Concerns about New World screwworm have centered on impacts to the nation’s livestock industry, yet Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins brought up this consideration during discussions on NWS detections in the United States.
“Check your pets.”
That message applies to residents within quarantine zones around NWS points of detection and those along the U.S.-Mexico border.
As for the why:
“It’s a parasitic fly larva that can burrow into the flesh of a living animal and can cause serious complications, which can lead to death of that animal if it is untreated. They can infest livestock, pets, wildlife.”
With NWS larva usually burrowing within wounds of an animal, the secretary says when it comes to pets, as an example:
“In some of the cases that have been found within 20, 30, 60 miles of the Mexican border in Mexico, many of those were feline cats and dogs.”
Now some things pet owners should know, starting with what to watch out for:
“Draining or enlarged wounds and signs of discomfort in animals, looking for the screwworm larva, which look like maggots and eggs in or around body openings.”
Animal movement is restricted within NWS quarantine zones, such as the one established after the South Texas detection. The reason:
“This fly typically moves great distances because humans move animals, not because the fly flies to new areas. The response to this pest will entail our producers and companion animal owners to follow animal movement guidelines and restrictions and not move animals near the zone without proper treatment and inspections in place.”
In addition, there are travel restrictions associated with pets and service animals arriving from New World screwworm-affected countries.
“We have deployed additional trained dogs, our USDA dogs, down to the border that will be working with all crossings and all pets that are crossing and will be limiting those pretty significantly now going forward.”
Secretary Rollins adds, “if you suspect your animal is infested with screwworm, contact your state animal health official or the USDA area veterinarian in charge immediately. All their information, contact, et cetera, is on the website screwworm.org.”