I have a few for you. A cheap alternative to commercial
hoof products is to mix equal parts pine tar and pure neatsfoot oil. That
piece of advice came straight from a very good farrier. An even cheaper
alternative is plain petroleum jelly, which has tons of uses for equine
applications. I keep two large containers of it in the barn. Here's an
example...
An alternative to SWAT is to mix petroleum jelly and
Sevin-Dust. This makes a great paste you can slather in ears, around faces and
undersides where flies love to congregate.
I tried the home-made recipe for fly repellant with
Citronella and Apple Cider vinegar, and I did not find it effective at all. I
also tested it out when I still lived in southeastern Louisiana, and the bugs
down there are resilient to damn-near everything. I have no problem paying for
commercial fly repellant as it does a much better job, though this year I will
be giving Fly Predators a try. Will get back to you on that one.
The dollar stores are also a favorite place for my
sister and I to stock the barn supplies with. I buy latex gloves there for my
barn medicine box, peroxide, alcohol, betadine, cotton balls, a couple pairs of
barn scissors (because they always seem to disappear), and generic baby diapers,
which make great bandages for horses. I also buy the African Queen hair products
there. Since African-Americans tend to have very coarse hair, their hair
cholesterol makes great conditioners for equine manes and tails. In addition,
the dollar store stocks any kind of storage bin you could ask for, citronella
candles and if memory serves, Straight Arrow's Mane n' Tail Shampoo and
conditioner. You'll find duct tape, scrub brushes, sponges and pads for
tack and barn cleaning, broom and dustpan for the tack room and so on. You'd be
surprised what you CAN'T find at a fraction of the cost. The dollar store is
your friend. :)
If I remember any more, I'll send them on as well. Hope
this is a start. Also, I am very sorry about your dog. :(
