Last week, we made a mad dash to the veterinarian. Lilly suffered from both tapeworms (as a result of catching and eating things in the pasture) and a fly larva under the skin. Eeew … on both accounts.
Ginko taught Lilly to hunt the first week she came to live with us. He showed her how to dig, how to stuff her nose down the narrow vole holes to check for occupants, and how to pull them out with her lips. Ginko almost never eats what he catches. He does it more for entertainment. Lilly, on the other hand, sometimes does eat the mice and voles, if I don’t catch her in time and ask her to “Drop it.”
Since fleas are virtually non-existent where we live, we can only assume the tapeworms come from vermin. Yuck!
The fly larva, however, has us a bit stumped. Unless Ginko (and every other dog in our valley) has rhino hide, Lilly must get the fly bites (and ensuing larva) from the training fields in Boulder. She had one last year. I had no idea what it was until my veterinarian asked, “How squeamish are you?” before showing me the huge larva he pulled out of the bump near Lilly’s armpit. This second one was on the opposite side, near her bottom ribs.
So far, she’s had just this one this summer as well. My guess is that she got it at our speed and motivation class, when she was hiding under the shade drapes on the sidelines.
It’s really gross, but once they are out, the sore and the bump heal quickly. She’s taking a week’s worth of antibiotics, just to be sure, but within a day or two the owie looked much better.
I know what you’re thinking … this is the kind of stuff that happens ONLY to dogs with poor at-home care. I would assume that too, but honestly, I take really good care of Lilly, and this stuff still happens.
At least, now, I know what it is and what to do about it.
As a side note, I’ll share that you shouldn’t try to get these larva out yourself. Some animals suffer anaphylactic reactions, if the larva ruptures under the skin. In other words, they can have a terrible allergic reaction (and die).
But, I sincerely hope your dog never gets one.
P.S. We ended up having to treat Ginko for tapeworms yesterday as well. Poor buddy.
Weekly Training Update (Sept 5)
This week was all about Lilly getting her strength back, following the rattlesnake
bite Saturday. I asked nothing of her. The good news is that she doesn’t seem to have carried any hospitalization anxiety home. She has not seemed fearful or upset all week. Granted, she
clearly doesn’t feel well, but she doesn’t seem freaked out or anything. Then, again, I did not challenge her with any noises or actions a la our behavior modification plan. I do wonder, however,
if me breaking some of the rules might mess things up. …
Eeew, is right! Our dog, Emmy, had several of these fly larvae under her skin the last summer she was alive. I thought they came from the horse flies. One was huge and burst, the rest were removed by our vet. Fortunately, she had no ill effects from any of her spots. I hope Lily makes it through the rest of the season with few or no more of these yicky things!