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Discussion on Grubs or warbles living under the skin
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Member:
Sheilab
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Posted on Tuesday, Oct 14, 2003 - 8:14 pm:
HI. About 3 weeks my horse developed quarter sized round bumps under his skin. I figured they were hives or bites and that they would go away. They didn't. I had him vetted and the first question I was asked was if my horse had been down south at all. I am from PA and answered yes he came from North Carolina. The vet told me that he had grubs (or warbles) living in the cyst form under the skin. Eventually they will break open and out will pop a grub larvae. I was told there is nothing to do but wait until they disappear. They are disguisting! If they do not disappear on their own, then they may have to be removed surgically. Does anyone know anything about this that can offer me some advice? Please Help. Thank you. S. Burychka
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Member:
Hwood
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Posted on Tuesday, Oct 14, 2003 - 10:12 pm:
Sheila,
Are these the same things as "blow flies?" If so, I once had a mare that got two of them on her back after she was pastured with some beef cattle. Without knowing it, I scratched the top of the lumps off and out came a huge white larvae. After that incidence, she never had them again. It left a hole that took a while to heal over.
Holly
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Moderator:
DrO
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Posted on Thursday, Oct 16, 2003 - 9:10 am:
No blow flies and warbles are entirely different. Basically what you was was a fly maggot Holly while warbles have a very complicated life cycle that involves larval migration through the animal.
Horses are an aberrant host for warbles with the cow being his natural host. In horses the nodules develop over the back in the spring time. This would be quite unusual to have them develop now since you are in NE USA. A characteristic of this nodules is that the larvae develops a breathing pore: do you see this? Dont confuse the central pit of a fly bite reaction to the distinct "hole" seen with a warble. Though they use to be fairly common in horses pastured close to cattle they have become qauite rare because regular deworming with ivermectin, and presumably Quest, kills the migrating larvae before the nodule can develop.
DrO
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