Chupracabras?
When I first heard the word, I could not understand what the staff was talking about. Why do kittens have Chupracabas under their skin? I had recently watched a very lengthy documentary on the National Geographic Channel about Chupacabras - who are according to eyewitnesses supposed to be small little devil animals that kill small animals by sucking out their blood. Despite the teasers for the show, there were no real Chupracabas found and I was disappointed after an hour of being promised evidence of their existence.
My staff was, in fact, referring to something equally as disgusting - Cuterebras. These creepy little fly larvae attach themselves to animals, entering into the host via nose or mouth who then migrate to specific areas in the host's body. Apparently, they usually flock to the head and neck areas of kittens and other animals where they make a breathing hole under the skin and grow into large larvae that can kill the host by causing internal damage and infection.
Cuterebras need to be carefully removed in one piece or they can cause infection and death. After removal, the animal often goes on antibiotics, to prevent infection and illness. Obviously, going to a vet to have this done is a must. The staff showed me a Cuterebra in formaldehyde and it was an inch long and brown and I got the willies thinking about one of those suckers climbing around under my skin.
How disgusting is that? If there is no other reason to keep your cat indoors, preventing them from getting Cuterebras is a pretty darn good one!
Small parasites totally creep me out. Humans have to be just as vigilant in our fight to keep internal parasites out of our bodies as our beloved companions do. In the south, I was always told not to stand in pine needles because the chiggers would get me. When I traveled to NY recently, I was in a cab that had a story that bed bugs were becoming more common in hotel rooms around the world and I was so happy that I was staying with relatives. In the Northeast, it is the dreaded deer tick and Lyme disease. My step-dad and sister both have Lyme disease the contracted in Connecticut.
Our dogs and cats are so lucky that they have Frontline, and Revolution to keep icky bugs away. Our own skin seems so flimsy a defense from these bugs that would like to call us home.
I suppose the moral of today's story is that you should keep your cats in, your dogs on a leash near wooded areas where these flies lay their eggs near the burrows of small rodents and animals, and that no matter how many precautions you take Mother Nature can always take it up a notch on the creepy factor and make you wish you never left your house.
I guess the bright side is that there are no Chupracabas in Wisconsin, because I am sure my Humane Officer and staff would probably not want to have to pick up a stray or injured devil animal who wanted to suck blood in the middle of the night. Not to mention the trouble we would have trying to find a vet to treat it.
