There are certain things that annoy/irritates a pet owner so much, and one of those things is the Mango Worms, Mango worms are those annoying pesky larvae parasite also known as skin maggot flies, that find comfort under the skin of your pet. When the mango worm infection finds its way under the skin of your pet, it definitely will result in several health issues.
Your pets can get mango worm easily, they can get it by digging, walking or even lying on soil that contains freshly hatched larvae, these larvae get deep into the skin and begin to feed on the dog's tissue until it gets matured. As annoying as mango worms can get on the skin of your pet, understanding the life cycle of the parasites and the symptoms of infection would help keep your pet safe.
The Life Cycle of Mango Flies.
Apparently, mango worms do not come up to just any soil, female mango flies lay their eggs in soil that has gotten contaminated with feces, clothing that has been kept outside for a long time, or urine. The flies are extremely small that it is almost impossible for one to see them without the aid of a microscope. It takes the egg 3 days to hatch, and when they do, they spend several days waiting for something it could jump on. At the point when your pet rolls, rests and walks on that contaminated ground, the young larvae could find their way to get buried deep into their skin, the process is painless, and when it happens, your dog may not even notice any difference.
After the mango larvae successfully get into the host, they keep feeding on the pet's tissue for about 2-3 weeks, which helps them grow, after three weeks of feasting on the pet, the skin would begin to erupt in red boils, the bad thing about the formed red boils is, they contain maggot worms waiting to burst on the skin and continue their normal life cycle outside of the pet. The flies at this point will pupate and transform from a maggot worm into an adult fly. Dogs and rodents are major victims of mango worms.
You can protect your pet by cleaning your environment and keeping it clear of flies and other rotten fruits with the aid of an insect repellent. Ensure not to keep clothes on the ground for a long time, but if you live in areas where there resides a high population of flies, it may be difficult to protect your lovely dog. You should also get to kill mango flies at their early stage, adult mango flies are more active at dawn and at dusk, during the hotter parts of the day, they would mostly be found resting on ceilings, where they would no longer be killed, the moment you take out worms from a mango boil, destroy it completely.
If as an individual, you travel to areas where mango worms are prevalent, ensure to follow through with the normal procedure, and when you move back, ensure to carefully and thoroughly clean all your cloth and luggage for safety. The mango worms are basically native to East Africa, Uganda, and South Africa but there have also been rare cases of occurrence in the United States.
Bear in mind that, mango worms cannot be spread from one pet to another, the symptoms noticed include;
- A pus-filled bump.
- Lessons that are blister-like.
- Extreme itching and discomfort.
- Lowered appetite.
- Fever, in a case where the injury gets infected.
- Red bumps that are itchy.
- Inability to sleep and restless feeling.
However, there are other illnesses that have similar symptoms, so you will require the expertise of a vet to diagnose the presence of the infection and advice on treatment accordingly. Although they can be highly irritating to the eyes, they are not dangerous, and even at that, it doesn't mean they should be left untreated, if you do not treat them, then your dog's skin will become terribly irritated and you will end up with a distressed pet at the long run.
Of course, the appropriate way to salvage the situation would be to get rid of the mango worms off the skin of your dog, and your vet will prescribe the best way to get it out depending on how severe the situation has gotten;
- There are special injections to help deal with mango worm larvae.
- Your vet may also choose to suffocate the larvae, this will be done by taking off each boil's scab, then a substance like a jelly or sterile wax would be used to suffocate the larvae.
- Popping the boils is another method of treatment, in this case, the vet would squeeze the boils or simples, note that the treatment procedure needs to be done with serious caution to prevent serious irritation.
As a pet owner can you get infected with mango worms
One question pet owners ask if the possibility of them getting infected with their pet's disease, in this case, it is a Yes and No answer because humans do not even have fur where parasites can latch to get into the skin at the first instance, another thing is, as humans you do not get to roll in the dirt as your pet would. However, there is a great likelihood of human clothes getting contaminated with the mango fly eggs if the clothes come in contact with the mango flies of course, and that way humans could get infected as well. So, yes, humans could possibly get mango worm infection but not directly from the pet.
In conclusion.
You have to bear in mind that these mango worms may be highly tricky to figure out until it gets to the point when it is too late, sometimes it may take the evolution of the adult worm for you to even notice. You just need to look out for your pet a great deal and make sure they do not stay in areas with high amounts of urine or feces.
Also keeping your pet's environment clean will help a great deal, and bathing them constantly, will help your dog look neater and will also help you notice any other strange signs on their body.
References.
https://outdoordogfun.com/how-do-dogs-get-mango-worms/
https://petkeen.com/how-do-dogs-get-mango-worms/
https://wildearth.com/blogs/dog-knowledge/mango-worms-in-dogs