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Post by silverstirrups on Jul 30, 2008 22:00:37 GMT
Bots? ;D Yes, bots. Its that time of year and my horses are plastered with bot eggs. The question is, do you remove them or not? And why? Or why not? I was told once that the eggs hatch and burrow under the horses skin. Is that right? And if so, what happens then? Because of this I remove them with a bot knife and surely there wouldn't be such a thing if it wasn't necessary to remove them? Can you tell I'm confused  ;D |
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Post by aimee on Jul 30, 2008 22:07:38 GMT
Traditionally, horses are treated for bots in the autumn, after a frost that kills the adult flies, and again in the spring, to rid the stomach of all the larvae. In the past, the treatment was worse than the disease, with extremely toxic chemicals given via stomach tube to the horse. Modern anthelmintics like ivermectin and moxidectin are extremely effective and safe in the treatment of bots and have had an impact on lowering the number of bot flies in areas where good anthelmintic treatment is practiced.
.from google.......
And a bit more.....
To control horse bots you must break the insect's life cycle and stop its development. Bot eggs, particularly of the common bot, can remain viable long after flies have disappeared. Sponging the horse with warm water frequently will induce eggs to hatch and the exposed first stage larvae will die quickly. (This treatment is most effective if it is used on cool days). Treatment of egg laying sites with insecticidal washes will also reduce the numbers of larvae which can be injested by the horse. These treatments should be applied weekly for common bot control and more frequently for both the throat and nose bots. Treatment of the horse's face is best applied using a wipe; a spray may irritate the eyes, nose and mouth of the horse and could startle and frighten the animal.
A variety of direct animal treatments are available to rid horses of bot infestations in the stomach and intestines. These medications are available as pastes, gels, pellets, liquids, powders and boluses. All of these product dosages are based on animal weight, so you should be able to estimate your animal's weight with some accuracy. Many of these products are best applied by a veterinarian familiar with horses. Several of these products are also effective treatments for other internal parasites. These types of chemical control are most effective when the bots are all in the stomach or intestines, generally from November through January.
Hope that helps a bit I have never had any personal experience with bots but was told to scrape them out as soon as you notice them?
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Post by kateflashy on Jul 31, 2008 5:20:31 GMT
though dont get in a panic if you dont take them off , because they dont actually do the horse any harm, they just lay dormant in the stomach until passed through, they're not like worms, they are compleatly harmless , only use horse as a baby siter for the cocoon ,
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Post by Becca on Jul 31, 2008 9:34:03 GMT
once i start with bot eggs i get obsessed with getting every single one off, i find i quite theraputic (but bern will just stand still while i sit and do it)
I think all the info above should help you though
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Post by silverstirrups on Jul 31, 2008 19:32:12 GMT
I do worm for bots so hope I've got all bases covered. I was at a competition today at a place that has a tack shop and they were selling a bot remover spray. It said on the back that horses may lick the eggs off and thats how they get into the stomach. Can't see how, it takes a lot of force to remove the eggs with the knife. So if I worm for bots I should be ok? I think I'll still scrape them off though, they don't look good  |
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Post by florence on Jul 31, 2008 20:47:54 GMT
I've always used a bot knife to get them off. If the horse scratches himself with his teeth he can injest them and I also don't like the thought of the getting into any little cuts or grazes. Worming should deal with them but if I know they're there I've got to scrape them off. Like becca, I'm little bit obsessed and find it theraputic!
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ceej
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Post by ceej on Aug 5, 2008 9:12:06 GMT
though dont get in a panic if you dont take them off , because they dont actually do the horse any harm, they just lay dormant in the stomach until passed through, they're not like worms, they are compleatly harmless , only use horse as a baby siter for the cocoon , are you sure? I thought they could burrow into the lining of the throat and stomach....? hmmm off to do some research |
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ceej
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Post by ceej on Aug 5, 2008 9:20:47 GMT
Ere
Bots are strictly speaking not worms, but insect larvae of horse bot flies. They are the most common parasite of the stomach. Depending on the species, and there are several different types, the eggs are laid on the legs or around the muzzle of your horse.
Female adult bot flies resemble bees and are often a considerable annoyance to the horse when laying eggs.
After hatching, the larvae get into the horses mouth and burrow into the base of the tongue and below the gum line. After approximately a month in the mouth, during which they double in size, the bot larvae move on and attach themselves to the stomach lining where they develop into the full grown bots.
Bots can give rise to ulcers in the stomach wall and can even penetrate the wall with fatal results. lt has recently been discovered that they will also attach themselves in clumps to the first part of the intestines causing similar problems. This poses a special danger for small breeds and to young horses whose stomach and intestines are likely to be thinner and more easily damaged.
Left untreated bots remain inside the horse until the spring when they pass out in the droppings. They then pupate underground until the adult flies emerge in the summer months and begin to lay their eggs: and the whole cycle starts again.
The first hard frost kills off the adult flies, no re-infection will take place over the winter.
Bots can affect horses of any age.
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Post by silverstirrups on Aug 5, 2008 11:11:32 GMT
Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaargh! Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeew!  *Rushes off to grab bot knife and start scraping. AGAIN!* I thought it was something like that. Thats disgusting. Thanks for all the info, especially the last bit, it should help make everyone else aware too.  |
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otto
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Post by otto on Aug 5, 2008 11:16:38 GMT
They dont always get passed out with droppings and are capable of burrowing out. This happened to the ginger one with one emerging out of his back under the saddle area. Rare but it can happen so I dont take risks with them. Any visible eggs are removed and then horse treated with wormer at appropriate time.
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ceej
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Post by ceej on Aug 5, 2008 12:44:11 GMT
yeah they can burrow out cant they - and you can end up killing them with the saddle!!
Lincoln do Bot Off or whatever its called - meant to be for bots plus other flys but it aint cheap - i have just been standing at the local agricultural yard umming and ahhing whether to get that or Deet - went for deet. Hope it works. Fed up with stuff just not working!
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Post by maximum on Aug 8, 2008 9:31:04 GMT
its not a great problem with us. wonder if that is just a geographical thing then?
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)
Always saddle your own horse
