CUTEREBRA
This is the larvae of the Blow Fly. The fly lays its eggs on the body of living creatures, burrowing into the flesh and feeding off living tissue. They seem to be prevalent in squirrels in late summer because squirrels are in close contact with humans, but they can appear in all mammals and nesting birds.
As the larvae grows the lump on the animal will get larger. You will see an air hole in the center of the lump. To remove the larvae it must be pulled from the hole with tweezers which is not always an easy task. I have removed them from young Raccoons that were as large as my thumb.
The wound must be cleaned with an antibiotic solution and an injection of antibiotic can’t hurt. Unfortunately, not much can be done for active animals in the wild that can not easily be caught. Survival of the animal depends on the damage done by the larvae to the internal organs of the host.
As in squirrels, by early fall you will see some of the lumps turn to scars and begin to heal up when the larvae morphs into the fly and exits the body. Unfortunately, many die when the larvae burrows into a vital organ.
When young animals and birds come in they should be checked thoroughly for any suspicious lumps with a hole in the center. When found they should be treated immediately and kept confined in an insect-free environment for at least two weeks to make sure that no more larvae develop. |
