An unexpected equine veterinary experience!

Last week we noticed Blackjack was kicking up at his stomach and swishing his tail, which is often a sign of discomfort. We decided to call the vet and see what was the best solution. The vet immediately suggested that it was likely Blackjack had maggots in his sheath. She recommended that we attempted to remove the maggots out ourselves, and if we were struggling, to call back and ask her to come and remove them. Fortunately Blackjack is a very calm horse so he was willing to let me glove up and use warm water to start removing the maggots. I managed to remove roughly 20 maggots and he immediately looked more comfortable and stopped kicking at his stomach. We rang the vet back to confirm that we had managed to remove the maggots, and she asked us to check Blackjack the next day to ensure all of the maggots were gone. We did this the next day and he had no more maggots. He is now much more relaxed and comfortable.

As much as this experience was very unexpected, I enjoyed the opportunity to learn more about equine veterinary procedures.