OMG...A Botfly was actually trying to lay eggs...

[Diane of Buck's Hollow]

on Buck. I thought it was a Honey Bee at first. trying to sting him. He was flying all over him. We could actually seee it trying to deposit the eggs. I would swat at him and he would not even leave!!! Sunday's Man, of course, recognized him as a Botfly. He killed him.

I read on the Internet and it says I have to be careful when removing them and not let them touch the ground. I think he does have some on his legs...We will get a Bot Knife today and try to remove them....The internet says that...once infected...the horse will get "bumps" on his skin...Well, Buck does have some bumps on him....They don't hurt him..But I thought they were just from Fly bites!!! Now I am not sure.

I have Buck on a Rotational Deworming Schedule. I am posting it....just in case anyone has any suggestions for me ...Maybe it is a good schedule or maybe it should be changed.

It is a schedule that all the Boarding Horses are on at the Stables I used to have Buck at. We all buy together at the first of the year.

Jan...........Pyrantel
March.......Equimax
May.........Quest
July.........Pyrantel
Sept.......Equimax (this is the Anthelmintic and Boticide)I was late with this one. Did I blow it)?
Nov........Quest

[lovesfortune]

I would have been like you... I guess I don't really know what a bot fly looks like. Glad Sunday's Man took care of it for you.

[cloedoll]

Eww! I have seen them, too - ugly things they are. It sounds like you have a good plan ahead of you! :) I seem to find the eggs on my horse's legs/chest/armpit/tendon area - they love to hide near their armpits. :rolleyes: So check carefully! :) Good luck, hope ya have fun doing that. :p

[Diane of Buck's Hollow]

eewww...I know, I am feeling yucky just thinking about it. The botfly was big and you could see the backside all curled under and open...trying to lay the eggs...(that is why I thought it was trying to sting him)

[cloedoll]

Eww, now THAT'S gross. I hope Buck isn't infected, that would be a bummer (obviously). Be sure to keep us updated! :)

[KCandAllegro'sMom]

Oh wow...thats gross. I have never actually seen one while it was trying to lay eggs, but poor Allegro has been getting attacked by them.

I haven't had problems with bots in years, but since moving the boys to the country it has been an issue for Allegro. I had to buy a new bot knife because my other one was old that it was not effective at all. So I spent time yesterday removing bot eggs (ick).

Allegro of course loved it because he loves to be groomed and fussed over. They boys both got wormed too so hopefully that will take care of any eggs he may have ingested.

Allegro LOVES wormer. I give him 2 tubes and he tries to eat the tube! I have to fight him to get the tube out of his mouth. Then when he saw me get KC's tube out he got excited because he thought I was giving him more. I've never had a horse that actually liked wormer before. It's really cool not to have to fight with him, because he could probably lift me off the ground with that big head of his (ok probably not) so I'm glad I don't have to fight with him.

Good luck with your bot battle!

[Diane of Buck's Hollow]

KC...when you clean off the bots...do you try to catch them and not let them fall on the ground? Just wondering how careful I will have to be.

I have a really hard time deworming Buck. He does pull me up off my feet!!!! He can hold him mouth tighter than anything I have ever seen....lips become like steel!!!!!lol

I am thinking I am going to have to try the syringe of applesauce and cinnamon this next month and get him ready for November....

[KCandAllegro'sMom]

Diane,

I just scrape them off and let them fall on the ground. Some people will try to catch them to dispose of them in the toilet or wherever, but I never have. Its been such a long time that I've had to deal with bot eggs, my method could be wrong. But even years ago, we just scraped them off and let them hit the ground.

Have you ever tried the pelleted wormer for Buck? I don't know how much of a picky eater he is (my Appy won't eat the pellets) but that might be a solution.

If you are going to try to catch them as you're scraping, I would recommend putting them in a bucket of warm water - I think that the warmth makes them hatch or something? I know that when the horses lick the eggs they stick to the tongue and that is how they get into the horse. I believe they hatch inside and then are pooped out as the larva to grow into the adult flies.

KC doesn't like wormer, but he isn't too bad. The most he does is raise his head and he will try to spit it out, but he isn't to bad. It's nice though to have a horse that inhales the stuff without any kind of fight.

[vicklynn]

Ya, they look like they are going to sting. I smack at them darn buggers.
I have never tried to keep them off the ground, never heard of it until this post.
Ive seen bots, but no eggs on my horse. Usually I see yellow eggs on their hairs.

[Equine_Woman]

KC...when you clean off the bots...do you try to catch them and not let them fall on the ground? Just wondering how careful I will have to be.

I have a really hard time deworming Buck. He does pull me up off my feet!!!! He can hold him mouth tighter than anything I have ever seen....lips become like steel!!!!!lol

I am thinking I am going to have to try the syringe of applesauce and cinnamon this next month and get him ready for November....

You should try getting one of those worming bits. At least that can't clamp their lips down once it's in! Let me see if I can find a link. . .!

[Equine_Woman]

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=16163 I thought about getting one of these for my husband's horse who HATEs to be wormed. She throws her head up randomly like she's spooking. I used to stand on the lead rope to worm her. Now that we've had her for so long she is one I can just walk up to without a halter and worm her. Not sure why she changed though. . .

[vicklynn]

She changed cause youve been consitant, and she trusts you.

As far as that item. I have heard no good reviews on them. I have heard they are flimsy and break really easy. Never used one, but Id go with the crowd that told me about them, they are pretty knowlegable.

[Equine_Woman]

She changed cause youve been consitant, and she trusts you.

As far as that item. I have heard no good reviews on them. I have heard they are flimsy and break really easy. Never used one, but Id go with the crowd that told me about them, they are pretty knowlegable.

Aww thanks. And that's too bad about that bit!!! They seemed like such a good idea!

[vicklynn]

KC...when you clean off the bots...do you try to catch them and not let them fall on the ground? Just wondering how careful I will have to be.

I have a really hard time deworming Buck. He does pull me up off my feet!!!! He can hold him mouth tighter than anything I have ever seen....lips become like steel!!!!!lol

I am thinking I am going to have to try the syringe of applesauce and cinnamon this next month and get him ready for November....

Wow, what a turd hu? LOL. I hope that applesauce works for you. I know apples pured with carrots taught city how to eat apples, he hated them. Might work with the wormer.
How long have you had Buck? I dont remember.
When I first bought Storm, he wouldnt worm either, major head tosser due to abuse. I gave him pelleted wormer in applesauce with a small amount of feed. Thing is, I could only use certain types of pelleted wormer, he was pickey about it. Eventually he came around and is a great wormer. Well, Dixie tells me he is still good with it anyway.

[Diane of Buck's Hollow]

You should try getting one of those worming bits. At least that can't clamp their lips down once it's in! Let me see if I can find a link. . .!

okay...that might help ...if I can ever get it into his mouth , I am quick at getting it all in...but he really can keep those lips tight!!! lol

[Diane of Buck's Hollow]

Wow, what a turd hu? LOL. I hope that applesauce works for you. I know apples pured with carrots taught city how to eat apples, he hated them. Might work with the wormer.
How long have you had Buck? I dont remember.
When I first bought Storm, he wouldnt worm either, major head tosser due to abuse. I gave him pelleted wormer in applesauce with a small amount of feed. Thing is, I could only use certain types of pelleted wormer, he was pickey about it. Eventually he came around and is a great wormer. Well, Dixie tells me he is still good with it anyway.

Vick...I have had Buck since November 2007. He has always been hard to deworm except for the first time I ever did it...I just stuck it in and squirted it. But the second time is when he started being a butt. I always had help at the Stables , but now at home, it is just me. A friend told me to put it in the refrigerater and then mix it with feed. He is a great eater...She said the cold takes the taste away and they will gobble down the feed. I havn't tried that yet , because I havn't wanted to waste the medicine (in case he doesn't eat it)

He is not really head shy at all. He is 6 years old and it seems that he had been taken really good care of...but maybe he had not ever had the paste wormer and that is why he let me do it the first time ....then he got the bad taste of it and now.....ugh

I will have to try the applesauce and carrot puree...Buck will not eat real apples or carrots. Only store bought apple and carrot treats!!! Punk!! lol

[Diane of Buck's Hollow]

Aww thanks. And that's too bad about that bit!!! They seemed like such a good idea!

Would it break while in the horses mouth? That would not be good.

[lovesfortune]

Okay... now Diane's post has got me thinking... and I don't know much about a lot of things... We just had our 1st frost and after reading about bot eggs, etc. They said it's best to worm after the first frost. What wormer should I get? They were wormed last with Ivermectin. ???

Thanks (sorry to highjack)

[Diane of Buck's Hollow]

That's okay...I am interested about the schedule for the wormings also. I want to make sure I am using the ones at the right time.

[MyHorseBiggs]

That's Gross!! I've seen bot flies around our horses before. Yeah we've gone through that before but it was a long time ago I don't remember exactly what we did... :/ sorry!

[KCandAllegro'sMom]

Okay... now Diane's post has got me thinking... and I don't know much about a lot of things... We just had our 1st frost and after reading about bot eggs, etc. They said it's best to worm after the first frost. What wormer should I get? They were wormed last with Ivermectin. ???

Thanks (sorry to highjack)

Awwwwwww man! I just wormed both of my boys yesterday and we haven't had our first frost yet. Well, I can just worm them again.

[HogWild]

We purchased a horse a week or two ago and he has bot fly eggs on his front legs. I wasn't sure how to remove the eggs. How well does the comb work that you have been discussing?

Also, from reading this post it sounds like some wormers kill bot fly larvae. If so, which ones? I was thinking of worming the new horse soon. It was mentioned to wait till after frost to do the worming. Is this so the horse won't be reinfected till spring? If so, I'll probably wait.......unless I should worm now since the horse has been around bot flys.

[lovesfortune]

Not sure how accurate this is, but it's something to go on:
http://www.horsehealthdewormer.com/botfly.htm

Okay, I found this too which shows a worming schedule. Lots of good information on botflys.
http://www.lambriarvet.com/vet-deworm-chart.php

[SedonaThunder]

Here's a pretty comprehensive article (with some pretty gross pics!) that might help! http://www.thehorse.com/parasites/parasites0504.pdf

[vicklynn]

Im not sure about everyones area.
This is the one I use for Southern Missouri
Spring(feb- April)
Target Parasite, encysted and non-encysted small strogyles.
Use
Fendendazole @ twice the dose for 5 days.
or
Moxidectin @ regular dose......I use Moxidectin during this period

Summer May - July)
Target Parasite,,,,roundworms
Use
Pyrantel....all I use

Fall (Aug- Oct)

Target Parasite,,,,Bots
Use
Ivermectin.......I use any of the products with 1.87 Ivermectin in it.

Winter (Nove- Jan)
Target parasite again is Bots
Use
Ivermectin.

I also use a Tapeworm wormer once a yr. I usually do that in Dec.
So my schedule looks like this
Jan, Ivermectin
March, Moxidectin
June, Pyrantyl
Sept, Ivermectin
Dec, Which ever Tape wormer I buy at the time, I use 2 different ones.

I keep my vets schedule on hand.

[Horseaholic]

Now that my head is itching and I can't stop picturing the pictures I saw on Google I thought that this might be helpful...It looks like I would be careful with them touching the ground becaues I wouldn't want to be infected. :eek:

Now I have a question- (if you dont mind) are these flys present everywhere??? I'm freaking out thinking of when I get a horse this is going to be a huge paranoia for me. :confused:


The bot fly presents annual difficulties to equestrian caretakers, as it lays eggs on the insides of horse’s front legs, on the cannon bone and knees, and sometimes on the throat or nose, depending on what type of bot fly does the laying. These eggs, which look like small, yellow drops of paint, must be carefully removed during the laying season (late summer and early fall) to prevent infestation in the horse. When a horse rubs its nose on its legs, the eggs are transferred to the mouth, and from there to the intestines, where the larva grows and migrates to the skin. When ready to emerge, a thumbnail-sized lump will appear on the horse, which is not painful, but if the lump happens to be where the saddle or bridle go, the horse will be out of commission until the wound made by the young bot fly’s emergence heals. Additionally, migrating larva may cause mouth sores, ulcers in the stomach, and blockage of the pyloric valve which could lead to colic. Removal of the eggs (which adhere to the host’s hair) is tricky, since the bone and tendons are directly under the skin on the cannon bones: eggs must be removed with a sharp knife (often a razor blade) or rough sand paper, and caught before they reach the ground. During this process the human can also become infected. Bots can be controlled with several types of dewormers, including dichlorvos, ivermectin, and trichlorfon

[carla]

Question, since I don't have experience with this and want to learn too:

Diane, what I remember seeing on Buck's legs (and Mira's too)- though it has been a couple of weeks- was more of a dark color, and dry/scabby type stuff. Are we thinking this could be it or is there something new there?

I'm just wondering because I've seen quite a few horses with the scabby stuff, but always just thought it was "pasture trash".. just dirty leg-type stuff. And plus the articles describe the eggs as "yellow."

Of course, like I said, it's been a couple of weeks since I saw them and you may be talking about something different anyway.

[SedonaThunder]

Diane, what I remember seeing on Buck's legs (and Mira's too)- though it has been a couple of weeks- was more of a dark color, and dry/scabby type stuff.
Lots of geldings (stallions I suppose too) get this on the fronts of their back legs from "potty splash".

[shynbvs]

EEEWWWWWEEEEYYYYYYY Thats sounds disgusting. I hope I never have to deal with them...

[Diane of Buck's Hollow]

Now that my head is itching and I can't stop picturing the pictures I saw on Google I thought that this might be helpful...It looks like I would be careful with them touching the ground becaues I wouldn't want to be infected. :eek:

Now I have a question- (if you dont mind) are these flys present everywhere??? I'm freaking out thinking of when I get a horse this is going to be a huge paranoia for me. :confused:

The bot fly presents annual difficulties to equestrian caretakers, as it lays eggs on the insides of horse’s front legs, on the cannon bone and knees, and sometimes on the throat or nose, depending on what type of bot fly does the laying. These eggs, which look like small, yellow drops of paint, must be carefully removed during the laying season (late summer and early fall) to prevent infestation in the horse. When a horse rubs its nose on its legs, the eggs are transferred to the mouth, and from there to the intestines, where the larva grows and migrates to the skin. When ready to emerge, a thumbnail-sized lump will appear on the horse, which is not painful, but if the lump happens to be where the saddle or bridle go, the horse will be out of commission until the wound made by the young bot fly’s emergence heals. Additionally, migrating larva may cause mouth sores, ulcers in the stomach, and blockage of the pyloric valve which could lead to colic. Removal of the eggs (which adhere to the host’s hair) is tricky, since the bone and tendons are directly under the skin on the cannon bones: eggs must be removed with a sharp knife (often a razor blade) or rough sand paper, and caught before they reach the ground. During this process the human can also become infected. Bots can be controlled with several types of dewormers, including dichlorvos, ivermectin, and trichlorfon

Now I have a question- (if you dont mind) are these flys present everywhere??? I'm freaking out thinking of when I get a horse this is going to be a huge paranoia for me. :confused:

I think you will be alright..Don't let this worry you. I really don't think it is much of a problem if you keep your horse dewormed. You just have to always check his legs and look for them. You can really see them well on a dark colored horse. It is harder to see on a light color.

All moms are worried about everything with their equine children. Just like moms with their human children. lol

[starkitten]

OMG - I guess I never thought about humans getting it too!!! I'm always picking them off my horse with my hand - so far no infestation (that I know of) on me. I guess I should be more careful ;)

[Diane of Buck's Hollow]

Question, since I don't have experience with this and want to learn too:

Diane, what I remember seeing on Buck's legs (and Mira's too)- though it has been a couple of weeks- was more of a dark color, and dry/scabby type stuff. Are we thinking this could be it or is there something new there?

I'm just wondering because I've seen quite a few horses with the scabby stuff, but always just thought it was "pasture trash".. just dirty leg-type stuff. And plus the articles describe the eggs as "yellow."

Of course, like I said, it's been a couple of weeks since I saw them and you may be talking about something different anyway.



Nope. That is not what I saw. It was tiny tiny little hard, round and yellow. SM and I went and shaved them off today..They were actually tiny little yellow seeds from the grass that was really stuck to him. lol

I know what bots look like tho...Buster had them on his legs when I got him last October. I had to clean them...that was before I gave him back. They are yellow and you can really see them on a dark colored hors.

Sedona.....eeeewwwww..Buck would never let his potty get on him!!!! lol


UPDATE ON THE DEWORMING: Sunday's Man came to the rescue once again. He dewormed Buck for me, without too much problem. I guess it is just me!!!! What would I do without him.

[Diane of Buck's Hollow]

Thanks Sedona and Lovesfortune for your articles.

[PaintedLady]

If it's any consolation to any of you...I've had horses for over 30 years, and have never had a botfly 'infestation' like you are reading about. I'd guess that's the WORST case scenario! So long as you are careful, and aware of the situation, I can't see a huge problem in your future....
It's not like any of us *ignore* this bot fly thing! And yah...they are pretty well everywhere....
LOTS has changed since I started. Heck...we didn't even consider blankets 30 years ago...but it's a huge industry now!! Come to think of it...I didn't know about botflies then, either....

[starkitten]

That's good to know - I'm very new to horses so stuff like that kinda freaks me out - lol

[carla]

Okay so it was something different than I was remembering. Eeew! Well, good.. I'm really glad that's all it was.

Guess I never saw this on Buster's legs, as he didn't last too long around here. LOL I had forgotten about him. He was one more... horse ;) j/k.

[Diane of Buck's Hollow]

Yea. I guess it really does sound scary..just like when you read the info that comes with your medicines..lol I am glad you feel better now.

But , just being aware of things can go a long way with keeping your horse healthy. Boy, horses aren't just about "hopping on and riding" huh? lol

[Diane of Buck's Hollow]

Amen to that sister!!!!He surely was!!!!

[starkitten]

Oh yeah always good to know - I have had some great horse folks help me along the way. I knew you should get them off the horse, but I never thought to consider worrying about myself too - LOL

[vicklynn]

Oh that bot on human thing is gross. I have never had an infestation, and I pull them at times with my fingers. They are just tiny little yellow spots. I use a grooming block to get them off, I dont like the bot knife, for me it dosnt work.

Diane, congrats on the worming hon. Glad he got it done.


Crusts on horses happen all the time. I have seen so many crusts on the horses that were just that, something stuck to them and got icky. City splatters when he pees sometimes, so Ive seen that too. I just rinse and pull the scabby off, put med on, and go. They are horses ya know, like kids, get nicks, no biggy. Worry when the big chit happens. LOL