28/04/2026
BOTS- it's THAT time of the year. I'm reposting last year's message with the addition of a brilliant video from Dr Martin Nielsen-an internationally renowned equine parasitologist. He busts myths around waiting for the first frost, whether botflies sting your horse and explores some hidden stages in the mouth!
"A sensible announcement on bot management from the horse's mouth...just because bots hang out here too!
Bot eggs are not picked up in faecal egg counts (FEC) because they are not a worm that lays eggs in your horse's gut! Your egg count is presented for you by the bot fly ON your horse. Does this mean FECS are useless and our horses are at risk of catastrophic bot related disease NO! FECS are still the cornerstone in all well managed parasite programnes as they give us information on the egg shedding patterns of the biggest killer: the small strongyle/cyathostomin known also as redworm and the Ascarid/Roundworm a killer of foals. BUT WAIT (I hear you type) "Don't you know it doesn't pick up on encysted redworm or Tapeworm Dr Blue? This FEC can still not be trusted".
This is not a situation to panic as any well managed worm programme will (amongst other things) identify your high shedding horses and therefore achieve THREE main outcomes:
🪱Reduce environmental contamination by up to 80%
🪱Reduce reinfection rates
🪱Have appropriate treatment frequencies and recommended treatments that cover all worms including encysted redworm, ascarids, Bots, Tapeworm, Pinworm and Tape.
The icing on the wormy cake is to test your horses 2 weeks after treatment to make sure the product has worked (no resistance).
Well managed programmes DO use FECs and DO NOT recommend horse's are not wormed. Even low egg shedding horse's should still receive 1 to 2 treatments per year covering all worms.
If you are still concerned about Bots please rest assured that although they are awful to see and annoying to deal with it is universally accepted that they do not cause death in the horse although they should still be minimised due to associated soft tissue disease. As opposed to redworm which has a mortality rate of up to 55%!!!! So if you want to AVOID increased death from redworm as our products begin to fail from overuse and resistance then please speak to us or your regular vet about tailoring a programme that is set up for your INDIVIDUAL horse requirements. This should be coupled with fly control and include appropriate manure management."
32 likes, 6 comments. "The Parasite Journey of the Horse 6"
