Maggots

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kirstieg

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I nearly died yesterday when picking Katies feet out and found about 5 little baby maggots by the top of the foot

Was paniking like mad. So rang my sister and she rang the farrier and he said to leave them in ( Which i never i drown the things with water and purple spray) because its good for their feet, it cleans all the dirt out

So found a little one today and hopefully thats the lot (fingers crossed) but they are harmless and it turns out if a human has a cut they put maggots on the cut to get the dirt out

So i was paniking today aswell because i found 1 put asked Vikki and she said dont worry they will clean the dirt out then they die

Sorry about the essay lol
 
This is quite commom in horses, we have one in our yard who gets them every summer. Liquid peroxide diluted will work but last year the vet said to use frontline flea spray.
 
ooh dont like the sound of leaving them in!! i would pick them out (or kill them somehow) too!! We get rabbits in at work with maggots literally eating them alive so leaving them would not be an option for me!!!
 
Thank you everyone so much

Went down today (well before) and there was none

Going to keep an eye on it and hopefully it will be fine x

Thanks again everyone for all your help xxxxxxx
 
It's actually not as bad as you think. Your farrier was right and it is an old remedy for wounds used by farriers and vets. As long as you keep an eye on the wound or infection the little wriggly beasts can actually work better than all the purple spray in the world!

If you want them out, keeping the foot extremely clean will ensure the maggots have nothing to feed from and have no need to come back, but truly is no reflection on you or your horses hoof hygiene!
 
thats wierd, ive never heard that argument. one to bear in mind. i always panick at maggots because my sisters (sort of, well it was my mums) pony Polo had them in his foot after an abcess while we were on hols (bear in mind the pony was actually in riding school so brought in everyday) and the abcess didnt heal properly, and maggots got in and literally ate his foot- a bit like the rabbits. it was awful and nothing could be done to save him. sorry if i scared you, this was probaly a diff case, but we are really foot protective now.
 
Mu Mum is a district nurse, and in extreme cases she confirms that they pack human wounds with maggots to clean them up. They are special maggots they use (quite expensive) and as grotesque as it may seem, she says they do an absolutely remarkable job!
 
I had the same thing happen with my horse, I nearly died too when I saw them! I flush them out with Hydrogen Peroxide which I get from Boots (think there are 3 strengths I use the middle one) and just squirt in with a syringe (also from Boots) and keep doing that daily until they are gone. I can't bear the thought of them wriggling around in his foot and I think it upsets him too as he stamps his feet.
 
My horse had them too once when I was on holiday and I guess his feet weren't picked out as often as I would do it. I just washed/picked (disgusting !) all the maggots out and kept his feet scrubbed out with disinfectant.
 
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