New World screwworms, though not yet in Central Texas, pose a significant threat to farm animals, wild animals, and pets. These parasitic larvae have infected one dog in New Mexico and eight farm animals in Texas. The screwworm fly lays its eggs in open wounds and crevices, such as the ears, mouth, nose, and eyes, leading to the hatched larvae eating the surrounding tissue and causing illness in the animal. The screwworm flies are larger than common houseflies, identifiable by their large orange eyes and green back.
Signs that a pet may be infected with screwworm include infected wounds or openings, the appearance of wriggling underneath the skin, maggots coming out of a wound, foul-smelling odor from a wound, bleeding from sores, worsening or deepening wounds, and signs of pain such as depression, irritability, lack of appetite, and isolation. Immediate veterinary care is crucial for infected pets, as the vet will remove all fly eggs and larvae, clean the wounds with antiseptic, and treat the wounds with medications.
To prevent screwworm infection, pet owners should keep doors and windows closed, keep animals inside at night, kill any flies hovering around, monitor pets daily for infected wounds or maggots, keep wounded animals clean and limit their time outside, and call a veterinarian if there are infected wounds or maggots coming out of wounds. Maggots should be placed in a sealed jar with rubbing alcohol for testing and should not be thrown in the trash.