External Parasite Prevention

EXTERNAL PARASITES
External parasite infestation can cause irritation and unthriftiness in your horse. Some external parasites can help proliferate lifecycles of internal parasites. External parasites may also carry infectious diseases. External parasites however may be easier to detect visually, which helps to determine program effectiveness and type of parasitic infestation. ALWAYS consult your veterinarian if you have any concerns. He or she is a very good subject matter expert.

CHEMICAL SAFETY
Fly repellents are very dangerous chemicals and care should be taken to wash off any residue remaining from any overspray or contact on your hands/other body parts. with soap and water. Wash any clothes or gloves that come in contact with these agents. All hazardous chemicals should be stored as per the label in secure storage and be properly disposed when outdated. Mixing chemicals such as DMSO can cause serious health problems.

COMMON PARASITES

Bots (Stomach bots & Gasterophilus)
Physical Description
Mature botflies have an appearance similar to a honeybee. The eggs are light brown specks the size of pin heads in small clusters.

Lifecycle
The female botfly lays her eggs directly to a hair on the horse in areas that will be able to be in contact with the horse's mouth. The areas most commonly targeted are the legs, lips and other spots that allow direct contact with the mouth and nostril during self grooming or grooming another horse. Licking the attached botfly eggs will cause them to hatch and produce the larvae. The hatched larvae will then migrate to the tongue or gums of the horse and burrow in or attach itself for the 3 weeks incubation period. Following the incubation period they free themselves and pass to the lining of the stomach for a duration of approximately 9 months. After the 9-month period the larvae are transported out of the stomach via manure to become an adult botfly. The activity of an adult botfly will last from late spring until the first hard frost.

Problems Caused by Bots
The botfly larvae may cause only minimal damage to the horse, the biggest threat would be intestinal obstruction due to infestation. The larvae may also reduce the efficiency of the stomach to digest effectively.

Signs of Infestation of Bots
If any botfly eggs are observed to attached to your horse you should consider that your horse has ingested some of them. If eggs are observed remove with them as soon as possible

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