(Disclaimer: This is for entertainment)
I’ve been at this job for almost fourteen years (I can’t believe
it’s been that long either) and I’ve experienced the gross, the messy, and the
smelly (to the point of throw your nose into mutiny smelly). My family can attest to this as they are
immune to the gross being discussed at the dinner table. In fact, my four
year-old takes avid interest in diarrhea blow-out stories. I can’t say I’m
proud of that, but it’s the first thing he asks to hear about when I come home. Due to his
fascination with the subject, he recently declared his intent to follow in my
footsteps into this profession – this coming from the kid that still isn’t sure
about picking up a fishing worm. Well, maybe he’s got a bit of his mom’s “ick”
on that.
Even though I have a high tolerance for that which would make
most think, “No way, I’m dealing with that,” every once in a while I’m hit with
a true case of the OMGs. Each of us as veterinarians has our one or two things
that exceed our gross-tolerance meter. When I see it, I’m not going to stop examining your pet to jump away with my hands waving
and scream, “Oh, s---!” But, believe me, I’m
screaming on the inside. There’s one particular issue that makes my palms sweat
and my heart rate skyrocket. So, what is it that makes my innerds
tighten into macrame knots? No, it’s not
smelly bloody diarrhea disasters or pets with horrendous wounds or broken limbs
or vomit messes or ears with an oozing infection. It’s those little off-white creepy crawlies called maggots. If you
ever see an infestation of these guys in a pet’s wound (the sight, the sound,
the destruction), you will be forever altered. I hope you avoid that shock. If
you suspect it’s there, then I recommend not looking. Bring it to us.
Side note: I remain baffled by those in human medicine that
choose to use these creatures in a “good” way to debride wounds. Oh sure, they’ll
eat up the dead and the infected tissue, but they’re not going to stop there. They'll eat up the good and the
healthy. These are destructive little monsters. They’re not like a super Sci Fi
movie monster that’s going to attack you just for getting close (they like
being hidden in the wound), but they will take
advantage of the weak, the young, the debilitated, and, well, anything infected.
Personally, I'd never volunteer for maggot wound care
assistance simply on the basis of them being what they are. But I do digress.
The most common myasis infestations (that’s the technical and much easier to digest word than maggot) are in dogs with hind limb weakness (especially from back trauma) and rabbits – especially if housed outdoors during warmer months when fly strike is common. If I find these little creepies, this it's a team effort to treat with the key words being: containment and removal. Any vet will tell you there is not much that kills a maggot. There’s no spray or injection. There is one drug that, if the tablet is crushed, helps. I’ve tried everything over the years. Treatment is about getting every single one of them out and preventing any from getting away. Most pets live, which is the good news. But this is one of those few issues that once your vet team treats it, you need to give that team a huge thank you. It’s tough, it’s gross, and we’re professionals...but a lot of us have that super ick over this.
In the spirit of prevention to avoid this issue entirely, be careful if your pet is high risk in the warmer months and left outdoors. If you have rabbits housed outside, keep fly prevention devices in the area (fly paper works). All of us would be forever grateful to never see this. But when it appears again (and it will...we always get a couple of cases a year), my team and I will handle it. Like every vet, I will shove aside my ick factor and give your pet top notch care with a smile. But remember on the inside I’m still screaming like a four year-old: OMG! OMG!
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