Report on Outlaw Equine Squeeze-On Testing Protocol

To evaluate the efficacy of Outlaw Equine Sqeeze-On as a repellant for natural attacks of biting and nuisance flies a well as Dermacentor variabilis ticks and to Culex quinquefasciatus mosquitoes, scientists from Lnouvel, Inc., a respected chemical testing laboratory, assembled a group of horses in  typical stable conditions.

The horses were housed indoors and fed and maintained in a routine manner. To minimize environmental effects, horses were randomly distributed throughout the stable facility.

Two series of tests were performed. The first was further divided into two cycles, with untreated control subjects and treated test subjects.

In the second study, horses were divided into each of three groups: one untreated, one treated with a commercial permethrin-based squeeze-on, and one treated with Outlaw Equine Squeeze-On. Treatments were made in accordance with label instructions.

Observation procedure

The treated and control horses were exposed to natural infestations of biting and nuisance flies. On each horse, the extent of biting and nuisance fly infestation was measured by two trained observers, one on each side of the horse. Ten counts, 30 seconds apart, were made on each horse. Biting and nuisance fly counts were made on the first, third and eighth days after treatment, and approximately weekly thereafter.

To study the efficacy against ticks, unfed adult ticks were confined in a fabric covered plastic cup fastened to the horse’s neck. The ticks were removed after one hour and the numbers of live, dead, attached and moribund ticks counted.

Exposures to caged hungry adult male and female Culex mosquitoes were made by placing paper cups with perforations and covered with fabric on the surface of horses on the same days that fly counts are made. The behavior of the caged mosquitoes was observed for 60 minutes for signs of repellency (mosquitoes land but immediately fly away, do/do not adopt the normal resting position and/or females do/do not attempt to feed). The contents of the cups were examined immediately on removal and the numbers of live and dead mosquitoes counted. Additionally, female mosquitoes were squashed between microscope slides and examined for evidence of feeding by the presence/absence of blood staining.