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Harry suffering from "Fly Strike" (Myiasis)

Poor Harry has been hit by fly strike, an unpleasant infestation of the skin by maggots!

Good morning all! Poor Harry has been hit by fly strike (myiasis), which is an infestation of the wool / skin by fly largae (maggots). If you googleate "fly strike in sheep", this will tell you more but its not pleasant viewing!!

We brought him/her into the barn yesterday as he wasnt behaving normally (getting up and down constantly, trying to scratch everywhere and not eating) and found maggots crawling about in the fleece.

After cutting off the wool, there were maggots coming out from under his/her skin... ugh!!

The treatment is to shear as much wool off as possible and cover the affected area with dilute savlon/dettol which irritates the little beggars and they drop out onto the ground. We are also giving him/her a course of antibiotiocs and going to give him/her another dousing of savlon today.

He/she seems improved today and is eating this morning and bleating to come out of the barn.

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Yuck - good news for the hens though?

Maggots still coming out from under Harry's skin so have got some special preparation from the vets... over £100 !! but this will prevent and treat fly strike in the rest of our flock for the next year

So sorry to hear about Harry; I do hope the new treatment from the vet gets rid of them . Nasty things those maggots!

wow... have just treated Harry in the garden with the vet's preparation and what a reaction..... maggots coming out everywhere and dropping dead on the ground... amazing treatment !!

get well lit

Opps harry get well 🐑

Poor Harry - it sounds like something out of a horror movie !! It must be awful to watch maggots appear from under the skin. I hate maggots. Good luck Harry.

Bloody maggots are an awful infestation within fleeces - expensive too as any farmer will tell you, but Lynda knows that already, please will someone say to the family, 'thank you for caring', not a lot to ask...

Chas, Lynda and the family know that we thank them and appreciate their fantastic care for the sheep and lambs at their farm. Some of us help with donations when possible if it's only to help with bird food. I apologise if I'm speaking out of turn but just to put the record straight!