Fly bite tracking along vein

[Birker2020]

My poor horse who is struggling to get over an accident after getting stuck in a wheelbarrow frame last week whilst I was at work has now been bitten by the mother of all horse flies during the day yesterday!! Sadly he didn't have his fly rug on, although to be fair to the staff, it was a hard decision to make as it had been raining.

Last night I got to the yard to find a huge fly bite on his withers and a massive track going from this bite, along his vein into his neck area. THere was a further track from another bite about an inch from the first bite. Too long a gap to be a snake bite though. He had a big reaction to the poision as the veins were huge and snaking there way across his shoulder, and down his neck!

I wasn't really sure what to do other than clean the bite in hibiscrub and apply some kind of barrier gel i.e. dermagel. Then various people suggested it could be some kind of infection which is what I thought. Then I wondered if the track on the vein would eventually lead to the heart. I did actually think that if a fly bite could kill my horse it would have happened by that time, but I rang the vet anyway just in case. He said that the veins were blood going into the area due to the reaction and not posion going tracking its way to the heart and he suggested icing it, and applying cold treatment.

This morning after a sleepless night I got to the yard at 5.30am and it had gone down a little way, but not entirely. I re-iced it and today bought some Anti histan to apply.

Poor boy.

Has anyone had similar happen?

 

[NOISYGIRL]

My horse had a reaction to a bite and I called vet and he was given an injection and it went down in a couple of hours, he has also had hives in the past and I did the same thing

 

[Birker2020]

My horse had a reaction to a bite and I called vet and he was given an injection and it went down in a couple of hours, he has also had hives in the past and I did the same thing

Yeah I rang the vet and he said it didn’t warrant him coming out unless his neck was stiff to move, or if he went through the roof when I touched it as it could have been plebitiis in that case. I was quite glad in a way as the wheelbarrow incident has cost me £65 in lost earnings for the day, plus my vet visit and scan this Friday. Obviously I would have had the vet had he thought it was necessary but he wasn’t distressed and it was something I could handle myself.

 

[fatpiggy]

I expect it was a horsefly bite. You should see how much I swell up when they get me! My old girl was much the same and more than once she had what looked like a sausage glued to her neck or wherever due to the inflammation going down the vein. It will go down of its own accord. However much they beg you to do it though, don't scratch or rub it or it will all inflate again. I always use homeopathic apis mel (30c) tablets when I get bitten or stung and used to share it with my horse, either for her insect bites or when she had lymphangitis. It works on hot swellings particularly well and knocks antihistamine into a cocked hat, plus there are no nasty side effects.