Posted: 7/13/2007 12:34:31 PM EDT
| My huskey has a parasitic infection on her right shoulder, I've always called them "wolves" and succesfully treated them with a topical ointment such as vaseline. It suffocates them and it all heals - having a harder time with this one. Whate is the "real" name of it and how do I treat it? Thanks |
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The scientific name is Cuterebra. The little thing you see moving is its breathing tube. What I always do is open up the hole just a little with a scalpel if it's a small opening, grab with foreceps, and pull it out. If you bump one and don't make the grab the first time, they'll turn around inside the pocket they make and force you to either wait them out or grab a thinner area of the bug and risk rupture. You have to be absolutely sure that you get the thing out whole, because anaphylactic reactions have been reported if you rupture one. It's one of those things that's easy when done right, and can be a problem if done wrong. So far this year, I've pulled three out. Last year, I pulled one out of the neck of a kitten for TBS and Mona. They are nasty-looking little boogers... A real crowd-pleaser for children and those with weak stomachs. Of course, I would be remiss not to suggest that a person who is trained in the way of breathing-tube snatching be allowed to do it, just in case  -Hobbit |
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They're a fly larva- an oversized maggot. Textbooks say that they lay eggs on plants, etc. and when animals brush up against them, they stick on the fur. The eggs hatch, and the larvae burrow into the skin. I personally believe that some of the eggs are laid directly on animals, especially weak/young/debilitated ones. There's no way to prevent them that I know of, unless you want to eliminate the whole cuterebra species from the planet. -Hobbit |