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Caring for canines
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Come summer and canine woes begin, for, it is the season for maggots and ticks. Here are a few tips from a veterinarian that are sure to prove handy.
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IT'S SUMMER time! The season for cool watermelons, tall fruit shakes, sweet juicy mangoes, and yes, everywhere — flies! A word that sets off alarm bells ringing for veterinary surgeon and practitioner Dr. Priyadarshini Govind, for whom the summer is the beginning of another season — the maggot season. "It's horrifying," she says, speaking of some recent cases she has seen of maggot wounds in dogs, "the amount of damage that can be done by simply not paying attention to an open wound. An uncared-for wound is an open invitation for flies to lay their eggs in — and before you know it — the dog has a horrible gaping hole teeming with maggots that are burrowing in and eating up the dog's flesh!"
"Maggots?" exclaims the surprised owner of one canine patient who thought the gaping wound on his dog's chest was an ulcer when he brought the dog in to the vet — "I thought they occurred only in cows! I never knew my dog was susceptible!" It was only when Dr. Priya physically plucked out the writhing mass of maggots from the wound did he realise what had happened. Which is an alert to all dog owners, especially as this promises to be a bad season, with a high incidence of maggot infestations already. What are the factors that make a dog vulnerable to maggots? The season itself, for one — with summer comes a rise in ticks as well as an increase in skin rashes. Summer is also the mating season, which means dogfights — and bites. As dogs scratch and gnaw at the irritated areas, the skin breaks — and the stage is set for flies to move in. The situation is worse if the dog is bushy, unwashed, or badly groomed.
Other factors involve basic hygiene — the risk of infection is greater if the dog is always tied up, especially in an unclean area, or tied and fed in the same place — or even if the dirty plate is left near the tied dog. What can owners do to safeguard their pets?
"Make sure your pet is washed and groomed regularly, and protected against ectoparasites like ticks and fleas," advises Dr. Priya. "Physically examine him or her every day. If you find any small wound or sore, flush the area with povidone iodine solution (available as Betadine or Wokadine) — not Dettol — and dress it with any broad spectrum, herbal-based fly repellant veterinary cream, which can be obtained through your vet or over the counter. If the wound emits a foul odour, or looks red and oozy, take your dog to the vet immediately."
How would you know if your dog already has a maggot infested wound? Look for the symptoms — your pet will show discomfort, constantly try to get at a certain part of his or her body, or will be in pain, or dull and listless. If the infestation is bad, the dog will also go off food.
But you will be doing your pet a disservice if you were to allow it to reach that stage. " Think of the life cycle of the fly," says Dr. Priya. " The eggs hatch in one day, and it takes six days for the larvae to complete their growth. Which means that from the 2nd or 3rd day onward, there are hundreds of maggots literally tunnelling their way in all directions within the wound. These maggots are literally eating your pet alive!"
Just how serious can it get? "I have seen patients where a whole ear is missing, the skull exposed, even with maggots in the eye!" exclaims Dr. Priya. "What happens is that once a wound is infested, even after one crop of maggots complete their life cycle, there is constant re-infestation."
The amazing thing is that once a maggot wound is treated and cared for, recovery is dramatic. "It is so satisfying to see the healing," says Dr.Priya "provided absolute care is taken to keep the wound and the dressing clean. And that's the silver lining to the maggot cloud!"
KALYANI CANDADE
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