[plt102]

Hi there - I have read through the posts on fly strike and I am not sure what to do next.

We had two yearlings get flystrike yesterday. One had a small patch which we checked out and sprayed with strike plus and today the maggots seem to be all dead and there is no tissue damage so will keep an eye on her.

The second ewe was affected really badly and had two patches of raw red skin under her fleece - one about 5cm long and the other about 1cm as well as lots of maggots all over her shoulders and back (she is a Leicester Longwool so we saw nothing from outside apart from the fact that she was lying down apart from the others. Luckily nothing around her back end). We have killed all the maggots, cut away the fleece for the affected areas and treated with a preventative spray as well as purple sprayed and antiseptic creamed the areas. Couldn't see any maggots alive this morning so think we stopped it. She is now in a warm stable lying in some straw but is still not willing to walk around or eat.

Do they normally recover well or should I get antibiotics from the vet? I am not keen to use antibiotics when they are not needed but would appreciate some advice on what to do. Should I give her 24 hours or act quickly?

Thanks in advance

[SallyintNorth]

Antibiotics are only useful where there is infection.  You have cleared and put antiseptic on the wounded areas and she is on clean straw so if it were me then I would not be looking to use antibiotics.  If you think she could have any dirt or infection in any of the wounds then use blue (terramycin) spray and keep a close eye.

Make sure she has water and drinks some - put a little in her mouth a couple of times a day if she won't take it herself.  You could put some glucose in the water, or use PSF (Pfizer Scour Formula) if she will drink but isn't eating hay or grass.

A dose (either by needle or drench) of vitamins and minerals would do her no harm at all.

The wounds you describe are not particularly bad for strike - I would go over the rest of her very carefully to make sure there isn't another strike somewhere.  Check her feet thoroughly too - they can get strike in the feet, or she may just have some other foot problem that is making her loathe to walk.

It is amazing just how bad a strike they will recover from.

Good luck with her.

[plt102]

Thank you so much especially for the tip about the drench. We have some some I'll try it and also try to get some water into her. I guess she might be really dehydrated. I'll keep you posted.

[feldar]

Sometimes our vet prescibes us a steroid based antibiotc which boosts the ewes immune system, cronixyn i think it is called. Its particuarly good for fly strike cases. but like Sally said, it doesn't sound that bad, so give her a couple of days and she should improve.
Good luck

[suziequeue]

If she were a human I would be recommending a nice sit down with a cup of hot Bovril.......

[ellisr]

That sounds a mild case, i have one ewe that has been struck twice this year even after being treat with preventative and she is the hardest sheep to catch. Once she is treated she sulks for a bit and always worries me for a couple of days and then she is back to herself and bouncing around the field.

[lachlanandmarcus]

If the sheep isnt eating, young dock leaves or ivy often perks them up!

[Rosemary]

I'd second the ivy leaves - worked a treat on one of our ewes that had a bit of a hard lambing. Ours will also sell their souls for oatcakes.

[Anke]

Toast. Works with mine anytime - goats, sheep and humans!

Have you got her a companion in the shed?! She will recover much quicker if she has got a friend.

To keep the wounds clean you could wash them with Savlon solution twice a day, just syringe it into the holes left by the maggots. Antibiotic really depends on how bad it is, and what condition the sheep is generally in. I would steer on the side of putting a long acting injection into her.

[ambriel]

Hmmm... we have an occasional supply of stale bread that the pigs and goats both enjoy. Be interesting to see how they like it toasted.

[bazzais]

Warm pen inside - could be bad for sheepies as its still quite warm.

Is there anyway you can make a pen outside, thats what I'd do anyway. Or at least have an area she can go outside into.

You cant go wrong with anti biotics really - give here a shot - keep the rest in the fridge.  You cant skimp on it just because you may feel that its not needed and may 'pollute' the animal.  Sometimes like humans animals need the extra help to recover from infection.

Baz

[SallyintNorth]

I think we often have to make our own decisions regarding when and what medicines to use; things are often not clear-cut.  When you are the person on the ground sometimes you just have to listen to your own instincts - particularly if you are getting conflicting advice!

Personally, I don't give antibiotics unless there is a clear sign of bacterial infection.  Antibiotics kill bacteria, so there is no point giving them unless there are bacteria you need to kill.  They kill all susceptible bacteria, which will include the gut bacteria needed for normal digestion and which help with fending off unfriendly bacteria in the gut.  Ironically you can even make your charge more susceptible to infection by giving the wrong antibiotic at the wrong time.

If antibiotics are not indicated, you can pretty much always give a vitamins + minerals injection or drench to give the patient a pick-me-up. 

plt102, how is she doing today?

[ellisr]

I agree sally, unless you are there you just don't know.

I have started putting iodine on mine if they are struck and this helps keep infection away and they have always pulled through for me, but only after I have cleared the worst of the maggots out then the iodine takes care of the rest.

Coopers spot on is also great for dealing with flystrike as you literally see the maggots falling off and I haven't had any infections after using that.

A couple of different ways I use and I never bring them in or even seperate them from the flock.

Ivy is brilliant for perking them up when they feel down.

[bazzais]

Thank you Sally, I have never really considered those 'side' effects of anti-biotics fully and its worth taking that into consideration. I certainly will in the future.

Dont get me wrong - I dont give anti-biotics willy nilly, but I am certainly not against them.

Baz

[ballingall]

Is it just me or are the flies still really bad this year? We seem to be plagued with them at the mo, and it is nearly the end of Sept! I am glad we don't hae any sheep any just now as fly strike is awful.

Beth