, oh and she doesn't appear to know much about horses. I'm contacting BHS to advise them they are running an illegal ad in their mag. The whole thing stinks and I didn't get a single apology or kind word, just whiny excuses.


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## easypeasy (11 July 2011)

why don't you just ask for your money back from the place you bought it from? Everyone in my yard is using it and it works great! I'll buy it from you is its going cheap! LOL


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## flyingfeet (11 July 2011)

Box_Of_Frogs said:



			I'm contacting BHS to advise them they are running an illegal ad in their mag. The whole thing stinks and I didn't get a single apology or kind word, just whiny excuses.
		
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I think you might be overreacting here!! Chill

I've been using the Absorbine "room spray" on my horses with no problems, in other countries its being used on horses, and its only here in the UK with our red tape that we have a problem. 

To be honest if your horse drops dead from spray anything on them, I think you would have a hard time proving that it was that and not something else (unless a 'poision')

Tri tec is permethrin and cypermethrin - both are in spot on which has been used on cows for years and regularly used on horses (but its not licensed for horses!)

Personally I'd rather spray on that use a pour on designed to get into their skin!


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## fatpiggy (11 July 2011)

Just be careful you don't expose cats to it.


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## easypeasy (11 July 2011)

@ fatpiggy - why would you expose cats to it?   would you expose your cat to a big spray of Net Tex/NAF with Deet? no - the trouble with fly sprays is the benefits of using tiny amounts of toxic ( to flies) chemicals makes our animals less stressed and less prone to fly bourne diseaes. they are a necessary evil cos of the bugs!
Wait til Swamp fever hits again - citronella and tea mixed in a bottle won't save your horse from compulsory destruction - the Trtec stuff is used by a friend of mine in America to protect her horses from all manor of exoctic fly borne diseases that are about to hit the Uk.  I Understand that if you mix 'UK approved & safe' Deet fly sprays  with other types of fly sprays on your horse  you get horrific reactions - its about being sensible. And what about horses who live/ have lived previously in areas heavily infested  with ticks - http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/horsecare/1370/40011.html


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## easypeasy (23 May 2012)

deffo the Tritec for the sweetitch - the mossies that cause it don't have a sense of smell ( according to the National Sweetitch centre lady) and our pony was terrible until we used this last year.  She now lives out all summer - no fly rugs but has the most distugusting sticky up bog brush ,mane. one bottle lasts for ages - I just reapply every 4 days and doesn't smell nasty either.  Gave up with all the smelly loyions and postions after I spoke to the NSC lady! Will never be with out it - I get it from a nice lady at kickinwestern.co.uk


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## princessa81 (24 July 2012)

easypeasy said:



			@ fatpiggy - why would you expose cats to it?   would you expose your cat to a big spray of Net Tex/NAF with Deet? no - the trouble with fly sprays is the benefits of using tiny amounts of toxic ( to flies) chemicals makes our animals less stressed and less prone to fly bourne diseaes. they are a necessary evil cos of the bugs!
Wait til Swamp fever hits again - citronella and tea mixed in a bottle won't save your horse from compulsory destruction - the Trtec stuff is used by a friend of mine in America to protect her horses from all manor of exoctic fly borne diseases that are about to hit the Uk.  I Understand that if you mix 'UK approved & safe' Deet fly sprays  with other types of fly sprays on your horse  you get horrific reactions - its about being sensible. And what about horses who live/ have lived previously in areas heavily infested  with ticks - http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/horsecare/1370/40011.html

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EASYPEASY! im having a look round at fors and againsts regarding farnam tri tec and noticed your link about ticks...sheep tick to be precise.What about deer ticks as my horse shares his field with loads of them...should i be concerned as im always having to remove the horrible bliters!

Thanks

Elizabeth

x


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## Noodlebug (24 July 2012)

I just brought some and definately the best so far. The only problem I found is that it only works well when you apply it every day!! Do you know if you can???


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## easypeasy (29 July 2012)

I use my Tritec every day on my mare who is extremely sensitive to flies.  I spray her in the stable so the excess falls on the bedding and it keeps the stable fly free in the bargain - from the research I have done its an insecticide not a horse- ecide LOL


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## easypeasy (29 July 2012)

We also have deer ticks in oyur fields and this year we haven't had a single one attach to any of the horses....so they have either moved elsewhere ( unlikely) or the tritec repells them? It says it works agaianst ticks and lice so presumably it will repell both too.


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## katherine1975 (29 July 2012)

I have been using Tri Tec 14 for the last two weeks, it is really good and both my horses have sweetitch and it has kept the midges and horse flies away. It is expensive but definitely worth it.


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## Hen (29 July 2012)

Noodlebug said:



			I just brought some and definately the best so far. The only problem I found is that it only works well when you apply it every day!! Do you know if you can???
		
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I use mine everyday and not had any problems. As also mentioned here, I spray it on in the stable so it also keeps the stable pretty much fly-free. I think it is intended for frequent use, there are other products for long-term use which are waterproof etc. I've got a packet of Spot-On which is supposed to last for a couple of weeks but I've never used it as I've not turned the horse away this summer.


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