Botflies are unpleasant and rather large flying insects that are widespread throughout the world. Most of them are in the tropics and hot countries. Although they also live in Russia, Europe, and Asia. Are gadflies dangerous? And how. These insects cause harm to livestock and farming, reducing milk yield and livestock weight gain. They also lay eggs on the skin and fur of animals. At the same time, there are species that can choose humans for this purpose.
In turn, larvae emerge from the eggs of the gadfly, which lead a parasitic lifestyle and thereby cause significant harm to the health of their prey. Want to know more? Including understanding how to protect yourself from them? Then the information below will be useful for you.
What does a parasite look like?
The gadfly is a fairly large fly, the size of which varies depending on the species from 9 to 25 mm. It has a wide body, transparent wings, a round head with short antennae and large eyes. The whole body is covered with villi, the color varies from beige-brown to yellow-gray, the abdomen has a bluish tint.
The appearance of the gadfly larva depends on what stage of development it is at. The newly hatched larva barely reaches 2 mm. Its segmented light body in the shape of a drop is covered with small dark spikes-hooks, thanks to which it is held on the skin or fur. With each molt, the size of the larva increases and the body becomes more elongated.
Appearance
Whipworms
Whipworms (Trichuris vulpis) are another common intestinal parasite in dogs. The predator lives in the large intestine, where it bites tissue and sticks its head inside. Like hookworms, whipworms suck the host's blood for food.
Whipworms are even smaller than roundworms and are rarely seen in stool. One end of the worm's body is wide, while the rest tapers to a narrow, whip-like head, hence the name whipworm.
Dogs become infected with whipworms by eating whipworm eggs that live in the soil. This usually happens as a result of self-care. Whipworm eggs pass through the upper gastrointestinal tract and hatch into larvae in the small intestine. The larvae then move to the cecum or colon where they develop into adult whipworms. Their eggs are found in the dog's stool. Whipworm eggs can lie dormant in the soil for years until they are eaten by a new host. Then the life cycle repeats.
How does the larva develop?
Reproduction and reproduction of offspring is the main purpose of the existence of an adult gadfly. As soon as she is born, the female immediately goes in search of a male to mate with. After fertilization, the female looks for a suitable object on which to lay eggs.
The female subcutaneous gadfly lays eggs on the skin of the animal, the gastric one on the food plant, the cavitary one is viviparous, so it immediately attaches larvae to the victim. Once inside the body of a person or animal, the larva begins to actively eat. Her diet includes blood and tissues, from which she receives all the nutrients necessary for development and growth.
The larval stage lasts from 5 to 10 weeks. During this time, the parasite goes through several molts and increases in size by 10–15 times. A fully formed larva is ready to become a pupa. To do this, it leaves the host's body. The larva may gnaw through the skin to escape or be shed in the feces.
Cause of heart dirofilariasis
Heartworm disease, or heartworm disease, is a very serious and potentially fatal disease.
The disease is caused by the parasite Dirofilaria immitis. Adult worms in infected dogs are located in the heart and in the large blood vessels adjacent to it. Sometimes worms can be found in other parts of the cardiovascular system. An adult female worm reaches 15-36 cm in length and 5 mm in width. The male is approximately half the size of the female. One dog may have up to 300 worms at the time of diagnosis.
An adult heartworm can live up to five years.
Adult worms can live up to five years and during this time the female produces millions of offspring called microfilariae. Microfilariae live mainly in small vessels.
Main routes of penetration into animals and humans
How exactly the gadfly lays eggs on its prey and where the larvae will develop depends on what type of insect it is. There are three main groups of gadflies:
- subcutaneous - the female lays eggs on the fur or on the skin, the hatched larvae penetrate inside and travel through the tissues;
- gastric - the female lays eggs on food plants, the larvae enter the animal’s digestive system with food and feed on the tissues of the internal organs;
- cavitary - a viviparous female in flight injects larvae into the animal’s face, the parasites penetrate into the eyes or nose, and through them further to the brain.
The only species of gadflies that attack humans are those whose larvae develop under the skin. But people can become infected with absolutely any type of parasite. The female may throw the larvae in the face, or you can eat meat infected with the larvae of the gastric botfly. Even petting an infected cow or sheep can produce one or more larvae.
Another way in which gadfly larvae appear in the human body is through blood-sucking insects. The female lays eggs on the abdomen of the mosquito, which lands on a person to bite him, and the egg ends up on the skin. Body heat provokes the appearance of a larva that penetrates the skin.
Diagnosis of helminthiasis
To find out which tablets to give your dog against worms, and to determine the degree and severity of the infection, you need to do the following:
- Fecal analysis, which shows whether dogs have worms and their type. Moreover, if worm eggs in dogs are detected quickly, it takes time to find out which worm has infected the animal.
- Blood analysis. Plasma testing determines antibodies, inflammatory processes and other pathologies that develop during helminthic infestation. With its help, the doctor finds out the extent of the damage, which helps prescribe treatment.
- Chest X-ray, ultrasound of the heart - the veterinarian prescribes if pulmonary or cardiac infection is suspected. X-ray and ultrasound will show the presence/extent of the lesion.
Are gadfly larvae dangerous for pets?
Pets are also susceptible to infection with botfly larvae. Of course, this happens to them much less often than to farm animals, but there is a risk. A cat or dog can pick up the larvae of the subcutaneous botfly, for example, if it walks in a pasture or spends time in a barn.
Larvae
Also, parasite eggs can be acquired by a pet from the abdomen of an attached tick. And after eating a piece of contaminated meat, the animal will get stomach parasites.
Is additional treatment necessary?
A dog with severe heartworm disease may need antibiotics, pain medications, special diets, diuretics to clear fluid buildup in the lungs, and medications to improve heart function. Even after the worms are cleared, the dog may require lifelong treatment for heart failure. Treatment includes diuretics, heart medications such as an ACE inhibitor, beta blockers or cardioglycocides, and special low-salt diets.
What harm is done to a person?
Gadfly larvae, once in the human body, provoke the development of parasitic diseases - myiases. The presence of parasites not only causes discomfort, but also negatively affects the human body. At the initial stage, due to the vital activity of the parasite, general health deteriorates. The person becomes lethargic, nausea appears, and inflammation begins at the site of penetration of the larvae, which is most often accompanied by suppuration.
But if the larvae of the human skin gadfly live in the layers of the epidermis, then gastric or cavity parasites can affect internal organs. This is much more dangerous, as it leads to malfunctions of these organs, and therefore the entire body. Larvae that get into the eyes can cause deterioration and subsequently complete loss of vision.
What do helminths do to a dog?
It usually takes several years before the dog begins to show clinical signs of infection. Consequently, the disease is diagnosed mainly in dogs aged 2 to 7 years. The disease rarely occurs in dogs under one year of age, as the microfilariae, once infected, take five to seven months to mature into adult worms. Unfortunately, by the time clinical signs are visible, the disease is usually well advanced.
Adult worms: Adult worms cause the disease by blocking the heart and adjacent large blood vessels. They also interfere with the functioning of the heart valve. When a major blood vessel is blocked, the blood supply to other organs of the body, especially the lungs, liver and kidneys, is impaired, resulting in their functioning being impaired.
Signs of heartworm disease depend on the number of adults in the body, the duration of the disease, and the amount of damage caused to the heart, lungs, liver, and kidneys.
Clinical signs of heart dirofilariasis are a mild dry cough, shortness of breath, and loss of stamina.
The most obvious clinical signs of heartworm disease are a mild, dry cough, shortness of breath, weakness, nervousness, lethargy, and loss of stamina. All of these signs are most noticeable after exercise, when some dogs may even become unconscious or disoriented. Your veterinarian may notice an abnormal heart or lung murmur when listening to the chest with a stethoscope. In advanced cases, congestive heart failure and swelling of the abdomen and limbs may occur. Weight loss, poor general condition and anemia may also occur. Severely infected dogs may die suddenly during exercise or overstimulation.
Microfilariae (immature helminths) circulate throughout the body, but remain mainly in small blood vessels. Because they are almost the same width as small vessels, they can block blood flow in these vessels. The cells supplied by these vessels are thus deprived of nutrients and oxygen. Microfilariae usually cause damage to the lungs and liver. Destruction of lung tissue leads to coughing. Liver damage leads to cirrhosis of the liver, which in turn leads to jaundice, anemia and general weakness. The kidneys can also become damaged and allow toxins to build up in the body.
Symptoms of the appearance of gadfly larvae in humans
When a gadfly larva enters the body, a person most often does not feel anything. Symptoms begin to appear later, when the parasite begins to actively eat and move around. Depending on the location of the larva, pain occurs, which becomes more and more intense. The resulting weakness and nausea intensify, adding vomiting and dizziness. Quite often the patient’s temperature rises, sometimes there is fever and muscle pain.
Parasites in the nasal cavity provoke swelling, severe headaches, and constant copious secretion of mucus. If the larvae penetrate the eyes, severe lacrimation (sometimes with blood) and pain appear.
Personal safety measures
Medicines for the destruction of worms contain a small concentration of poison or a paralyzing substance for parasites. Therefore, during deworming, observe personal safety measures. After handling any form of medication, wash your hands with soap and discard the product packaging.
Keep deworming medications out of the reach of children and animals. Do not use medicine that has expired or after darkening, cloudiness, or impurities have appeared. Do not use empty bottles for household purposes.
How and with what to treat?
If the doctor confirms the presence of larvae, treatment should be started immediately. First of all, it is necessary to remove the parasites, and only after that begin healing and restorative therapy. The treatment regimen is selected based on the location of the larvae and the patient’s condition.
Drug treatment
In some cases, in order to remove the larvae in the human body, special antiparasitic agents are used. They contain substances that are toxic to insects. The drug can only be prescribed by a doctor after a study has been carried out.
Attention! Self-administration of the medication may cause complications.
Antibiotics
In most cases, myiasis is treated with a course of antibiotics that will help avoid the development of an inflammatory process in the tissues.
Removing the larva
Removal of subcutaneous gadfly larvae is carried out using tweezers or a special clamp. First, oil is dripped into the hole through which the parasite penetrated the skin or covered with a band-aid. Having difficulty accessing air, the insect will begin to crawl out. That's when they pull him out.
In more complex cases, when the botfly larvae are located in the internal organs, eyes or nasal cavity of a person, surgical intervention may be required to remove them.
Is it worth calling a doctor to your home to get help on how to remove maggots from a dog?
If you find any parasites or foreign insects on your dog’s body, you should immediately seek the advice of a veterinarian.
. And the best solution would be to call a doctor to your home. This measure will help save a lot of nerve cells from other visitors to the veterinary center and the owner. A doctor’s visit will help you take a test at home, carefully examine the parasites and prescribe adequate treatment tactics. With maggots, it also makes sense to adjust your diet. It should be quite light and at the same time high in calories. The veterinarian and his professional specialists will help in the fight against maggots.
How to prepare for the doctor's arrival
Having a doctor visit your home can save you a lot of time.
, which can be spent usefully, for example, inspecting the rear hole of the animal for cleanliness. You should also carefully prepare for the doctor’s visit. Prepare a clean towel, wet wipes, and a large, wide surface covered with a sterile sheet. When the doctor arrives, you should remain calm and not panic. Dogs are excellent psychologists and they detect the slightest change in their owner’s mood. Panic is also easily transmitted to them, and an agitated animal is quite difficult to examine. Which doctor should I call? First of all, you should invite a veterinarian who will conduct a general examination of the animal. By agreement with the owner, a dermatologist from our veterinary center will be sent.
- You can further familiarize yourself with the list of our doctors who are ready to help on the first call:
- classical doctor;
- dermatologist;
- surgeon;
- dentist;
- nephrologist;
- neurologist;
- ophthalmologist;
- ENT;
- gynecologist for bitches;
- ratologist (specialist in rodents and guinea pigs).
If you use such a convenient service as a veterinarian at home at least once, you will no longer want to come to the veterinary center on your own.
How to protect yourself from gadfly larvae?
Preventative measures will help to avoid infection with gadfly larvae:
- when going to places where there may be insects, wear clothes that cover the body as much as possible;
- treat clothing and exposed areas of the body with repellents;
- Avoid places where insects gather.
Anyone who breeds farm animals is at risk. Farm owners need to protect not only themselves, but also their livestock. The following measures will help with this:
- regular inspection of all livestock;
- treating animals with special preparations that destroy larvae;
- organizing grazing of livestock in the morning or evening (it is better to leave animals indoors during the day, since it is at this time that gadflies are especially active).
In addition, traps and insect repellents must be used on the farm.
Veterinarian advice
Before you remove worms from your dog, do not forget to treat your pet for fleas. They are carriers of certain types of worms, and can infect the dog much earlier than the time for the next preventive treatment.
Worms and vaccination
Treatment for worms is a mandatory procedure before vaccination. Worms weaken the body, making it weak before infection. In addition, the work of the immune system when infected with worms will be aimed at destroying them. Therefore, antibodies to the vaccine may not be developed at all or in very small quantities.
It is necessary to remove worms from your dog before vaccination no less than 10 days before the injection. If you were given an antihistamine 1-1.5 months before vaccination, you do not need to give a tablet before vaccination.
Other veterinary advice
- To prevent infection with worms, give your dog only foods that have been heat-treated, or even better, super premium or holistic food.
- If you are a fan of a raw food diet, before giving your dog meat and fish, cut it into small (portioned) pieces and freeze for several days. In this case, preventive treatment will have to be carried out more often.
- Do not allow your animal to drink from puddles. She can not only become infected with worms, but also pick up a dangerous infection.
- When walking, wear a muzzle on your dog to prevent contact with feces, rotten food, and garbage. The accessory will also help avoid poisoning.
- Do not allow stray dogs near your pet. They can transmit fleas, worms, skin and other diseases to him.
- Buy anti-worm medications only from veterinary pharmacies and pet stores.
Zoonoses
Fortunately, the tapeworm that affects dogs is not transmitted directly to humans. However, tapeworm infection can technically be transmitted to humans by accidentally ingesting fleas.
Note: There is another type of tapeworm that can infect pets: Taenia. This type of infection is less common and is contracted after the animal has eaten an intermediate host such as a rabbit or mouse. Fortunately, this type of tapeworm does not have any harmful effects on the host. Additionally, the same drug that kills Dipylidium caninum also kills Taenia.
Best answers
Nadezhda Mikhailova: horror! Why did you bring the dog to this? She's rotting alive!!!
This is me: she has already died, judging by the fact that maggots have appeared - about two weeks ago
Fox: Why are there maggots on her, are there wounds?
Irina Kozyavkina: well, you are sadists. I'll call the police right now
Elena Rusakova (Averina): you need to treat the wound with an 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.
kennel “Bas-ko-chi”: What a nightmare, imagine yourself in his place, here is another example of a dog “for yourself”, or for free, why care for 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 veterinarian. 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?
Angelika Byankina: This is to the vet!!! They need to be removed, not lotions applied!!!
Care
Treatment for tapeworms involves taking one or more doses of a special dewormer. Conventional over-the-counter dewormers are ineffective. Your veterinarian should provide you with the appropriate medications.
Since tapeworms are transmitted by fleas, the only way to prevent re-infestation is to kill the fleas. The deworming may need to be repeated while you try to control the fleas. It is recommended to use monthly flea prevention.
Titles
The larvae of some groups of animals have special names. Usually, when talking about a species of animal, without specifying the stage to which it belongs, or when talking about a species as a whole, the name of the adult form is used, for example: “butterflies are an order of insects with complete metamorphosis.”
| Larva name | Animals |
| Insects | |
| Caterpillar | Butterflies (Lepidoptera) |
| false caterpillar | Sessile bellies (Symphyta) |
| Nymph | All insects with incomplete metamorphosis - hemipterans, orthoptera, mantises, dragonflies, etc. |
| Wireworm | Click beetles |
| Other invertebrates | |
| Glochidia | Freshwater mollusks of the pearl mussel (Unionidae) and pearl mussel (Margaritiferidae) families |
| Trochophore | Free-swimming (planktonic) larvae of a number of marine animals. They have several rows of cilia that aid in feeding |
| Nauplius | A type of larva in many crustaceans that uses head appendages for swimming |
| Vertebrates | |
| Tadpole | Tailless amphibians |
Sawfly larva Tenthredo marginella (false caterpillar)
Cutaneous form
In this form, dirofilariasis in dogs occurs quite often, and in most cases it is discovered by chance. One can easily mistake a lump or knot under the skin for an abscess, abscess, atheroma or tumor, or cyst, since such a formation does not reveal its origin until it is opened.
After the doctor cleans the wound and removes the worm, its habitat is disinfected and usually heals without a trace. It is imperative to use drug therapy in order to destroy possible larvae - microfilariae, which can give rise to new formations under the skin.
Up to half of all cases of skin formations occur in the eye area. The pest can settle under the skin of the eyelids, conjunctiva or mucous membrane, sometimes it even lives in the eyeball itself. This is a complex pathology that will require special skill and care from the surgeon when removing the parasite.
