Noticing the presence of heel flies this year. Cows running around with their tails curled up. Is there an effective treatment for this?

Bos indicus

I am interested in this too. According to this link, an Avermectin injection. It would be nice if the pour-on does the job but I dont think it does.

http://livestockvetento.tamu.edu/insectspests/cattle-grub-heel-fly/

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I am interested in this too. According to this link, an Avermectin injection. It would be nice if the pour-on does the job but I dont think it does.

http://livestockvetento.tamu.edu/insectspests/cattle-grub-heel-fly/

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Those sound ****ing horrible...

I read that article. Here is another one I read.

http://vet.entomology.cals.cornell.edu/arthropod-identification/cow-recommendations/cattle-grubs

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In the absence of regional control programs, individual producers may minimize damage to their own animals by using systemically active insecticides on their young, nonlactating heifers. Several systemic insecticides are available as pour-ons, spot-ons, and injectables. It is essential, however, that systemic insecticides not be used on lactating animals because of the danger that insecticide residues will appear in the milk. At present no cattle grub treatment is available for lactating animals.

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Here, from an Ivomec Pour On link, is a paragraph on it. It does not describe everything clearly to me (above my head?) as I don't know the "season" they are talking about. I never had a serious problem with it, except for club calves. I know the grub stage in the animals back was always a problem right at show time (January, February).

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When To Treat Cattle With Grubs
IVOMEC Pour-On effectively controls all stages of cattle grubs. However, proper timing of treatment is important. For the most effective results, cattle should be treated as soon as possible after the end of the heel fly (warble fly) season. While this is not peculiar to ivermectin, destruction of Hypoderma larvae (cattle grubs) at the period when these grubs are in vital areas may cause undesirable host-parasite reactions. Killing Hypoderma lineatum when it is in the eso****eal tissues may cause bloat; killing H. bovis when it is in the vertebral canal may cause staggering or paralysis. Cattle should be treated either before or after these stages of grub development.
Cattle treated with IVOMEC Pour-On at the end of the fly season may be re-treated with IVOMEC during the winter without danger of grub-related reactions. For further information and advice on a planned parasite control program, consult your veterinarian.

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Edit: I guess you cannot say e.s.o.p.h.a.g.e.a.l or e.s.o.p.h.a.g.u.s

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I read that article. Here is another one I read.

http://vet.entomology.cals.cornell.edu/arthropod-identification/cow-recommendations/cattle-grubs

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In the absence of regional control programs, individual producers may minimize damage to their own animals by using systemically active insecticides on their young, nonlactating heifers. Several systemic insecticides are available as pour-ons, spot-ons, and injectables. It is essential, however, that systemic insecticides not be used on lactating animals because of the danger that insecticide residues will appear in the milk. At present no cattle grub treatment is available for lactating animals.

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I don't get that at all. Many times these kinds of instructions are referring to dairy cattle, so you cannot sell the milk if your cow is treated with this particular medicine, until after X days after the treatment is over.

But it does not say that at all. So is there a danger to the calf that is drinking that milk? Or is there some biological reason why treatments just wont work on a lactating animal? I feel stupid. I also feel disgusted with the person who did not write this article clearly so I could understand it.

Don't concern yourself with the disclaimers/admonition re: dairy cattle if your application is for beef cattle. They're perfectly safe to use. I can recommend a mineral block product I just put out that contains Rabon which breaks the cycle for face, horn, and house flies (but not heel flies) by treating the manure, where the flies lay their eggs.

I used a pour on (Ivomec) to treat internal parasites, and I think (hope) that will take care of the horn fly pupae.

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When spring arrives the larvae move away from the cluster to the back of the animal at which point each larvae will cut a small hole for them to breathe out of.

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Then a teenage CP90 would come along back in the day with a glass coke bottle just to watch them pop out explode on the bottom of the bottle.

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When spring arrives the larvae move away from the cluster to the back of the animal at which point each larvae will cut a small hole for them to breathe out of.

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Then a teenage CP90 would come along back in the day with a glass coke bottle just to watch them pop out explode on the bottom of the bottle.

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That's what we used to do in hopes to get the grub out and hopefully the hole will scab over and heal before show time.

Unfortunately the grub is not always "ready" to come out, so when you press real hard with your coke bottle it just irritates and inflames the area even worse. It also really ticks off the animal because it hurts, and in the next few days it hurts even more because it gets more inflamed. That's when your animal, even if it is really tame, starts getting pissed off at you if you touch its back near the tender grub hole.

I had no idea until today that part of the life cycle of this pest gathers around the animals esoph a gus. That sounds even more horrible than being on the animals back.

Who hasn't encountered many of these nasty looking creatures in the throats of deer when skinning/dressing them? Cows aren't the only animals tormented by them.