Author Topic: Flystrike  (Read 13688 times)

Penninehillbilly

  • Joined Sep 2011
  • West Yorks
Flystrike
« on: June 19, 2016, 08:28:31 pm »
I know, 'not again', however advice please.
Not sheared yet.
Friday evening seemed OK.
Saturday evening, getting a bit dark when I went down, tup missing, found him down a slope, he got up and came up bleating, not a happy bleat, as he was eating he swung his head round and nipped at his fleece. Bearing in mind he's black, so I can't see any discolouration,  i could just see something white, had to pick it out before I was sure. Close up i could smell it.
Dashed straight home for Crovect, of course the torch batteries down, don't have a nozzle for crovect so used a syringe, by the time i got back down it was nearly dark.
I slowly squirted a run down his back, under the surface of fleece, and a few across his rump
This morning thousands of dead things.
This evening I could see one moving, albeit slowly.
So, what else can I do for him, he ate a little concentrate this morning and this evening, but still very quiet, when I parted his fleece to look he was trying to rub against me.
It's been very wet this afternoon, would that weaken the effect?
Sorry for long post, didn't know which bits to delete, trying to excuse my lack of observation I think, feeling guilty.




shep53

  • Joined Jan 2011
  • Dumfries & Galloway
Re: Flystrike
« Reply #1 on: June 19, 2016, 08:41:52 pm »
Best to clip away all the wool from the damaged area as maggots move along the body so you need to know the full extent of strike , he will need a shot of antibiotic for any infection and once the maggots are all dead then cream to help the skin heal

Hellybee

  • Joined Feb 2010
    • www.blaengwawrponies.co.uk
Re: Flystrike
« Reply #2 on: June 19, 2016, 09:33:36 pm »
Clip the section right out defo x

Fleecewife

  • Joined May 2010
  • South Lanarkshire
    • ScotHebs
Re: Flystrike
« Reply #3 on: June 19, 2016, 09:53:00 pm »
I wouldn't trust Crovect to kill all the maggots, especially when applied with a syringe.  As others have said, you need to cut the wool right down to the skin, and well into the surrounding fleece.  Once flies have started laying eggs on a sheep, and especially once there's a smell, their chums will come along too, so you'll have maggots of various ages and sizes in there.  You really need to have a good look, in good light.  As well as spreading from the original struck area, there could be other areas, such as feet or shoulders where there are more patches.
Strike can kill, so AntiBs and close care are needed.  Obviously that fleece will have to be ditched, but take a close look at all your other sheep, as if one has been struck then more may have been.
"Let's not talk about what we can do, but do what we can"

There is NO planet B - what are YOU doing to save our home?

Do something today that your future self will thank you for - plant a tree

 Love your soil - it's the lifeblood of your land.

Penninehillbilly

  • Joined Sep 2011
  • West Yorks
Re: Flystrike
« Reply #4 on: June 19, 2016, 10:13:09 pm »
Thanks, other sheep looks OK.
I can't see any damage on him, skin i can see looks OK, but fleece is very dense, There is an area down his flank where outer fleece gone, wool just looks shorter.
I thought you hadn't to shear once treated as you are taking the treatment away?
Will I need to put more on Him?
What AB is needed? I only have pen&strep in, or alamycin out of date.
What cream would you suggest if/when I find damage?
Looks like I'd better get busy with the scissors tomorrow, that should be fun, he's a big fella, zwartbles X,   I only have a couple of sheep so I can get Meds for goats, many things we use on goats are only licensed for sheep:-(. As ewe keeps throwing tup lambs my flock isn't increasing very fast :-(.

Hellybee

  • Joined Feb 2010
    • www.blaengwawrponies.co.uk
Re: Flystrike
« Reply #5 on: June 19, 2016, 11:11:34 pm »
Yound be surprised, and yes if we have found them, they're always clipped put and thoroughly checked for more colonies, we did have two with it, that's when they all come down to be done, we spot summat odd and we kick on.   I stripe off all the fleece whilst Baz holds and investigates for anything else. Tak e it right back attacked area and beyond.   I use jakoti an they make short work of it, I gently scrape them maggots off, Baz gets a preening, and then we put anti biotic spray on the area and some crovect around area.  We use clik and clikzen as our prentatives though.  Do all the other sheep too i would, it s gone damp and warm, they love it. 

Hellybee

  • Joined Feb 2010
    • www.blaengwawrponies.co.uk
Re: Flystrike
« Reply #6 on: June 19, 2016, 11:15:50 pm »
The reasoning behind not shearing after spraying is that a shearer won't touch a crovected sheep for at Least 6 weeks.   

SallyintNorth

  • Joined Feb 2011
  • Cornwall
  • Rarely short of an opinion but I mean well
    • Trelay Cohousing Community
Re: Flystrike
« Reply #7 on: June 20, 2016, 12:56:12 am »
Also, when you use Crovect as a preventative, you spray it in a fan across the fleece - which, yes, you then want to leave in place with the chemical on it.  However, when you're using Crovect to treat an existing strike, you apply the chemical to the skin - or as close as you can get - and to the maggots themselves.  Your objective now is to kill the maggots that are there, as soon as possible, not to put in place 10 week protection against further strike.

You will not find all the maggots that are there, chewing away at him, already, unless you strip all the fleece back and expose them.  And yes, use the closed shears to rub across the surface of the clipped skin to expose maggots buried in the skin. 

It can be quite extensive, so keep going, clipping and rubbing, until you are completely certain there are no more.

Where his skin is sore, Sudocrem is as good as anything, I think.  Do the antibiotic spray first, if you're using that, then Sudocrem when that's dried. 

The Pen & Strep you have will be fine for an antibiotic shot, if you're using a systemic a/b.  If you have some vitamins, it won't hurt to give him those too - it's a heck of a shock to their system.

« Last Edit: June 20, 2016, 12:57:49 am by SallyintNorth »
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Live in a cohousing community with small farm for our own use.  Dairy cows (rearing their own calves for beef), pigs, sheep for meat and fleece, ducks and hens for eggs, veg and fruit growing

Foobar

  • Joined Mar 2012
  • South Wales
Re: Flystrike
« Reply #8 on: June 20, 2016, 09:33:03 am »
Don't feel bad, I had three rams with strike around the horns on Saturday :(.  The weather is just right for it at the moment - rain and warmth.

Fleecewife

  • Joined May 2010
  • South Lanarkshire
    • ScotHebs
Re: Flystrike
« Reply #9 on: June 20, 2016, 10:26:08 am »
Don't feel bad, I had three rams with strike around the horns on Saturday :(.  The weather is just right for it at the moment - rain and warmth.


It must be so much worse when you have no control over when the shearer comes.   We have shorn over half our great woolly sheep, but then it poured, and anyway some are not ready.  Very nerve-racking.  It looks as if it should be drier for the next few days......... :sheep:


I hope your tup's ok PHB - sounds as if you caught him in time.  Sally's advice is spot on.
"Let's not talk about what we can do, but do what we can"

There is NO planet B - what are YOU doing to save our home?

Do something today that your future self will thank you for - plant a tree

 Love your soil - it's the lifeblood of your land.

Marches Farmer

  • Joined Dec 2012
  • Herefordshire
Re: Flystrike
« Reply #10 on: June 20, 2016, 10:40:48 am »
If I have one that's struck I first start clipping a big circle a good 15cm away from where I think the strike is.  That way the maggots don't have the opportunity to make a break for it through the fleece as they would if I started at the middle.  I have an old squeezy washing up liquid bottle with 100 ml Jeyes fluid diluted in 900ml water.  I then drench the patch and leave it for a few minutes, whereupon the maggots will wriggle up to the surface and I pick them off with tweezers or wear disposable gloves and rub them off, depending on how many there are.  If it's a bad strike or there are clearly several different ages I use more diluted Jeyes as the layer underneath will have been protected by those on top.  I find this both kills the maggots and disinfects the wound.  I wouldn't use this in the case of really deep strike, only where the top layers of skin are just being breeched. 

Melmarsh

  • Joined May 2014
Re: Flystrike
« Reply #11 on: June 20, 2016, 02:15:58 pm »
Totally agree with Shep 53 except I would give metacam as a pain relief as well as anti biotic. I'm sure that it must be quite painful too have your skin nibbled away and very sore until it has healed, systemic analgesia and by all means topical soothing cream as well. Fly strike must be one of the worst things sheep can get and unfortunately this wet humid weather is just what they like. I clikzin my lambs a few weeks ago and the ewes have been shorn and are awaiting enough dry hours when their fleece is dry to clik them!!! Till then it's a case of observe every free moment  :yuck: :yuck: :yuck:

waterbuffalofarmer

  • Joined Apr 2014
  • Mid Wales
  • Owner of 61 Mediterranean water buffaloes
Re: Flystrike
« Reply #12 on: June 20, 2016, 02:17:22 pm »
I had 2 flystruck the other day, shearer has fitted us in for this week, so keeping an eye on them. I had to shear them and what a waste of a gorgeous fleece, but at least sheepies where happy. Got all the maggots off and oiled the area with really strong essential oils and linseed oil, lookewd at them today and they are very well, think i got them before any damage was caused. I am keeping a close eye on them and the rest to make sure they don't come out with it, eyes like a hawk during this weather. Should have had them sheared earlier but the shearer has been so busy as are everyone else around me. Thinking of investing in electric shears meself, when I can afford it and saving the hassle, but with 70 sheep, the work doesn't bear thinking about :o Much cheaper to get shearers in. Clipping away the fleece until untouched skin is certainly the thing to do, just the chemical won't work it will need phisical getting rid of them, sharp hand shears are just the ticket as they can get really close to the skin, clip as close as possible and then scrape them gently with the handshears to remove any maggots right next to the skin. Adter that oil them, or as others would suggest use the cream, and then keep an eye on them to make sure they don't get struck again. How long is it till you shear them? Also try and put them in a field which is nicely breezy, not too cold, I find the higher up they're it helps prevent strike.
« Last Edit: June 20, 2016, 04:22:36 pm by waterbuffalofarmer »
the most beautiful people we have known are those who have known defeat, known suffering, known struggle, known loss and have found their way out of the depths. These persons have an appreciation, a sensitivity and an understanding of life that fills them with compassion, gentleness, loving concern.

twizzel

  • Joined Apr 2012
Re: Flystrike
« Reply #13 on: June 20, 2016, 03:03:33 pm »
There's a great cream called Summer Fly Cream, it's bright yellow and very thick. It will prevent any sunburn on the bare patches of skin and help it heal along with having a bit of fly repellent in it too. Normally found in the horse aisles of a country store. Please do clip the fleece away- we had a lamb a few years ago with a small 5-10cm patch of strike from what we could see on his shoulder, once we clipped the fleece away it showed the full extent of the strike, imagine putting a horse saddle on his back, that's the extent and shape of what we clipped away. You need to clip until you reach untouched skin.

Hellybee

  • Joined Feb 2010
    • www.blaengwawrponies.co.uk
Re: Flystrike
« Reply #14 on: June 20, 2016, 03:54:35 pm »
We got a couple of weeks wait yet as we clikzened.  So not worried about strike now all covered.  Main concern is itchy ewes after rain, and them being upended so Baz s checks very intense making sure everyone's the right way up..




 

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