Bot sore... I'm in a quandary...

Queenbee

Queenbee

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Ben has what appears to be a bot sore on his lip. I had been watching it and planning to worm with ivermectin, I turned him out 24/7 as I was away for a few days and when I got back it had swollen, initially it was just a circular area with no sore but the middle bit had risen into a pinkish lump when I got back from my weekend away. He went back to his normal routine of stabling and grazing and I kept an eye on it, the next day the middle bit that was swollen (like a boil about to burst) had gone down, but he had scratched it on the wall and while not burst, it seemed a bit sore (well, it didn't seem to bother him but it did look angry). By then I had got the wormer so he was wormed and I also applied a tiny bit of the wormer topically to the area (I had seen this reccomended by a veterinary practice).

I'm a few days on, still nothing has burst through, the top is red (like the top layer of skin has been scratched off). It doesn't hurt him, but I'm wondering what to do for the best. I have read that steroid cream can help, but I'm reluctant to do anything to promote healing if there is something in there that needs to come out.

I'm thinking, give it another week of keeping an eye on it and then reasses, unless anyone else has any suggestions or thoughts?

Cookies and milk or wine and nibbles for you all. :)
 
i believe (and stand to be corrected ) but the bot goes in the lip and migrates to the stomach ,they dont come out of the lip?
 
There's a few things that can cause those as well as bot flies, like certain types of plant.

Couple of horses up my yard got these in the snow last year, wrong time of year for bot larvae surely? I assumed it was cold sores from trying to graze through the snow.
 
I'm just so flipping confused over what exactly it is. When he was out 24/7 for a few days he was in the back field which is rarely grazed, he came in with sunburn on his nose and this flared up. After that he went back into his paddock. Interestingly enough he went all summer without sunburn. Very odd. I suppose the priority is now to ensure it heals up nicely. Bleeding awkward ned!
 
Some species of buttercups can cause these ulcers also. I wouldn't pick at it or put anything on it. Just leave it alone and it will go. Worming with Ivermectin in the winter/spring kills off botfly larvae and helps break the cycle (unless you're near lots of other livestock who are not being wormed too!).
 
The original mark (a circular scar about the size of a ten pence piece) turned up in may. He had just been wormed (double dose for tapeworm) , since then he was worm counted and all clear. Obviously, being aware that the scar/mark was still there and then got worse with the turnout, I decided to worm with a straight ivermectin wormer. But since its been visible since June and essentially flared up and got worse this month coinciding with turnout in a new field, I admit its strange. The field is more lush than his normal paddock. I have no pics but will get them tomorrow as I'd really value some opinions on this. It's the fact that its been there for so long, I've seen it before on other horses but never was sure what it was and it never stayed for so long.
 
Probably going to confuse the issue but there has been a bit of sun and a bit of wet ground so my guess is the whole thing is a type of scalding from the wet ground boiling off where the dew and mist has made it damp. Seen it quite often in horses that it isnt sun as such but a combination of wet and sun that causes the burning and ulcers. Found it can cause cracked heels too
 
It's not that, it's perfectly circular and as I said been around (in the form of a scar) for months now, its just this month with the turnout that the centre erupted into a boil type thing that hasn't burst... It's really really odd. As I said, its one off those odd things I've seen in the past on other horses, I'm sure others would recognise it. But it the shape, its a perfect circle of what looks like scar tissue, two perfect circles one inside the other, the flesh inbetween is slightly raised and now (this month) the centre has raised and become angry.
 
I would bathe it in waterto hot water this will either cause whats there to pop out, clean it at least and if nothing has happened after 3 days, treat as a wound dab tetcin spray on, you have wormed him now anyway.
 
My horse had a circular sore on his bottom lip and my vet said it can be grass or some plants that cause it nothing to do with bot he told me not to worm just keep it clean.
 
Hi guys, thanks for all your replies, I will bear them all in mind. I'm at the yard at about five so will take some photos then and post them this evening :)
 
One of my horses had one of these once.

I was selling him at the time and my buyers vet failed his vetting for it as he told the buyer it was cancer !!!! (that was in between trying to get me to jump him over a barbed wire fence...asking why my horse wouldn't jump when I refused - and chatting up the very young and very pretty yard owners daughter..) Anyway to cut a long story short we never found out what it was, but it cleared up nicely with bonjela, oh and I found a lovely buyer.:O)

Sooo.. try bonjela - as this worked it probably was an ulcer of some
 
Is he in a field with buttercups?
Bot fly is possible but its unusual for the wound to be getting worse unless the area is infected.

Id be wary of any lump that lingers and changes as a potential sarcoid I am afraid.How long roughly has he had it?
Sarcoids are so varied in size and appearance you can never be sure...

Mind you it could be just a bot sore and the tissue around the mouth reacting to the ivermectin...the skin around the mouth is very sensitive I wouldnt have put a strong solution/dose ivermectin on it personally...
 
He had ivermectin last week, but just before that was moved to a field 24/7 temporarily while I was away for the weekend. It's getting worse because he keeps scratching it as it heals :(
 
Queenbee said:
He had ivermectin last week, but just before that was moved to a field 24/7 temporarily while I was away for the weekend. It's getting worse because he keeps scratching it as it heals :(
Click to expand...

See they don't normally find bot fly ulcers itchy. They get them, you leave them be, and they're gone within a week. That's the bit I find strange that he is itching the top off, there really isn't any top with a bot fly ulcer as it's indented usually.
 
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