# worm in dog's skin?



## Dubi (Aug 21, 2007)

Our dog has an infected small round hole in her haunch which we thought was a puncture wound, but now it looks like a light-colored worm or something is in it. Has anyone ever seen such a thing? Would a worm or insect bore into a dog's skin? Any way to kill or smother it without harming the dog?


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## cricket (Dec 15, 2004)

Take a picture of it....and post it. It's possible but most likely it's tissue that you're seeing.


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## comfortablynumb (Nov 18, 2003)

thats a warble maggot.

get a pointed set of forecepts or tweezers and grab the edge of the hole, and take a razor and make a small cut in the edge to make the hole bigger.
dont be afraid to make a good cut, or 2 two enlarge the opening..... its ok. ti will heal fast.
then take the tweezers and dig in the hole and grab the maggot and pull it out. do it slow as not to rip the little bugger in half and kill it or it will need opened up wider to flush the dead bits out.... if you pull slow, it will slip right out.
:help: 

be warned, they get big. 

the lump isnt infected its the home of a big grub, and its swimming in a sticky fluid as it eats its home bigger as it grows.

once you pull the thing out, it will heal up quick with some neosporin on it.

Ive yanked those things out bigger than large jellybeans.

the skin is numb around the hole, its a breating hole the grub keeps open.... you wont hurt the dog.
if it gets bigger and eats down into the muscle it will start to hurt for sure.

once you yank your first out, youll be a pro.


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## yarrow (Apr 27, 2004)

Big worm? little worm? A few years ago we had some kittens dumped. Two of them had *worm holes*.... I got the fly larve out, used some topical antibiodict. Both were fine. Here's a link with a couple pics. http://www.bright.net/~bryanvet/Cuterebra.htm
susie, mo ozarks


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## Dubi (Aug 21, 2007)

Thanks for identifying the warble maggot--we just pulled it out after smothering the air whole with vaseline. It started coming up for air right away. Doggy still nervous but obviously feeling better.


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## Betho (Dec 27, 2006)

GROSSSSSSSSSSSSS

Tell her to stop eating cat poop!


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## Dubi (Aug 21, 2007)

Is that where they come from? Does Furry have worms?


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## Betho (Dec 27, 2006)

no way, he's totally pristine. 

1. poop-eating nervous dog with a gigantic nose :gromit: 
2. regal king-like black cat who can do no wrong (and has a cute little black nose) :angel: 

Furry had nothing to do with it


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## comfortablynumb (Nov 18, 2003)

its a fly.. a really big fly.


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## Rae Jean (Sep 23, 2007)

Boy is that gross! Let me go check my dogs n cats...


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## DamnearaFarm (Sep 27, 2007)

Back when I was a kid in Ky we had cats get them pretty regularly. In the neck. ew ew ew. We'd just hold 'em down and pour turpentine in the hole. The cats got MAD, the maggot died and we all lived to repeat the story.


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## Cara (May 9, 2002)

I don't get sicked out very easily, but that does it....the other thing that does it is that rainforest frog that the daddy has little nasty holes in his back that the momma lays the eggs in and they develop IN his back. AWWWW SICK!


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## silentcrow (Mar 15, 2005)

RamblinRoseRanc said:


> Back when I was a kid in Ky we had cats get them pretty regularly. In the neck. ew ew ew. We'd just hold 'em down and pour turpentine in the hole. The cats got MAD, the maggot died and we all lived to repeat the story.


I had a cat years ago with 1 on her face. Took her to the vet to take care of. In a week, another showed up in her neck. A friend said Zippo lighter fluid, so I squirted a bit in the hole. The neck healed before the face!

I forget the name, but there is another bug that does what the warble fly larva do, but they are associated with rabbit droppings. That's how my cat got it...I was raising rabbits at the time.


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## Avalon Acres (Dec 1, 2006)

I use a large syringe without the needle to "suction" the maggot. Push plunger down, insert syringe (without the needle!) into the opening, and pull back on the plunger quickly, while snatching the syringe. Gross, but quick and effective.


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## Wolf mom (Mar 8, 2005)

Yaaarg! the necessary things I learn here......Thanks.


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## JacknJava (Sep 18, 2007)

Yep, I'm currently attending vet tech school and we just learned about cuterebra in Parasitology class last quarter. Disgusting!


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## suitcase_sally (Mar 20, 2006)

silentcrow said:


> I had a cat years ago with 1 on her face. Took her to the vet to take care of. In a week, another showed up in her neck. A friend said Zippo lighter fluid, so I squirted a bit in the hole. The neck healed before the face!
> 
> I forget the name, but there is another bug that does what the warble fly larva do, but they are associated with rabbit droppings. That's how my cat got it...I was raising rabbits at the time.


My dad called them "wolves" or perhaps "woofs". I was a little kid and my little brother had a pet bunny.


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## tamsam (May 12, 2006)

One other name is Bot Fly Larva. They are common in wild animals and die after a good frost. The hole is usually larger than the warble so you can put a little pressure around the hole and the warble will come up so you can catch it to pull it out. Now maggots in a wound is a whole different story. They live in a hole that has a smaller opening than the inside and there is many inside. They need to be cleaned out and the site treated to kill any infection in the wound. Glad you got it out. Sam


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## Topaz Farm (Jan 27, 2005)

suitcase_sally said:


> My dad called them "wolves" or perhaps "woofs". I was a little kid and my little brother had a pet bunny.


That is what my Daddy called them too. I can handle blood, wounds, I even was there when the vet did a trach on my horse. But....... a flesh eating worm....... is just gag me gross.


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## JacknJava (Sep 18, 2007)

tamsam said:


> One other name is Bot Fly Larva. They are common in wild animals and die after a good frost. The hole is usually larger than the warble so you can put a little pressure around the hole and the warble will come up so you can catch it to pull it out. Now maggots in a wound is a whole different story. They live in a hole that has a smaller opening than the inside and there is many inside. They need to be cleaned out and the site treated to kill any infection in the wound. Glad you got it out. Sam


We've been taught not to squeeze the hole, as there is the possibility that you might squash the actual worm, which could cause even more problems. In the vet's office, they enlarge the hole by incising the skin and using forceps to gently remove the worm. Be sure to use plenty of antiseptic if you are not planning on going to the vet!


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## tamsam (May 12, 2006)

What I meant was a little pressure under the worm if it is where the skin is loose. I agree do not squeeze the worm itself. . Thanks for pointing that out. Sam


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## Saffron (May 24, 2006)

Smothering the hole with vaseline is the safest course - the larvae can't breathe and come up for air. Pull it out - sometimes it will come out completely by itself. Then hydrogen peroxide or kerosene on the wound to sterilize and clean.

Our cat had one. Was told by one person it would kill her - did some research online for -- wolves, warves - found the info, no problems.

Outdoor animals can get this from almost anywhere. Mostly from squirrels, though.


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## comfortablynumb (Nov 18, 2003)

if it dies in the hole and you dont take it out, you risk a nasty infection from the decay.

getting it physically out is the best route.


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## PineRidge (May 2, 2006)

Yuck, we went through this this summer on a kitten. I knew what it was right away, but didn't know how (and didn't want to) handle it. The one maggot in the kittens shoulder was dead, I think from the mother cleaning the wound all the time. The other was still growing. Basically we wrapped the kitten in a towel, poured some rubbing alcohol and gently pulled the maggot out, while the cat was screaming and clawing at us. Then we cleaned the wound, and worked on the other one. Mostly just just removing as much as we could see, and flushing with lots of water. Both wounds healed up within days.

That was honestly the single most disgusting thing I have ever had to do. CN, I don't see how anyone can be a "pro" at removing them, yuck! At least they were on a kitten and not one of the kids! I would have fainted, lol.


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## jen74145 (Oct 31, 2006)

Cara said:


> I don't get sicked out very easily, but that does it....the other thing that does it is that rainforest frog that the daddy has little nasty holes in his back that the momma lays the eggs in and they develop IN his back. AWWWW SICK!


I am so glad I'm not the only one who freakin' HATES those things! Eww *shudder* suriname toads are the devil! Not many living things freak me out, but maggots and suriname toads do it. 
Now my skin is crawling. Ugh.


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## fordy (Sep 13, 2003)

................This scenario sounds exactly the Bot Flys that setup housekeeping under the skin of humans in central and south america . , fordy


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## Cara (May 9, 2002)

Jen, I was trying to tell someone about those nasty things (thanks for the name) and actually got queezy and had to stop talking. Puke!


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## Kung (Jan 19, 2004)

When I was about 18, still at home, one of our kittens got one. Unfortunately, while not exactly feral, they were 'outside' cats, and by the time we saw it, it had obviously gotten to the brain - the cat was acting REAL weird. We removed the worm, but when it did not improve we took it to the vet, at which point they said it'd be best to simply euthanize the kitten.


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## Saffron (May 24, 2006)

here ya go -- 
[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aCayq56wHSA[/ame]


ewww - ugggghhhh! my back is crawling!!!


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## KimE (Apr 22, 2007)

Be careful pulling them out. I believe the worm has a hook at the bottom and if they are of a larger size, that can cause problems in getting it out. Also been told that if you squish them, the worm actually secretes some nasty juice that can be harmful. Don't know if its true but we're always extra careful.


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## comfortablynumb (Nov 18, 2003)

you dont have to dump alcohol or lighter fluid in the worm den...
its not 'dirty', its actually been gnawed clean in there.

and the chemos just burn like heck.


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## Cindy in KY (May 10, 2002)

Years ago, one of my barn cats had a lump on it's neck. I squirted peroxide into the hole on the neck (I did not know at the time what it was), and applied some gentle pressure to see if it had a splinter or something. Something shot out and flew across the tack room. Eeeeewwwwwww. I stepped on it. Had never seen them till then, nor since. Some friends here said it was a warble, comes in the hay sometimes, or dirt. That is why it is not good to put the rabbits on the ground.


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