By Alic Moore

There are many wonderful things about summer, but one of the least pleasant aspects of the hot weather is that it brings out flies. As vets we do not just find flies to be an annoyance, we see the darker aspect of what they produce – maggots.

Flies will lay eggs in all sorts of places where they think their eggs will flourish and the place we see them most in our patients is around the back end of rabbits and guinea pigs. If small pets have any degree of muck around their back ends at this time of year then they are a target for flies. What happens next is often called “Fly Strike” – the flies lay eggs in the mucky area – these hatch out as maggots and then rapidly eat away at the skin of the rabbit or guinea pig.

If these cases are caught very early then we can clip away all the fur, remove the maggots and clean and treat the skin. However, sadly, we often see these cases once significant damage has been done to the patient’s back end and euthanasia is the only option.

This is a preventable condition – firstly by checking animals’ back ends are clean every day and if they are getting dirty wash and dry them thoroughly, secondly there is a treatment available called “Rearguard” which is applied to the back end of rabbits to prevent flies laying eggs.

Maggots eating an animal’s flesh is always shocking to see and treat so, please, if you have rabbits and guinea pigs make sure you check them carefully everyday this summer and treat them if you have any concerns.

*Alice Moore is a vet at Castle Veterinary Clinic, Dorchester and Weymouth. Tel 01305 267083.