Capstar

[pla725]

I recently started volunteering at a local shelter besides volunteering for a rescue. The other day I was grooming one of the rabbits named Tessa and notice that she had at least two bot fly infestations. Tessa had been "in the wild" for sometime before she was caught two weeks ago. Anyway I did say something and left a note. Today she did see the vet. She had three bot flies. The person I spoke to said they also started her on Capstar. I'm not familiar with this product and it's use in rabbits. Anyone familiar with it? I just want to make sure it is safe.

 

[EileenH]

I work at a wildlife hospital and we use Capstar for maggot infestations, but I've never heard of it being used for botflies. I'd check with an experienced rabbit vet before I used it; botflies are strange little creatures; their MO is different than maggots; maggots feed on necrotic tissue, but botflies set up shop in their host; they don't cause damage (except the hole) because they need their host to remain alive or they don't have anyplace to mature.

I was always told it was dangerous to manually remove botflies, because if they break open they can release toxins that can put the host in anaphylactic shock.When my rabbit had one we just let it stay until it crawled out on its own.

Hopefully Randy will be by with his expertise, but in the meanwhile here's a link I found with regards to botflies in squirrels..
http://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/archive/index.php/t-2767.html

 

[pla725]

The vet apparently has experience with removing bot flies from rabbits. Another rabbit at the shelter also had them. I guess he or she was comfortable with removing them instead of leaving them.

 

[tonyshuman]

Well, it doesn't share a lot in common with Frontline, so that's a plus (in terms of chemical structure, mode of action). I can't say whether or not it's dangerous, but if Eileen knows of a vet that has used it, that's a positive story.

I know some people who have had them (too gross to think about) and apparently the protocol for people doesn't involve surgical removal either. I guess you could enlarge the hole surgically and get the fly out that way, thus avoiding problems with those nasty hooks they use to hang on. I would think if there are enough, it's risky to leave them in there, as they could just burst and die with a sudden movement and release all the toxins.

I did find this quote "Nitenpyram has been anecdotally used to treat fly strike, but is not licensed in rabbits."

Nitenpyram

Fly strike isn't the same thing as bot fly, however.

I also found a recommendation from the Michigan DNR "Treatment of infected captive animals consists of mechanical removal of larvae from the cysts. The opening should be enlarged by an incision and the parasite squeezed out. The wound should then be rinsed with an antiseptic solution and a topical antibiotic administered." (I won't link as the page has a sad picture)

 

[ra7751]

Well....I don't know if Capstar will take care of bots or not...I doubt it. I prefer to "extract" them. Manually extracting a bot does take a bit of skill. It is not a good thing to have a compromised bot inside an animal. WARNING:do not attempt to manually remove a bot unless you havebeen properly trained....I only extract them in a clinic situation in case of a compromise. Results in anaphalaxis. But Capstar is very effective against maggots and fleas. We use it a lot on squirrels and birds. It can be made into a spritz, administered orally....or for really aggressive action....administered as a suppository. I personally have had no problems with any speciesusing Capstar....but there can always be an adverse reaction to any drug.

Randy

 

[missyscove]

At the animal hospital where I work we mostly use capstar with flea infested kitties.
Sadly the only rabbit I've seen capstar administered to (they compunded it into a liquid first) died about 2 hours later as a result of severe flea anemia and a host of other problems. I don't think the capstar was to blame though.
I'm sure they've done it before, but I've only been there a few weeks.

 

[EileenH]

I agree with Randy - I don't think it will work with botflies/cuterebras. I think it will just p*ss them off. Works great with fleas and maggots.

It's always a judgment call to extract or not, but the cuterebra is not dangerous to the host in most cases.

Here's what I was blessed with when I found my bunny, Gulliver. It didn't surface for a few weeks, but one day...:

It left on its own, but it was a very stressful experience. For both Gulliver & me.

 

[MagnoliaDee]

Oh my gosh... that looks incredibly painful. Glad it's gone and over with.

Hope they are able to fix Tessa up asap.

 

[pla725]

Tessa was fine when I checked her yesterday. She wasn't in the mood to be petted or anything but the shelter worker assured me that the vet did a good job. She probably needs to have a follow up visit and the vet may give antibiotics to prevent infection.

I'm going back tomorrow.

 

[tonyshuman]

I was thinking about it, and if the cutebera have been removed prior to administering the drug, it's probably being used to kill eggs or any other parasites. She will definitely be at risk for bacterial infection as well.

It's my bf who works with people who've had cutebera themselves, so I mentioned this to him. Apparently they become so painful that you can't sleep or do anything, at which point they will surgically remove them. Some of the suffocation techniques don't work, as well. Recently a co-worker used vaseline and duct tape to attempt to suffocate one, but it didn't work, and she had to have it removed by a doctor. There is also quite a large chance of bacterial infection of the wound, so it is frequently better to just take them out. They frequently travel to tropical jungles as part of a research project, which is where they get these disgusting bugs.

In the nose like Gulliver, it would be more difficult, however. I don't know how you dealt with that, eileen! I would have puked and cried that my baby had an alien coming out of his face.

Blech! You guys who have seen this are much stronger people than I am!

 

[EileenH]

My vet tried to remove it, and it raced back up his nostril, just from the start of anesthesia; the vet said she wouldn't touch it because she didn't know what kind of damage it would do and where it would travel. She checked with other vets on a DVM forum, and most of the vets from Australia said they deal with them a lot and just to leave it alone.

The thing that was the scariest was the fact thatrabbits are obligate nosebreathers and the cuterebra took up one whole nostril; he was laying down with his back arched up, with his head up, just trying to breathe. I had to keep an eye that he didn't become so stressed out that I'd have to race him to an E-vet, and it passed on its own one night (in my bedroom..gross). I found it and have it in apreserving jar.

Once they become big enough to poke their heads out like that, they're almost ready to fall out for their next phase of life. But..it SAW, or sensed me. It was really like a roach; once you looked at it, it would stop and retreat back up so you couldn't see it. It was very upsetting.

 

[pla725]

That is nasty looking. At least it is now gone.

I checked Tessa when I was the shelter yesterday. She was fine. There was another bunny Chris who also hada bot fly infestation. Shewas alsodoing well.

 

[ra7751]

That is a big one. We had a rescue come in with 24 of them in her body. She was so anemic and weak that she was totally paralyzed. It took weeks to get them all out and months for her to stand up again.