Q: Warble

Answered by used_to_be_red_kitty-cat on 7/21/2005, 10:53 am

A: Warble

> Hello,
> I rescued 5 kittens this week and noticed that one of the
> kittens had a tick almost on its eyeball and a huge swollen
> ''sore'' on its neck. Well, ticks really gross me out, so
> someone that has experience with feral cats said he would
> try to get the tick off. We took the kitten into the
> bathroom (so it couldn't get loose) put on gloves and went
> to work. My friend said it looked like there was a screw
> worm in its neck and said I should take the kitten in for
> that. We then proceeded to the tick. In the process of
> trying to get the tick off the ''screw worm'' fell out and
> we flushed it. We couldnt get the tick because the kitten
> was thrashing and spitting and hissing too much. So we put
> the kitten back in the trap and I called the vet. They told
> me it sounded like a warble and to bring the kitten in. So
> I took the kitten in, they got the tick off and the vet
> looked at the site where the warble was. She asked if i was
> sure the warble came out and i said yes. She said the
> kitten's neck would heal. That was two days ago and the
> kittens neck is still swollen, could there be more than one
> warble? Someone told me there is always only one. How long
> will it take for the swelling to go down? How long should I
> wait before taking her back to the vets? I dont have a lot
> of money and I am trying to save these kittens, all of the
> shelters are full so I am fostering them myselves. All
> money comes out of my pocket. Any advice would be
> appreciated
>

Hello! Thank you for taking in these babies!

Regarding the advice that only one warble can occur, this is incorrect. In fact, multiple warbles often form on an animal at the same time, because the animal has come in contact with several eggs. And often, they are close together. If there are more warbles forming, you will see individual lumps, not a generalized swelling.

Unlike other types of maggots where there are hundreds laid in one wound, there is only one larva per warble. Each worm creates its own hole. So maybe that's what the person meant?

I'm not sure where you live, but in North America, there do not appear to be any screw worms left. They also infest wounds in the hundreds, not just singly. And typically, like most maggots, they cause a depression in the skin as they eat away at the tissue, not a lump like warbles do. So you were probably looking at a bot fly larva (which causes warbles).

Now comes the hard part. Warbles are very likely to cause infection. It's basically a big puncture wound. A vet will usually prescribe antibiotics for a cat with an open warble to prevent infection. Getting an antibiotic into a feral is one of the biggest challenges life can pose! I'd recommend to ask the vet for an antibiotic if she didn't prescribe one, in tablet form, which you can crush with a spoon and mix into canned food. Usually works well with my ferals.

When you say her neck is swollen, do you mean the warble, or do you mean the entire neck? If the whole neck is swollen, this is an indication of infection, and that needs immediate vet attention. Warbles can abscess easily, creating a generalized swelling in the area. Sometimes they need to be lanced and drained. At the very least, they require a strong antibiotic. If not treated, abscesses can kill, as they may lead to blood poisoning.

If it's only the warble site that is still swollen, this will take a few weeks before it is pretty flat. After a week, there should be a great improvement in the size, but thickened, swollen skin may be present for a few weeks longer.