Vicki
Administrator
GRANGER — Nillie O’Nair visited Kryder Veterinary clinic for her scheduled check-up and vaccination boost Tuesday morning.
The 14-month-old Great Dane is lactose intolerant, but otherwise healthy. But Nillie’s vet says there’s another thing her owners should watch out for this time of year.
“Usually what you’re going to see is a little hole with stuff oozing out of it,†explained Dr. Donn Kryder, owner of Kryder Veterinary Clinic in Granger.
He’s talking about cuterebra — fly larvae that attach to your pet's body, then go through an opening like the mouth and migrate underneath the skin.
“They get very large,†said Kryder. “They’re like pretty big fly bots.â€
If not removed, the larvae will eventually hatch and fall out, Kryder said.
He also told WSBT cuterebra isn’t usually dangerous for pets.
"It’s more ugly and gross because it's like an abscess and you get drainage,†he explained. “And you see this little fly larva picking, pushing its mouth out of the hole underneath the skin [because that’s how it breathes].â€
This YouTube Video shows a larva being removed from a pet — something most vets say you shouldn't try by yourself.
"You have to be careful when you remove them because if it ruptures, some animals will have an [allergic] reaction and die from it,†Kryder said.
Kryder said the most common place dogs and cats get cuterebra is around their head and neck because they usually are sniffing around a rabbit burrow, which is where flies often lay their eggs.
It most commonly happens in the fall. Kryder said his clinic will likely see it in 15 to 20 cats and dogs this year. Even though it’s generally not life threatening, "it’s just disgusting,†he laughed.
Warning: Some pictures in the following links are graphic:
What is a cuterebra parasite?
What does a cuterebra larva look like?
What does cuterebra look like on the skin?
http://www.wsbt.com/news/local/59374392.html