Maggots in frog-bit panicked!

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Hungey

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Hey guys, I'm a bit panicked at the moment as I have found maggots in my horses frog. I have managed to pick out as many as possible and sprayed purple spray on it as well but I was wondering what is the best thing to do? I'm after some advise and no criticism please as this is the first time I've come across this. He is completely fine in himself and isn't lame or in pain in any way. Thank you!
 
Maybe ring your farrier? This happened to a friend's horse a few years ago. I remember she had to buy the strongest purple spray possible (from farming supply shop) and treat with that. This is what her farrier recommended. Only thing I'm not sure of was whether the farrier trimmed the frog as well. Worth a phone call to him anyway :-) And I know you're not alone as that particular year the farrier said there were loads of cases.
 
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Tronk said:
Maybe ring your farrier? This happened to a friend's horse a few years ago. I remember she had to buy the strongest purple spray possible (from farming supply shop) and treat with that. This is what her farrier recommended. Only thing I'm not sure of was whether the farrier trimmed the frog as well. Worth a phone call to him anyway :-) And I know you're not alone as that particular year the farrier said there were loads of cases.
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Next doors horse had maggots in frog yesterday (even farrier nearly missed it as tiny area) , not sure how much cut away but was hibiscrubed after maggots removed and then purple spray used next day.
 
OP do not panic!!! This isn't unusual, especially in the roller-coaster weather, damp one minute, hot the next, we've been having this spring.

It happened to me a few years ago: I was cleaning out my cob's feet when I suddenly noticed something wriggling.......... jeez I felt ill I can tell you, then thought gosh OK so lets ring the farrier, when the yard had stopped going round in circles!!!

He said that this is quite common; and in fact shows that there's a healthy foot as maggots will clear out any dead tissue. Maggots get into feet for all sorts of reasons, sometimes the foot can be wet, sometimes dry, and then there's a crack, and if the horse is turned out with sheep or cows in particular (as mine are) maggots can migrate up into the foot.

My farrier told me to get some warm water and some salt; and mix up quite a strong salt solution. If you can, and if the horse will let you, stand the foot in the bucket for as long as possible, say a few minutes. If this isn't an option, get a plunger/syringe driver and squirt the salt water solution into any cracks in the hoof you can find - if you persist in this you should soon see some dead'uns coming out (yuuuccckkk :( ).

Then spray with purple spray to disinfect the foot and deal with any remaining. You may have to repeat this treatment twice a day for a few days.

But I would ring your farrier for advice and reassurance: and don't panic!!
 
I'm another who's had to flick the little ******* out of a hoof before. I rinse with salt solution and kill any of the wee beggars I can get my hoof pick on with gay abandon.

Don't panic :)
 
Tronk said:
Maybe ring your farrier? This happened to a friend's horse a few years ago. I remember she had to buy the strongest purple spray possible (from farming supply shop) and treat with that. This is what her farrier recommended. Only thing I'm not sure of was whether the farrier trimmed the frog as well. Worth a phone call to him anyway :-) And I know you're not alone as that particular year the farrier said there were loads of cases.
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Thank you!
MiJodsR2BlinkinTite said:
OP do not panic!!! This isn't unusual, especially in the roller-coaster weather, damp one minute, hot the next, we've been having this spring.

It happened to me a few years ago: I was cleaning out my cob's feet when I suddenly noticed something wriggling.......... jeez I felt ill I can tell you, then thought gosh OK so lets ring the farrier, when the yard had stopped going round in circles!!!

He said that this is quite common; and in fact shows that there's a healthy foot as maggots will clear out any dead tissue. Maggots get into feet for all sorts of reasons, sometimes the foot can be wet, sometimes dry, and then there's a crack, and if the horse is turned out with sheep or cows in particular (as mine are) maggots can migrate up into the foot.

My farrier told me to get some warm water and some salt; and mix up quite a strong salt solution. If you can, and if the horse will let you, stand the foot in the bucket for as long as possible, say a few minutes. If this isn't an option, get a plunger/syringe driver and squirt the salt water solution into any cracks in the hoof you can find - if you persist in this you should soon see some dead'uns coming out (yuuuccckkk :( ).

Then spray with purple spray to disinfect the foot and deal with any remaining. You may have to repeat this treatment twice a day for a few days.

But I would ring your farrier for advice and reassurance: and don't panic!!
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Thank you so much that has definitely calmed me down knowing it isn't too serious!
 
I haven't had to deal with them but I would also treat for thrush, clean and scrub well daily and pack the sulcus with something like hoof stuff if it's deep.
 
Not sure about horse specific treatments / treatments specific for that area but at work anything with flystrike gets f10 wound spray put on which seems to be good at killing the little ******* / preventing any more
 
What attracts the maggots to the hoof in the first place? I only ask, because I was under the impression that maggots only like dead tissue.
 
NZJenny said:
What attracts the maggots to the hoof in the first place? I only ask, because I was under the impression that maggots only like dead tissue.
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It depends, with flystrike, the flies lay eggs on manure close to the skin, or inflamed skin if it has got a bit hot and sweaty. The hatched maggots then start by eating dead skin (normal dead skin cells), their extreta further inflames and irritates the skin making a larger buffet for the maggots.

To say that maggots only eat dead or necrotic flesh is a bit of a fallacy, they do tend to produce their own vicious cycle - which is why maggot therapy in humans has to be monitored very closely.

I've had fly strike in chickens a couple of times, and despite priding myself on a pretty iron stomach, it is the most stomach turning thing I have ever had to deal with.
 
Fly strike is caused by specific species of bright coloured flies. Lots of flies will lay eggs in infected tissue so it may not be fly strike. I would look at frog health anyway as a preventative in the longer term.
 
Same happened to one of mine last week, farrier said its easy for them to just pick them up, they only have to tread on where they have laid eggs and they can end up with them in the foot, I scrubbed all her feet then sprayed the blue sheep foot rot spray all over the bottom of the hoof not seen any since.
 
Cheers for that guys - that's interesting. The only time I have seen fly strike in New Zealand is in daggy sheep, and that is seriously gross.

I have not seen or heard of it in horses hooves, so guess it is as amandap said, a particular type of fly that we don't have here.
 
Thank you everyone for all the advice! After flushing and scrubbing out his foot and getting the spray onto it I haven't seen any more maggots thank god!
 
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