anyone have experience with Cuterebra?

[girlzilla]

recently i noticed on my cats neck that she had a lump. when i inspected it, it turned out to be a Cuterebra (ewwwwwww!!!!!!). at least, i think it was. it was like a tiny brownmouse poo with a white head. then i noticed she has two more lumps on her neck but there are no small holes to be found so i can't be sure if it's more Cuterebra. i am going to take her to the vet to get them checkedbecause if they are Cuterebra and i squeeze them, the foreign protein entering her system could kill her. so no squeezing.

anyway, i did some research and it turns out that Cuterebra are common in rabbits too. i haven't found any on my bun but then again, it's harder to find since he has fluffy fur and my cat's fur is very short. i checked him all over and found no lumps or bumps. my bun never ever goes outside (he hates the outside world) and from what i've learnt, it's not infectious, so he's pretty safe.

still, i wanted to ask if has anyone else had an experience with Cuterebra on their pets? i've looked around some websites and none of them seem to think it's anything serious but just thought i would check what fellow RO members have to say.

 

[stargazerLily]

Are Cuterebra like warbles? If so, I personally haven't had any experience with them in my own pets, but we've had a fair number of rabbits and cats come in this year with them. Removing them is fun, yet gross. I do recommend taking your cat to the vet to get them removed and get the wound cleaned out really well.

 

[Leaf]

Yes, but unfortunantly with a bad ending.



A friend of mine saw twokittens in her garage and asked me to help get them because she was going on vacation and wanted to lock everything up.

She never found the one, but did get the other.

It was sickening, when we saw the kitten. The cuterebra was already out, but the infected wound was horrible, around her throat and neck. It was a small kitten, probably 6-7 weeks old.

I had to take it to the emergency vet to have the area debriefed and cleaned.



Unfortunantly, due to age, infection and severe malnourishment (probably from a swollen/obstructed throat) the kitten only survived hours after I brought her home from the vet office. I knew going in there was a chance I could lose her but since she was sedated to have the proceedures done I opted to give her a chance, that at least would be pain free, more than her condition at the time would allow.

 

[pamnock]

Cuterebraare warbles.

I've seen them on rabbits a few times. Once behind the ear, one in an armpit, one in a rear leg and one in a testicle.

Removal must be done carefully, and as already mentioned, infection is a concern. Septic shock can result from warble infestation in some cases.

However, in most cases, the warbles are successfully removed with no ill effects to the host.

Let us know how things go . . .

Pam

 

[TK Bunnies]

Eeppp!!!!!! They sound really scary!!!! I've never heard of them before. They don't live around Wisconsin do they?

Are they like ticks? Do they suck blood? What are they? Can humans get them? What do they do to the animal they attach to?

I really want to know more.

-TK :?

 

[TK Bunnies]

OMG!!! I just look them up on google and the pics I found were disgusting!!!! I feel terrible thinking about all those poor animals that get them.

 

[ra7751]

Warbles, bots, wolves, maggots....all the same. Check out our blog for Sabrina's House and look for Angel....she had 24 removed from her. She was nearly paralyzed when she came in. She is all healthy now. Squirrels are very prone to these nasties too.

Randy

 

[TK Bunnies]

ra7751 wrote:

Warbles, bots, wolves, maggots....all the same. Check out our blog for Sabrina's House and look for Angel....she had 24 removed from her. She was nearly paralyzed when she came in. She is all healthy now. Squirrels are very prone to these nasties too.

Randy

Poor thing!!!! I'm glad she's okay!!!!

 

[pamnock]

Fly strike and warbles are very different. Fly strike results in more fatalities than bot fly warble infestation. Both are the larval stage of different types of flies.
Flystrike: Caused by different species than warbles (bot fly). Flies leg eggs near the rear of the animal and the maggots live off the flesh of the live animal. Rabbits may be infested with hundreds of maggots. Fly strike is sometimes said to be a disease of neglect. http://www.parkvets.com/pet_info/rabbits/flystrike.html

Bot Flies: Death in the host animal is not common. The bot fly larvae feed on the host's body fluids rather than the body tissue of the live animal. Generally, there are few bot fly larvae found on a rabbit compared to fly strike where there are hundreds of maggots. Bot flies willinfest healthy, clean animals as opposed to fly stike which occurs on dirty or ill rabbits.



Pam

 

[ra7751]

So right Pam...real maggots do a lot more damage because they eat tissue. I saw this first hand in a baby robin. I cleaned fly eggs for hours but within a few more hours, maggots hatched and went to eating. I was amazed at how much damage they did in such a brief time. From what I have seen, warbles are the lesser of the evils.

Randy

 

[naturestee]

TK, yes they are in Wisconsin. And I do know someone near you who lost a bun due to complications from bot fly infestation. I don't know the details, I'm guessing that the wound was infected.

There's more info in the Library:

http://www.rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=12921&forum_id=10

 

[TreasuredFriend]

Thank you for the links and information everyone.

ra, do you have a direct link to the Sabrina House blog and notes on Angel?

Abandoned (rescue) 3-4 wk old Nibbles was found in Schofield Park, Wausau,w/several cuterebra infestations. naturestee, I'll go to the library.

 

[jjmagaro]

Yes, a bad experience. I lost one of our rabbits today. He was infested with cuterebra and I squeezed the larvae out myself on a knee-jerk reaction because I wanted to get them the heck out of my little guy. I cleaned all 7 wounds with saline and put him back in his pen to calm down...I checked on him 5 minutes later and he was not doing well. He died clutched to my chest of anaphylaxis.

I feel so bad...please don't let this happen to your pets...i freaked out because of how terrible he looked and made the mistake of not researching before acting. Take your animals to a pro and avoid the misfortune i am enduring.

 

[bunnychild]

OMG! I googled them and I think I am gonna hurl then check my rabbits. That is truely sickening.

 

[TreasuredFriend]

I am sorry jjmagaro, for you and your bun. Good to get the word out on parasites and insects.

My condolences on your boy's condition and death.