Dog owners get anxious when they see maggots wiggling all over their dog’s poop. It could be a maggot infestation or just newly hatched larvae appearing on the poop. But this becomes interesting when you read on to find out how dogs get these maggots, how to identify them and home remedies you can use to kill maggots on dogs.
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Content:
- How Do Dogs Get Maggots
- How to Tell If Your Dog Has Maggots
- What Home Remedy Kills Maggots on Dogs
- FAQs
- Conclusion
How Do Dogs Get Maggots
How maggots get to appear on dog poop is easy to understand, flies are attracted to decomposing faecal waste and would most likely lay eggs on the poop which ends up as maggots after hatching.
If the dog poop has been on the ground for some time, it should not be surprising to see maggots in the poop. In an examination conducted, it was reported that Flies such as bot flies and house flies especially during the hot summer seasons when temperatures are above 25°, lay eggs near their food source just like poop.
These maggots could also have appeared on poop if the dog had maggot infestation (Myiasis), especially at the anal region. Myiasis occurs when flies lay eggs on moist skin or a wound opening, these eggs hatch into larvae which burrows into the skin and might have dropped into the poop during defecation.
In another condition called pseudomyiasis, maggots get ingested by dogs during grooming or when they ingest maggot infested material. These maggots then pass through the gastrointestinal tract undigested and appear in the faeces alive.
“Pseudomyiasis occurs when fly maggots are consumed and end up in the dog’s digestive tract”, - Dr. Charles Hendrix
How to Tell If Your Dog Has Maggots
It is important to note that maggots and worms may look similar, appearing white with a segmented slimy body and sometimes maggots are mistaken for worms (Intestinal parasites). A worm has a slim, slender body with no antenna, eyes or legs while maggots have mouth parts and two dark spots at the posterior end.
A client was worried that she saw something that looks like maggots in her dog’s poop, after proper examination, it was discovered that they weren’t maggots but tapeworms which her dog might have gotten by ingesting fleas during grooming.
To confirm your dog has maggots, check for red spots with openings on its body and observe for symptoms like itching or licking at a spot. Maggots could be found in open wounds, spots or in the poop in cases of pseudomyiasis.
Checking for maggots in your dog poop or symptoms of maggot infestation (Myiasis) has been made easy with the Petcube Camera which allows you to watch out for maggots infestation symptoms or maggots in your dog’s poop even when you are away.
What Home Remedy Kills Maggots on Dogs
Getting rid of maggots on dogs is easy but delicate especially in cases of Myiasis. The best practice of relieving dogs off maggots is to manually remove them using tweezers, this is best done under anaesthesia because it could be painful.
The use of petroleum jelly, liquid paraffin or a pyrethrin spray on the skin lesions suffocates and kills the maggots which are then removed with tweezers. Pyrethrin should be used with caution to prevent harmful side effects due to overuse.
Though maggots can be removed by dog owners themselves, a Veterinarian would do a better job removing these maggots, treating the resulting open wounds and recommending the right antibiotics.
According to research, forcefully removing maggots on dogs could damage them and lead to release of toxins into the bloodstream by these maggots which could cause shock or even death.
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FAQs
Can maggots live inside a dog?
Yes, when dogs feed on maggot infested material, they could ingest live maggots.
Can maggots kill a dog?
When maggots are removed wrongly, they could break and release a certain protein/toxin that could lead to shock or even death in dogs.
What happens if my dog eats maggots?
Maggots feed on all manner of filth, eating a good number of maggots could give your dog a running stomach and cause nausea.
Conclusion
Maggots in dog poop shouldn’t be so concerning since it could result from fly eggs hatched on the poop or myiasis which can be taken care of through Manual removal. Keeping your dog's environment clean and dry would keep the flies away and subsequently myiasis.
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