Maggot Therapy

Maggot therapy

A couple of weeks ago we were looking at different methods to treat injuries some more rare and "unusual" than others one that really caught my eye was Maggot therapy, now by first though we think of maggots as unclean and disgusting little larvae which are more of a nuisance than most. When it came up on the screen in my lectures I honestly thought it must have been some sort of joke but looking more in depth into it, it is actually a very fascinating method of treatment of wounds which could hold many benefits.

First thing to explain is that no alternative treatments should be done without veterinary approval, and second that the maggots supplied to this form of wound treatment are kept mainly in scientific labs where the maggot are free from disease and are sterile and germ free, so maggots just general found on some yards and are "wild" should definitely not be used.

The process of using maggots to a wound involves a vet initially applying the maggot either via a biobag which is a bag like item which would cover the area and the maggots would be contained inside the biobag or they can be applied on a free dressing.

Only Larva are used in maggot therapy so there is no reproduction within the treatment and the process for the maggots is that they essential eat and remove all the dead skin cells around the wound meaning the wound is kept clean and there is less risk on infection from the dead cells, the removal of the cells also aids in the reduction of swelling, maggots produce a kind of numbing agent within there saliva so this treatment is also pain free for the horses and maggots can also reduce the likely hood of discharge in the area by keeping the area clean. Maggots have also been shown to clean wounds quicker than conventional treatments. After the wound is cleaned and there are no more dead cells to remove the maggots simply die off. Dressings should be changed at least every week.

Any treatments on horses should be consulted by a qualified vet before administration. I personally thought this treatment method to be very interesting and would be a topic I will be interested in doing some more research into in my own time.