Bots

Symptoms

Small yellow eggs laid on the chest, fore legs, and in areas where the horse may scratch with its mouth.

Cause

A large, noisy fly lays the eggs which hatch out when licked and scratched by the horse when grooming. The larvae pass into the stomach, although the amount of damage they cause is not known. Large accumulations may can unthriftiness during the winter and spring seasons. Larvae may stay in the stomach for ten weeks before passing onto the pasture with the horses’ faeces. The larvae hatch into flies and continue the cycle.

Treatment

A bot comb can be used to lower the number of larvae which access the horse. This has fine teeth and detaches the eggs from the horse. Anthelmintic drugs which are effective against bots such as ivermectin can be used with an appropriate worming plan.

Please remember this information is provided as a guide only and professional advice should be sought before any diagnosis or treatment is applied.