I saw the breathing whole in my kitten's neck and was able to squeeze the stupid thing out but then after a few days the whole got rather large and the scab was mounted on a green sac of pus. My friend cut it out but now there is a gaping hole in her neck. What do I do and is she going to be alright?
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Unless you want it mounted you do not need advice from a taxidermy forum.
You know how in the westerns, cowboys who got snakebit cut an X on the wound, and then sucked out the venom? Thats the only way youll save that cat. Gotta get that pus out. Let us know when us taxidermists can be of any help to you in the future. Say, like when you cant get the pus taste out of your mouth, for example...
you squeezed it out? Well, chances are that you may have just killed your cat. The larvae can be deadly if its fluids are dispersed in the blood stream. Why didnt you just take him to the vet?
if you didn't know what to do. But also could've put some peroxide in the hole to kill it or even just a few drops of clorox bleach. I know the bleach sounds bad but my great uncle used clorox for warbles for years on goats, rabbits, cats or whatever on the farm and it worked and the animal was fine. But you better have help to hold 'em.
I had a 15 year career in Veterinary medicine prior to getting into taxidermy.DO NOT put bleach on the wound area!Hydrogen peroxide, however would be fine as that is commonly used on cleaning animal wounds.Flush it into the wound 3 times daily to flush out infection.It is necessary at this point to get your cat on antibiotics. If your cat is listless and not eating get it in immediatly, as the toxins are filtering into it's bloodstream. This can easily be treated with antibiotics. Even if the cat is not listless or having a loss of appetite, antibiotics is a good idea.If money is a problem try calling your discount spay and neuter clinics as they treat at discount prices also, or a local animal rescue shelter,center or adoptin agency may dispense antibiotics at a very low fee . A large animal practice (cattle and horses) are very familiar with this bot fly larva and may be helpful at a lower cost. Stay away from small animal clinics if you are concerned with cost as they are shamefully expensive!Feel free to e-mail me if you have any questions.
Kindest regards,
Mary
Mary why would stop being a vet after 15 years to become a taxidermist? Their is much more money to being made as a vet!
MY kitten has a hole in its neck too. I have been reading about warbles, and from what I have seen, is that the larvae will come out by itself, and if you kill it inside the animal, the animal will die from the toxins. The kitten is one of many that are just barn cats, and I can't afford vet care. Do you think I should just let it go and see what happens?
Your advice was very good, and with merit you sounded knowledgeable until you equated the parasite to a bot fly. The bot fly is a yellow fly resembling a yellow jacket, with a sickle shaped abdomen. Its life cycle begins when the mature adult hovers around the chest, or legs of a horse, or bovine. to lay her eggs on the hair. when the animal grooms, or scratches the area with its teeth. the egg is introduces into the mouth of the host. and subsequently ingested where it becomes a larva. it then attaches itself to the lining of the stomach where it remains throughout the winter. In spring time the larva releases it hold. and is cast with manure. where it burrows beneath the soil, and pupates. In mid to late summer the Bot fly emerges to begin the cycle over again. I think it was probably a warble fly larva.
Hello,
Laurier,I have an Associates Degree in Animal husbandry from OSU.I had worked 15 years with small,large and exotic animals.Granted
there was good money in Veterinary Medicine, but I enjoy the freedom Taxidermy allows me to always be available for my children and take off to hunt when I need and want to! I think it's healthy to change careers once you've done all you feel you can or care to in a chosen field. By the way, I make more money now in Taxidermy than I did in Veterinary Medicine.
and...
Dear B...
I'm not quite sure where you got your information , but you are terribly incorrect. The bot fly does indeed host on an assortment of animals, large and small alike. The bot fly larva or warble has been extracted from household pets for many years, in Veterinary clinics, and will for many years to come. I would not share my knowledge if it was uneducated and I suggest you do the same.You can google bot flys and do a little research and correct yourself. P.S. Many different larva are called "warble's".
Kindest regards to you both,
Mary
im currently a vet tech student and we adopted a kitten that had warbles. they are bot fly larvae. you never want to poke, or squeeze the wound. it will cause the head of the larvae to break off and go deeper into the wound. if it gets deep enough it will have to be surgerical removed and the squeezing can cause the cat to go into shock. you should gently remove with a slighty wet wash cloth with a little bit of anti-bacterial soap then clean wound throughly. you should also go to your vet to get antibiotics to heal the wound. never use peroxide or neosporin this will also cause the larvae to go deeper.
Not quite sure where you are getting your training, but it would be virtually impossible to remove a moist moving larvae with a wet slipperry(from anti-bacterial soap)wash cloth! On any domestic small animal you should have your veterinarian remove it. Also, peroxide has been used and recommended by veterinarians, to clean and flush specific wounds since before you were probably born and to the present day. No one ever suggested using peroxide while the larvae was still in the animal.The best advice is to leave the removal to a professional,the veterinarian.