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Dog Friendly Hotel Swansea Craig y Nos Country Park in Winter 18

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Craig Y Nos Castle in Winter

Dog Friendly Tips: Flies can kill dogs


But is this only in America?  Or here in the UK too? It is hard to believe that every summer hundreds of dogs are killed by flies, though this data is from America which has some very hot states. Dogs die everywhere in the United States from being eaten alive by the larvae of flies maggots.

Somewhere, for example, under the long bushy coat of a Collie or on the matted hair of an Old English Sheepdog, an abrasion may occur. Perhaps it is a small patch of skin disease. Flies are attracted by the serum that the body has exuded and lay eggs on or near the wound.

Maggots hatch and live on the moist tissue which they kill by the toxins they secrete. The hair prevents the dog from chewing and licking off these invaders.

The maggots continue to grow and spread in the area. Finally some migrate to other moist spots and begin to feed. More flies are attracted and soon the dog is a mass of maggots.

Even a badly infested dog can be saved by prompt action, but many dogs die for the want of adequate and timely attention. The coat should be clipped, the holes, which may be an inch deep, should be washed clean of the pests, and antiseptic dressings applied.

Often the first sign to the owner will be prostration of the dog, for the maggots give off a powerful toxin. If you don't discover the problem until that stage has been reached, get the dog to your vet at once. Infusions may save its life.

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