Not a fight wound... it's Cuterebra - yuck!

[shygirl]

So a few weeks ago, one of our barn cats showed up with a swollen cheek, with what looked like a small wound beneath. I cleaned it up, but it worsened over the next few days, so I took him to the vet, who said it was probably from a fight and sent us home with 5 days of antibiotics. I didn't think it looked like a fight wound, but I didn't question the vet; figured whatever it was, the meds would clear it up.

Brought him into the house, went through the antibiotics, the swelling went down and the wound started to look like it was drying up, but then pus appeared underneath and the thing turned into a thick, quarter-sized scab. This morning, it started to peel back, and underneath was (no other way to describe it) a pencil-eraser sized HOLE in the poor kitty's cheek!

Did I mention that this is a totally awesome cat? He plays patiently with my children for hours and comes running like a dog when I call him. He is the kind of cat who somehow knows to keep his claws in while he is purring on your lap, even though he would really like to be flexing them. He didn't seem to be suffering, but I really didn't see how he could heal this on his own.

So I decided to take him to a different vet today. Turns out he has a Cuterebra larvae. Apparently, this is a parasitic fly. The eggs start in the soil. Cats and dogs are not the normal hosts, but the eggs can stick to fur under the right conditions. The larvae gets in under the skin, migrates up to the head or neck, and makes itself a little breathing hole. Then it can grow to up to around 1/2 inch in length! If not removed, eventually the (big, nasty) fly will break out through the host's skin.

Poor Sparky! He had to be anesthetized, the hole has to be cleaned out and sewn up, and he has to go on antibiotics for another week. I'm picking him up tonight, and he should be fine. I just feel badly that the other vet didn't diagnose it properly and our little buddy went through an extra week and a half with this thing in his face.

Just thought I'd mention this in case it is useful to someone else! The (second) vet said he's seen a lot of cases of Cuterebra this year. I could happily have spent the rest of my life NOT knowing about Cuterebra, but for Sparky's sake, I wish I'd known about it a few weeks ago.

[MistyBlue]

Aw poor kitty...but just to let you know everyone on here will be asking for photos of the cuterebra! :winkgrin: They're almost as neat as bot larvae being removed.
Yeah, lots of us have a weird gross-fetish. :D
Hope he heals up soon!

[JSwan]

What, no photos?

Don't you know it's a rule on this forum - you must post pictures of such things?

:winkgrin:

ETA - oops. MB knows me too well.....

[TheRedFox]

I think I'm going to be sick. Those Bot flies are nasty enough. Call me an idiot, but I had no idea there was a parasitic fly like that in this part of the world. How horribly gross and awful for your little pusskin. I know he is going to feel so much better now that the damn thing is out of his body. I am sure he could feel it moving around and it had to be somewhat painful. Yikes!

[kmsf]

Used to see them more in Ohio than I did in NC or MO. Many years ago saw a poor kitten that was having breathing problems- turned out it had a Cuterebra in each nostril! Kitty felt much better after we pulled those out!

[shygirl]

Sorry JS and MB, I didn't think to take pictures of Sparky pre-surgery.

The pus-framed peeling scab and gaping pink hole beneath could definitely have been material for a high-level gross-fest :-)

For the disappointed, here's a nice yucky image that I found while googling Cuterebra:
http://www.insectimages.org/images/192x128/1482018.jpg

It's going to be a rough 7 days. Sparky has to wear one of those collar things; I picked him up less than an hour ago and he is already complaining about it (not that I blame him).
And he has to be confined. Which means he's in here, with a litter box. I learned during the last course of antibiotics that this type of medication seems to have an, um, "loosening" effect on Sparky's digestive system. And he tries to hit the litter box but last time, he didn't always succeed. I'm allergic to cats and I would so much rather clean a stall than deal with a litter box on even the "firmest" of days... Ah well, if these are my biggest problems, I'm lucky! Somehow this turned into a vent... thanks for listening!

[MistyBlue]

nah, vent away. I love cats too, but litter boxes aren't my favorite thing. Add in medicated loose cat poop that misses....blech! Carnivore poop is TONS grosser than herbivore poop. :o
He should heal just fine...once those are removed and the hole taken care of, the body repairs itself pretty quickly most of the time. Just keep an eye on the area in case a gap was left...anything getting in there can cause an infection. Although the antibiotics should take care of that.

[Guin]

Eewwwwww!! Poor kitty! That makes me want to go hose down all my animals with extra-strength disinfectant. :dead:

[Laurierace]

Man some people have all the luck! And no, it doesn't count if you google the pictures.

[ChocoMare]

Jingles for the kitty!

Oh and some yogurt (just a wee bit) two times a day will help with the diarrhea since it puts back the good bacteria in the gut that the antibiotics have killed off. All my cats ADORE yogurt :yes:

[Mariesonny]

We once had a cat that had a wolf worm in his cheek. Might be the same thing. We had the vet remove it and I could hear the vet tech say 'ewwww' in the room with him. She asked me if I wanted to see it and I declined....wanted to keep my lunch down....

[grayarabpony]

Yuck is right. This is so incredibly disturbing...

[Bravestrom]

This sounds exactly what our cat had and the vet thought it was a thorn in his check. I am so glad I read this thread and will take it to the vet.

[mswillie]

Years ago I pulled one out of a barn kitten at a barn where I worked. Little guy was was weak and in poor condition. The worm was on top of his head right between his ears.

I was quite young at the time, in college working on an animal science degree so the gross factor didn't really bother me.

Anyway I cleaned the kitty up, brought him extra food and special treats, and within a month or so he was sleek and healthy. Once he looked nice he was easily adopted out to a nice family whose daughter rode there.

Before I left school to go to work I'd get a cup of coffee and I'd grab a big handful of those little half and half cups. I'd use a couple, the rest went to the kitten. The folks at "The Scrounge" must have thought I liked a little coffee with my cream. :)

[lcw579]

Am I the only one that got to the part about the scab and thought we were going to get a nice gross bug pulling out story complete with pictures?! <sigh> I have the whole thing written in my head :lol:

[Parker_Rider]

OMG, my mom's poor puppy had one of these a few weeks ago!! We thought it was a cyst, but nope... Vet pulled out the largest larvae she'd seen all season! We've never had a problem with these guys before, but apparently it's pretty prevalent here.
Thank god I wasn't at the vet to see this thing... probably would have thrown up. :P

[ESG]

Kind of like Oncacerca (sp?) in horses and cattle. Nasty, but not fatal. ;)

[Vandy]

Thank you so much for helping me with my diet...I have no interest in eating dinner after hearing about this :lol: Glad kitty is okay.

[Sing Mia Song]

Oh, I LOVE those! So gross and yet so cool! :lol:

We used to get rabbits with them all the time at the emergency hospital. We once had a rabbit with FOUR of them, and one was about as big as my thumb.

Mmmm, mmmm, mmmm. Love 'em. Even better than a good cat abscess.

[JohnDeere]

Is theis the same thing as a worble? It chews its way out when its ready and leaves a huge hole?

[Sing Mia Song]

Is theis the same thing as a worble? It chews its way out when its ready and leaves a huge hole?

Yup.

[JohnDeere]

eeeewwwww.

I had a cat with one in his neck once. Grossest think known to man/woman/rodent!

[Grataan]

A good friend of mine who is small-animal exclusive had a client come in with a "baby mouse" he/she had been "nursing" over the holiday weekend. He/she said animal control refused to come out for mice and requested that my friend care for the "baby mouse" until such time as it could be "released into the wild"

Said friend's technician barely made it out of the exam room before bursting into hysterical laughter after she peeked into the box.

(wait for it)





It was a Warble. The baby mouse was a warble. <eek>

[Mara]

Here you go. Enjoy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hG5F0jbyB7M

[Sing Mia Song]

It was a Warble. The baby mouse was a warble. <eek>

:lol::lol::lol::lol::lol::lol::lol::lol:

That is deliciously revolting!!

[JackieBlue]

I've always wondered who named those things because there's just nothing "cute" about them!:dead:

[Duramax]

I am sure he could feel it moving around and it had to be somewhat painful. Yikes!

My dog had one this summer and when I was googling it one of the facts I discovered was that the critter secretes an anesthitizing (sp?) goo so that the host can't feel it! :eek:

[Flipper]

Having worked as a vet tech for 14 years, I can honestly say that, despite all of the horrifically gross things I've seen, cuterebras & maggots are the 2 horrors I'll never get over....:eek:

[MaresNest]

Carnivore poop is TONS grosser than herbivore poop.

This is one of the fundamental truths of the universe.

[TrueColours]

Oh yuck! How is poor kitty doing??? Man - I hope we dont have those things in OUR neck of the woods!

Reminds me of a few years ago our kitty comes in with a huge lump on his cheek that is VERY tender. Off to the vet we go, she says he probably got into a scrap, its an abcess, here's the antibiotics, give him 2 a day and we dont generally drain them any more ...

By the next evening it is worse - REALLY bad - and I cant even get him to swallow anything as its now across his throat, so I wait until my daughter gets home about midnight and we do "kitty surgery". Thank goodness we had sterile needles around, betadine scrub and I didnt mind lancing this thing to allow it to drain properly

The pus that came out was brown (blech!) and with each squeeze, kitty got more and more relaxed as the pressure was being relieved. After that, he could swallow the pills easily and I scrubbed it and kept it open and draining until it healed up

But the vet totally pissed me off (this was a new clinic that had just opened in town and we thought we'd support the local businesses) and I went back the next day and gave them Hell for not treating this properly - IMO. I mean honestly - when do you NOT drain an obvious abcess? Especially when we all agreed it was the result of a cat fight, and another kitty sunk his teeth into our kitty's face to cause it in the first place???

I did get my money back but I also pointed out that at midnight, I dont think there would be many cat owners with sterile needles and betadine around and the stomach to jab their kitty in the face to drain the pus pocket ...

[Watermark Farm]

My dog had one of these last year, in her side. I thought it was an abscess that was slow to heal. One day I realized the pus inside was moving. I pressed around the hole and a freakin' wormy larvae thing came out. Went to the vet, who detailed the life cycle for me, which made me want to throw up. His entire staff came to see it; you could tell they all were enjoying the horror of it, even the vet!

[Gnalli]

Ok, maybe I am just seriously old school, but pay a vet to do that? Tweezers betadine or similar disinfectant, and a good wrap on the kitty in a handlers arms and its a done deal. (If you don't have latex gloves, walmart bags on your hands protect from the ickiness). THey are disgusting though. I had never seen one until about 10 yrs ago in a kitten's neck. The worst part is killing the thing-they make a horrible sound under the boots. UGHH.

[Sing Mia Song]

Ok, maybe I am just seriously old school, but pay a vet to do that?

You do have to be careful getting them out. If the larvae ruptures, it can cause anaphylaxis in the patient. That's why we usually enlarge the hole with surgical scissors to make sure that we can get it all out in one piece. You don't want to be pulling on it.

[D Osborn]

I heard of a puppy who died from this-young puppy, it and it's littermate got one. Gross. Gross.
I know it should not kill a puppy, but they figure it got into the bloodstream,owner was a vet and could not figure it out,thought it was hornets, then a spider bite, but saw it move, and there you have it.

[lcw579]

That's so sad. Poor puppy.

And now I feel guilty for getting excited when I saw a new post in this thread - there really is something wrong with me. Why do I love grossness so?

[EqTrainer]

This thread could be used as a dieting tool.. my lunch is sitting here, uneaten.

When I was a little girl I got a kitten who had one of those. Nasty! Probably where my fascination w/parasites began :lol:

[EqTrainer]

Oh yuck! How is poor kitty doing??? Man - I hope we dont have those things in OUR neck of the woods!

Reminds me of a few years ago our kitty comes in with a huge lump on his cheek that is VERY tender. Off to the vet we go, she says he probably got into a scrap, its an abcess, here's the antibiotics, give him 2 a day and we dont generally drain them any more ...

By the next evening it is worse - REALLY bad - and I cant even get him to swallow anything as its now across his throat, so I wait until my daughter gets home about midnight and we do "kitty surgery". Thank goodness we had sterile needles around, betadine scrub and I didnt mind lancing this thing to allow it to drain properly

The pus that came out was brown (blech!) and with each squeeze, kitty got more and more relaxed as the pressure was being relieved. After that, he could swallow the pills easily and I scrubbed it and kept it open and draining until it healed up

But the vet totally pissed me off (this was a new clinic that had just opened in town and we thought we'd support the local businesses) and I went back the next day and gave them Hell for not treating this properly - IMO. I mean honestly - when do you NOT drain an obvious abcess? Especially when we all agreed it was the result of a cat fight, and another kitty sunk his teeth into our kitty's face to cause it in the first place???

I did get my money back but I also pointed out that at midnight, I dont think there would be many cat owners with sterile needles and betadine around and the stomach to jab their kitty in the face to drain the pus pocket ...

I had this happen, too.

New vet at the small animal practice I use. My cat was very, very sick - high fever, dehydrated. Abcess was obvious and she would not drain it. I was having fits. Finally I called and talked to the old vet who usually sees my animals and she said "just let me put you on hold and I'll go drain it". She came right back and said it was done - temp went down that night and he came home the next day. Sometimes you just have to wonder if they education common sense right out of people...

[MunchkinsMom]

This thread could be used as a dieting tool.. my lunch is sitting here, uneaten.


Amen to that! I don't even want to jinx myself by saying I haven't had the horror of dealing with something like this yet!

[shygirl]

Well, Sparky returned to his life on our deck today and I scrubbed out the dog crate. Originally I thought he would just have to stay inside wearing his no-scratch collar for 7 days, but it turned out to be 13 days. Sparky and I both had to deal with something that we don't like: me with his litter box and him with being confined. (The yogurt did seem to help a bit with his digestion - thanks CM!) I think Sparky handled his part more stoically than I did mine. I can hardly believe that he never once tried to bite or scratch me when I scooped him up to put him back in his "kitty jail" after letting him out to run around a couple times during the day. I did try to feed my prisoner well: he got some nice real meat with his dinners, but still. What a good kitty!

Anyway... a friend of mine mentioned having 3 cats in a single year show up Cuterebra, many years ago. Her vet (who is still around) extracted the larvae, but then just had her swab out the wounds regularly with antibacterial ointment, and the cats apparently healed up just fine. I don't know that I have it in me to carve the thing out, as other brave posters have done, but I could probably handle swabbing. Especially if it meant a $$ as opposed to a $$$ kind of vet bill, and not having to keep a collared cat locked up for 2 weeks :-) So if this ever happens again (please God no), I might give that older-time vet a call.

[Gnalli]

You do have to be careful getting them out. If the larvae ruptures, it can cause anaphylaxis in the patient. That's why we usually enlarge the hole with surgical scissors to make sure that we can get it all out in one piece. You don't want to be pulling on it.

OOOH,,, ok. That makes sense. Thanks!

[SGray]

okay folks - feast your eyes on this
http://www.naturebreak.org/NatureBreak/Nature_Break.html
human infection (though they are calling it a bot fly larvae)

[Foxtrot's]

How very educational - not that the Belize Tourist Association would appreciate it.

[camohn]

Having worked as a vet tech for 14 years, I can honestly say that, despite all of the horrifically gross things I've seen, cuterebras & maggots are the 2 horrors I'll never get over....:eek:

Maggots are not so bad...at least they only eat already dead/necrotic tissue and don't MAKE holes n gross stuff!

[lcw579]

:dead:okay folks - feast your eyes on this
http://www.naturebreak.org/NatureBreak/Nature_Break.html
human infection (though they are calling it a bot fly larvae)


Well, I now know definitively that my 12 year does not have a future in medicine. :lol: My "Oooo Come look at this!" Made her go :eek::eek::dead: She was so grossed out I thought she was going to cry!

Good Times ;)

[hunter-eventer-hunter]

Eewwwwww!! Poor kitty! That makes me want to go hose down all my animals with extra-strength disinfectant. :dead:

Poot nasty, kitty. A parasitic fly in your face...that has got to suck :mad:

But imagine the satisfaction kitty gets knowing his mommy cut it out of his face and killed it. You'll be even more popular now!

It's the reverse of a cat brining you something they killed....

[g8dgirls]

why oh why do I click on these things???

[Gry2Yng]

why oh why do I click on these things???

Me too. I was cringing as the video was loading. Couldn't watch tho.