It is a disease caused by the fly Wohlfahrtia magnifica.. It is one of the varieties of Miases, that is, diseases caused by the development in the tissues of fly larvae that feed on dead and living tissues of the host. There are dozens of similar pathologies in the world, but in In our area, wolfarthiosis is the most common.
The disease was first described back in 1862. It is distributed throughout Central and Southern Europe, Russia, Central Asia, China. The disease is particularly common in Italy and Hungary, with multiple cases reported in Morocco.
Female flies Wohlfahrtia magnifica have an excellent sense of smell and are able to find potential hosts by smell from many tens of kilometers away. It is worth noting that the insect never attacks completely healthy dogs– there must be signs of inflammation on the animal’s skin. Especially flies actively react to the odors of purulent, necrotizing wounds.
Development cycle
The female flies up to the future “incubator” and literally injects larvae into the affected area of the skin. Each “injection” contains at least 10-15 individuals. The larvae quickly burrow into the wound, actively feed and molt twice. After about five days (depending on the ambient temperature), they crawl out of their cozy nest, fall onto the soil, burrow into it, and pupate. After one to three weeks, the imago (that is, the adult stage) emerges.
Interesting! Adult flies are most active at temperatures environment 20-27 degrees Celsius. If it gets hotter, they find shade and fall into a kind of torpor.
Read also: Fungus in dogs: symptoms, prevention and treatment
Wolfharthiosis is most widespread in regions of active sheep breeding. Most susceptible - guard shepherd dogs guarding the herds. Flies try not to fly far from the flocks, and therefore cases of disease in domestic animals in the city are very rare. But dogs in private yards suffer much more.
Particularly frequent cases are recorded during sheep shearing periods. At this time, scratches and wounds appear en masse on the skin of animals (if the haircut was carried out ineptly), insect activity increases geometric progression. Thus, the number of active flies increases by an order of magnitude; not only the unfortunate shepherd dogs get sick, but also any animals that, unfortunately, were scratched during the “harvest” period. Note that human illness is not at all uncommon, especially in countries like Tajikistan.
Symptoms and treatment methods
What are the symptoms? Determining the presence of the disease is simple - even an inexperienced breeder can easily see fatty larvae freely crawling in an inflamed, smelly wound, from which large volumes of pus are released. The surface of the wound lesion sometimes reaches the area of the palm of an adult; it is covered with brown, watery contents with a disgusting odor.
In severe cases, the animal’s condition quickly deteriorates due to the large volume of larvae secreted toxins. When the dog licks the wound surface, everything becomes even worse, since the wound is further macerated (softened), and even more pathogenic microflora penetrates there in addition to the larvae.
Question for experts: how to remove maggots from a dog? There are so many of them and she suffers a lot. The dog is old and lives in a kennel in the yard
Best regards, Valentina Machneva
Best answers
Nadezhda Mikhailova:
horror! Why did you bring the dog to this? She's rotting alive!!!
It's me:
she's already dead
judging by the fact that the maggots started about two weeks ago
Fox:
Why are there maggots on her, why are there wounds?
Irina Kozyavkina:
Well, you are sadists. I'll call the police right now
Elena Rusakova (Averina):
the wound needs to be treated antiseptic solution. Wash the maggots thoroughly with water. then put on a bandage with miramistin. In general, you can buy chlorhexidine and wash the wound every day. It is advisable to show the dog to the veterinarian later. or at least give a course of antibiotics, such as gentamicin. it is inexpensive, 2 times a day, 0.3 each. Don’t be afraid, prick in the leg, you will feel the muscle there.
nursery "Bas-ko-chi":
What a nightmare, imagine yourself in his place, here is another example of a dog “for yourself”, or for free, why look after it? Fiends
Marina Frolova:
Well, firstly, they are simply removed with peroxide or chlorhexidine with a cotton swab, secondly, this is how to run a dog so that maggots will appear, 3rd, cut off all the hair around the affected areas so that it does not get into the wounds. Apply a thin layer of Levomikol ointment, do not lick it off. Do this 2-3 times a day until complete recovery.
DIMON FILIN:
She urgently needs to be taken to the vet. Maggots only breed in rotting meat. and the process of rotting is underway. don't torture the dog, take it to the vet. clinic!
OLGA GALUK:
how to cure maggots from a dog?
Angelica Byankina:
This is to the vet!!! They need to be removed, not lotions applied!!!
Video response
This video will help you figure it out
Answers from experts
Hedgehog in the fog:
You don't have to do anything. Maggots eat only dead tissue, thus cleaning the wound.
bagram3:
Rinse with hydrogen peroxide and cover with streptocide.
Pauline:
rinse with peroxide! Why haven’t you done anything before?
Tatyana Kozlova:
Your dog is being eaten alive, and you are sitting on the Internet. Go to the veterinarian, treat the wound, remove maggots, inject antibiotics, etc.
Margarita Borisovna:
Take Butox, dilute it at the rate of 1 ml per 700 ml of water. Using a syringe without a needle, pour the drug into the passages made by maggots, eating away the tissue. They will crawl out, but you MUST check all the passages so that not a single one remains and remove them all with tweezers. Dry the wound with gauze and sprinkle with powder that repels flies.
Marina Sumenkova:
Tough =(((. Transplant maggots into your ears and continue surfing the Internet - let them eat you, not the unfortunate dog.
Happy Woman:
Go to the vet. And urgently. Wash the wound thoroughly and bandage it or cover it with a plaster.
Yul4ik***:
Ichthyol ointment. It costs 500 rubles. On a dog they will die in a couple of hours.
Olga Zayarnova:
Maggots are fly larvae. They're actually not that scary. They feed on the contents of the wound and do not touch living tissue at all. Of course, you need to get rid of them and treat the wound. First, remove the hair around the wound, trim it and shave as much as possible. Wash everything around and the wound itself well with hydrogen peroxide or a solution of potassium permanganate. Next, of course, would be to remove dead tissue from the wound surgically… Well, since there’s a problem with the vets…. Take a sterile surgical napkin. Soak in novocaine and place in the wound. After 10 minutes, use your hands, or better yet, tweezers to catch the larvae from the wound. Next, it would be good to water the wound with an insecticide; previously we used hypoterminchlorophos for this purpose, but I think you won’t find it anymore, but you can poison the dog with other means. You can try neo-stomazan or butox (veterinary grade, dilute more than per instructions) and treat around the wound. You can also try aversectin ointment (only on the edges of the wound! Do not apply to the wound!!!) Next, your task is to make a collar for the dog and prevent the ryn from licking. Powder the wound itself with penicillin or spray it with a veterinary spray such as Terramycin. Treat the wound once a day. Keep the dog in a place where there are no flies. If you have any questions, write in a personal message.
Medusa:
This is all very strange. Did you see them right in this hole? Sometimes there is a perforation, but it is not visible outwardly
Sergey Sokin:
Pour 0.3 ml of Lincomycin hydrochloride into a pre-drawn syringe of 20 ml Ringer's solution, insert a needle and mix. Inject under the skin on the back 1 rub. in the village 5 days. Squirrel worms! Lincomycin g/d inhibits protein and many bacteria, which contributes to fast healing open purulent wounds.
Olya:
Well, yes, but those who spread “maggots” are all so harmless, and have never climbed through shit!
Comrade owner, how are you still sitting there, seeing the worms! ? At least take him to another doctor! Or take it to the one who recommended euthanizing! Moreover, old dog. To treat it, it’s true, you won’t have enough money, and while you cure it, you’ll cause the dog a lot of suffering! Put him to sleep, cry, and know that the dog is under God’s wing, and the dog will always thank you for not torturing you painful treatments in old age.
Myiasis is a collective concept rather than the name of a specific disease. Unfortunately, not all animals, even those living on private property, are subject to daily inspection, scratching, and bathing. Meanwhile, they may have wounds, abrasions, and integrity violations skin, and all this goes unnoticed by the owner. The open wound surface attracts insects with the smell of blood and flesh, and sometimes pus. So the flies strive to lay their larvae there so that their offspring have something to eat.
The main culprit of myiasis is the Wohlfarth fly, and the disease is called “Wolfarthiosis” (blackening of wounds).
Spread of the disease
The disease is possible throughout the entire range of the Wohlfarth fly. However, if in the southern regions it produces 5-6 populations over the summer, then in the central regions it produces 2-3, but this does not make it any less dangerous.
The Wohlfarth fly is a two-winged insect of the gray blowfly family.
Description of the pathogenic insect
The insect itself feeds on the juices of the plant. 12-15 days after mating, the female lays larvae. To do this, she looks for living tissue, wound surfaces, and macerated (wrinkled, inflamed) animal skin. It lays 10-20 larvae in wound openings and folds of skin. From this moment myiasis begins. The larvae develop quickly; in a week they are able to molt twice and grow up to two centimeters.
Mature larvae fall out of the wound and burrow into the ground, where they pupate. If the environment is suitable, the ground is warm and soft, then complete pupation occurs in 10-12 days, otherwise it is delayed or suspended. If the larva falls out in late autumn, then it overwinters in the ground, in the pupal phase, and continues its development in the spring.
Wohlfarth fly lays larvae mainly on animals
The fly itself is a two-winged insect from the blowfly family. Very common in southern Russia, the Middle East, and China.
Wolfarthiosis mainly affects sheep farms. However, other animals, dogs, cats, and sometimes humans, can also develop myiasis.
Course of the disease
In cats and dogs, the disease is rarely recorded due to physiological characteristics these animals. Licking your own wounds is the best way to promote both wound hygiene and healing. However, in hard-to-reach places, where the cat cannot reach and lick, long-term non-healing processes are possible.
Initially, myiasis does not cause much trouble. However, over time, when the wound surface does not granulate, it is necessary to urgently seek help from a veterinary specialist.
The larvae, penetrating deep into the wound of a cat or dog, are able to make subcutaneous tunnels.
Myiases are diseases of dogs and cats caused by the larvae of certain types of flies.
By eating away cells, they significantly damage connective and muscle tissue. In addition, myiasis is further aggravated by the spread of pathogenic microflora. The wound tissue begins to become inflamed (swell, fester).
Symptoms
Cutaneous myiasis in acute form manifested by the animal's anxiety. Superficial wounds are easily identified and treatment is carried out quickly and effectively.
If the myiasis is subcutaneous, with many “pockets,” then the animal is depressed or agitated, and the cat can become aggressive. Festering wounds cause itching, the animal tries to comb and scratch the affected area. If myiasis has affected deep-lying muscle tissue, and the process has become chronic, there is an increase in body temperature and severe depression of the animal.
Treatment
When treating animals, you cannot get by with simply treating the wound surface. Until all the larvae are removed, the “pockets” of the wound are excised, the exudate is removed and the pathogenic microflora, the process of tissue granulation will not begin.
Surgery and wound treatment can only be carried out by a qualified specialist, especially if muscle groups are affected. Treatment of wounds in cats should be performed under local anesthesia.
After toileting the wound (mechanical removal of its contents), medical treatment is carried out, irrigation of the cavity with antibiotic solutions (erythromycin or penicillin). Drainage is inserted into the treated “pockets”. Vishnevsky ointment is applied to the wound surfaces. For severe inflammatory processes a course of antibiotic treatment is prescribed.
Treatment consists of surgical removal larvae from affected tissue
When treating small animals, cats, dogs, a fixing bandage must be applied after the manipulations.
To treat wounds without removing the larvae, the drug "Volfazol" is used. It contains chlorophos (FOS - an organic pesticide - to destroy larvae), erythromycin (an antibiotic - to suppress microflora), birch tar - a natural substance that enhances tissue keratoplasty. Release form: aerosol foam. The drug is easy to use and effective. To carry out treatment, foam is applied inside the wound and on the entire outer wound surface. The waterproof film formed after application protects the wound from wetting, infection and additional invasion.
"Wolfazol" is used for the prevention and treatment of all farm animals, as well as cats, dogs and other carnivores.
Preventive measures
Attentive attitude towards animals, timely examination of the skin and veterinary measures will help prevent the development of myiasis.
Timely treatment of wound surfaces with iodoform and aerosol foul-smelling substances will not allow insects to deposit their larvae in the wound.
Regular control of insects - laying out poisonous baits, hanging Velcro, keeping places where people and animals live clean - will significantly reduce the spread and reproduction of dipterans.
Insects accompany humans and animals everywhere, however, humankind can control their numbers. Modern agricultural chemistry has created an incredible number of means to combat flies, mosquitoes, and ticks; you just need to use them in time.
Representatives of the family of flies - the gadfly - have a hemispherical, well-developed head, with bare eyes, which in females are spread wider at the back of the head than in males; There are three simple eyes. The antennae are placed in a pit on the forehead, short, segmented, with bare or half-pinnate bristles; the female has a significantly larger segment 3 than the male.
The proboscis of the American group Cuterebridae is quite large, horny, geniculate, retracted into the mouth slit and is hardly noticeable from the outside, without tentacles. The body is large, wide, with a transverse seam on the back, the hind legs are often very elongated.
Dogs become infected when they come into contact with grass in nature that contains botfly larvae. The movement of the dog in relation to the grass stimulates the larva to move towards a moving object - towards the dog. The larva will then move around the dog's body until it finds an opening under the skin.
Infection with gadfly larvae is seasonal from summer to early autumn, during the period of activity of adult gadflies.
An infestation of Cuterebra botfly larvae may present as bumps above the surface of the skin, or the dog may show signs associated with the larvae moving through the tissue. Symptoms may include respiratory signs, neurological symptoms, ophthalmological (eye) and skin.
- Cough.
- Fever.
- Hesitant breathing.
Neurological symptoms:
- Dizziness.
- Loss of coordination (movement in a circle).
- Paralysis.
- Blindness.
- Constant “lying down” position.
Ophthalmology symptoms:
- Damage caused by larvae in the eyeball.
Skin symptoms:
- The location of the larva under the skin (tubercle, lump, compaction) will be raised above the skin level and has a hole so that the larva can breathe.
Causes of infection with gadfly larvae in dogs
Treatment of botfly larvae infestation in dogs
If the larva is at the end of its migratory stage and has settled in a specific location on the body, such as under the skin, eye or nose, your veterinarian will be able to remove it safely.
As a rule, maggots appear in a dog’s wound if the animal is neglected. Not cured open injuries, festering wounds, ulcers, scratched insect bites are an ideal environment for laying eggs of various flies, from which larvae later hatch. Such a phenomenon in clinical settings It's called miasm. If the necessary measures are not taken urgently, this can lead to serious consequences, including the death of the pet.
How to detect maggots?
Purulent wounds are a favorite place for maggots. They reproduce at maximum speed, since the dog’s body has all the comfortable conditions for their living: available food and warmth. In an open wound on a dog, you can easily notice elongated light-colored creatures with the naked eye. By feeding on the pet’s flesh, they will actively increase in size and absorb more and more soft tissue, which subsequently begins to decompose. Fly larvae, penetrating deep into wounds, eat through subcutaneous tunnels, causing further damage to the dog. more harm. By eating away cells, maggots injure muscle and bone tissue. In addition, the spread of pathogenic microflora in the body further worsens. The skin tissue in the affected areas begins to swell and fester.
Symptoms and treatment
Miasm in dogs is divided into three types:
If maggots have appeared in a dog’s wound, you cannot do only superficial treatment. Treatment should be carried out under the full supervision of a veterinarian. Since all the larvae are not destroyed, the exudate is eliminated and the pathogenic microflora is not suppressed, the tissues will not heal, which means that an outbreak of another lesion is possible.
Fly larvae are not dangerous to humans, but they have a good appetite and are capable of eating a dog alive.
If the presence of maggots was detected on initial stage reproduction and there are few of them, you can cope on your own. For treatment you will need chlorhesidine; it must be applied to the wound for several days. But it should be remembered that the solution contains toxic substances that the animal can lick off, and this can lead not only to severe poisoning, but also to the death of the pet. In this situation, it is better not to take risks and if maggots appear in the dog’s wound, immediately contact a veterinary clinic.
Preventive measures
Increased attention to the dog, regular examination of the skin and timely treatment open wounds foul-smelling products will prevent flies from laying eggs. If at least one fly larva is noticed in the house, it is necessary to urgently inspect the animal and carry out a complete disinfection of the room. Regular control of flying insects, keeping the dog's habitat clean and maintaining hygiene will prevent the development of miasmas.
