Cuterebriasis in Dogs and Cats

Today's Vet Pract. Sep-Oct 2021;11(5):22-25. 6 Refs

Lindsay A Starkey¹

¹ College of Veterinary Medicine, Auburn University, Auburn, AL 36849, USA.

Author Abstract

Cuterebra botflies are typically parasites of rodents and rabbits, but they may find their way into pet cats and, less frequently, dogs.

Article Tools:

Email to me

Archives Highlights:

Investigating the relationship between canine training classes and post-adoption return rates in North American shelters
Of all the returned dogs, those who attended training were more likely to be returned for owner-related reasons (58.8?%), whereas dogs who did not attend training were more likely to be returned for animal-related reasons (78.9?%). While attending training classes at animal shelters may help to reduce behavioral returns, as shown by the shift in return reasons, they do not appear to reduce return rates significantly for the general shelter population.

Owner survey suggests cats may be undertreated for pain compared to dogs after an elective ovariohysterectomy or orchiectomy.
Analgesics were prescribed for 19 of 162 (12%) pets: 14 of 88 (16%) dogs and 5 of 74 (6.7%) cats. There was no difference in the prescription of analgesics between dogs and cats after ovariohysterectomy or orchiectomy. 15 of 19 owners reported their compliance in administering analgesics at 78.9%. Owners' subjective assessments showed that 24 of 86 (28%) dogs and 12 of 68 (17%) cats appeared painful at home.

Efficacy, safety and interval from end of treatment to estrus in cats treated with an ultra-low dose megestrol acetate protocol for suppression of reproductive activity.
Twenty-eight queens were treated orally with 11.5 µg/kg/day of megestrol acetate (MA) for one to six months. MA suppressed reproductive function effectively in 27/28 queens. Transient mammary and uterine hyperplasia were detected in four (14 %) and three (11 %) queens, respectively, treated for more than four months, without associated clinical signs. Significant but reversible weight gain was observed in 85 % of the animals. The resumption of cyclicity occurred on average 6 weeks after the end of treatment but was influenced by the duration of treatment and seasonality.

Case series of maggot debridement therapy demonstrates safety and efficacy for treating problematic wounds in cats and dogs in Mexico.
Treatment was administered by applying 8-10 larvae per square cm surface area directly on the wound bed and covering the wound with a sterile polyester mesh, sutured to the skin. These were left on the wound for cycles of approximately 48 hours (24-72 hours); the cycles were repeated if more than 20% necrotic tissue remained after treatment. Review of these cases revealed that 80% of treated wounds achieved 100% debridement within 48-96 hours of treatment.

Prevalence of discospondylitis and association with congenital vertebral body malformations in English and French bulldogs.
The prevalence of discospondylitis was 3.4 (1.6-6.7) times higher in French bulldogs and 4.3 (1.7-9.8) times higher in English bulldogs, compared with the overall hospital cohort. One or more vertebral malformations were present in 12 French bulldogs (92.3%), 6 English bulldogs (75.0%), and 1 "other" breed dog (1.1%). Discospondylitis was diagnosed adjacent to congenital vertebral body malformations in 12 (80%) intervertebral discs in French bulldogs and 5 (50%) intervertebral discs in English bulldogs.