What's the best natural way to get rid of maggots on my old dog?
Would washing her with baking soda help?
No vets around...

So seeing as your dog has maggots, I am assuming there is an infection somewhere?

I would try washing the wound with a salt water and baking soda solution.

Shave the hair around the affected area. Using an electric shaver, remove all of the hair around the wound. Maggots may burrow beneath the hair, causing them to not be seen. There may also be other eggs in the hair around the wound. By shaving the hair you can expose the area to get a better look at what you are dealing with. You may also expose other maggots you would have not noticed otherwise

Remove each maggot. You can use a spoon, or another tool, to gently pull the maggots out. Delicately rinsing the wound with water may also remove some of the maggots. Using tweezers, remove any other maggots in the wound. Check the wound thoroughly under a bright light to make sure you have removed every maggot. Make sure there are none that have burrowed under the skin. This process can take up to a couple of hours depending on the size of the wound and the amount of maggots.

Wrap the wound with a fresh gauze dressing, using a bandage or tape to hold it in place. Change daily

And most importantly PLEASE< PLEASE, PLEASE
Plan a visit to the veterinarian. After you have properly cleaned and dressed the wound, have the animal checked. Veterinarians can check to make sure all maggots were successfully removed and that there are no further infections you might not have recognized.

Your dog deserves better. Please seek medical help for him, and if you can not take care of him, please consider surrendering him to someone who can.



How to Get Rid of Maggots in an Animal Wound | eHow.com

I called a vet and went down to the chemist to get the product, but when I read it it was for wounds, it's super hot here and even before reading your answer I got the baking soda out and I got the rubber gloves on and was drowning the maggots- we've been cutting off her hair - but unfortunately I got bit on my hand, and believe me it happened in the afternoon and the telephone lines weren't working and you wouldn't believe what happened... Nothing works in this country. She had wounds in the past and we personally pulled them out 1 x1 - but this looks like she's totally infested (and there aren't any wounds up to now). They use to have flee collars for dogs against flies - but the chemist said it was taken off the market. I'm desperate, she won't come close to the house - yes I was stupid not to put a mussel on her - but my partner insisted that it wasn't necessary. I know she's very old and I don't want to see her suffer. We've never had such a heat wave. Now I'm not allowed to use/wet my hand for 8 days and my partner is so angry/upset of the situation - that he is of no help. Vets don't know what to do and I did researches on the internet and didn't come out with anything. A friend said to dilute gasoline with lots of water to keep of the flies. I'm just worried that tomorrow she won't be around...

Also please I live in a country where they tend to abandon animals so please don't say surrender your dog to someone who can take better care of her - there isn't anyone and I really think I'm doing my best. And it isn't even fly season... I was even told by vets abroad that dogs after a certain age shouldn't be shaved. She's a big long-haired dog. She's an outside and was always healthy - but in the past few years she suffered from wounds and maggots - but managed to heal her every time. With all the research I've done it seems like this is due to old age, and the best is to keep her clean - and believe me we've been trying - but isn't here anything to keep the flies and maggots away?

Where are you from?

Am I allowed to say it on the internet?

Also please I live in a country where they tend to abandon animals so please don't say surrender your dog to someone who can take better care of her - there isn't anyone and I really think I'm doing my best. And it isn't even fly season... I was even told by vets abroad that dogs after a certain age shouldn't be shaved. She's a big long-haired dog. She's an outside and was always healthy - but in the past few years she suffered from wounds and maggots - but managed to heal her every time. With all the research I've done it seems like this is due to old age, and the best is to keep her clean - and believe me we've been trying - but isn't here anything to keep the flies and maggots away?

Unless you're using your real name, it should be fine.

You don't have to give your address, in fact, that's a big no no, but your country, that's fine. :)

I just want to say that my dog passed away last night - it was most probably her time and the flies were just doing their thing - difficult to say - but she was at least 11 years old and she's been very slow lately. I think I saved her from the suffering yesterday just washing all the maggots off before they penetrated her. Thanks for all the help - I was planning to put her to sleep if she was still alive this morning. Looks like many weak animals are dying due to the heat - I've found dead cats around in other areas.

How did the dog become infested with maggots in the first place?

Flies - apparently flies know before hand when an animal is dying - basically she was already dying - she was weak and we did suspect that she wouldn't make the summer. She was old. Basically this heat is extremely exaggerated and the maggots were just multiplying in seconds - they hadn't penetrated her yet. She just wanted to live as long as possible to be with us. She even waited at the gate until my partner came home late last night, and then let go. We had planned to put her to sleep if she was still alive this morning, because I really couldn't stand to see the flies and maggots get to her - and it's impossible to keep her under constant washing - besides we were in the hospital all day for the bite on my hand - lots of complications. She looked better when we came home but super weak. I just woke up in the morning and I saw flies all over her and immediately started rinsing her - believe me it was an emergency - she was okay but super weak. The evening before and she was really pushing me - which I gathered was a way of giving all of her affection and a way of telling me that she was leaving us. She wouldn't come back to the house because I know he didn't want to have continuos baths. The point was she didn't want to leave us... I know because I had another dog who died of old age, but had problems because due to age he had paralysis of his hind legs - and that was sad to see him in this condition - but he didn't care - he just wanted to be with me. Then 10 days before he passed away, I felt so sorry for him that I looked for a vet to put him asleep - my vet was away another didn't believe in putting animals to sleep - so 10 days after he felt asleep forever.
I learned a lot of things - through research and self-knowledge - even instinct. Why don't they invent something that isn't harmful to keep flies off - the world invents so much unnecessary things...

And how did it get this bad without anyone noticing it? I notice the dog "wouldn't come near the house."

Outside dog?

Too late and no point in judging but I've had old, debilitated dogs and I've never had these problems.

Yikes!

I am also concerned about the waiting for the dog to die part. How many days/hours did this dog suffer? I really don't care what other people in this particular Country do but I do care what happened to this dog.

She was only 11 years old? We live in a place that's very hot in the summer and we also have lots of flies. I have three dogs, the oldest is 15 years old and I've never had a problem like this.

I'm sorry for your loss, but I really have a problem accepting this as the norm in your area. Maggots do not infest healthy animals. There was something wrong and instead of finding a vet to care for her, you left it, tried to treat it yourself, and now it's over.

I'm really upset about this. You may have done all you could at home, but you didn't do all you should have done.

Again, I'm sorry for your loss.

I'm sorry for the loss of your dog. However, I find this story to be unbelievable. You could have prevented this from happening by purchasing fly spray at the very least.. I'm assuming the dog had long hair considering maggots cannot survive in the sun..

Poor pup.. I hope she had a happy life.

First I just want to say how sorry I am for your loss. It's never easy losing a loved pet.

But MariaBir, I have to agree with the other posters here, this COULD have been prevented. What Country do you live in? Just the Country. I live in Canada.

We get very hot temperatures here as well, as well as an abundance of flies, all kinds of flies, and I have owned and currently own older dogs, whom have never developed a maggot infestation.

Let me take a wild stab at what happened here. Your dog was an outdoor dog, and probably never treated for fleas or worms. He probably had an allergy from either food or fleas, and dug and scratched himself raw. Then came the flies and maggots.

You said in your first post that you didn't have a vet, than you said you talked to your vet, and then you changed the story again and said your vet was on vacation. This is just too unbelievable. I feel SO incredibly sorry for your dog.

And didn't one Vet at one time or another not "believe" in euthanasia?

A lot of inconsistencies, which is why we're all questioning what really happened.

But then all of a sudden there is a vet.

But then there aren't any vets.

Then again, there are. Unless OP was planning on euthanizing the dog herself.

Apparently at one time they did have a vet, one that doesn't believe in euthanasia.

Again, I'm so sorry for your loss, but I don't think we're getting the whole story. Also, maggots do not infest healthy animals. Age has nothing to do with it. The only way that maggots would infest your dog is if there was a wound present. A wound, with proper treatment, can be healed.

The discrepancy about vets in your area just makes me uneasy.

I'm not trying to be mean, it's too late now anyway, but I don't think we were told the whole truth in this matter, and the whole truth is what we need in order to help.

Sorry for your loss. Please, don't get another dog if you cannot or will not get the dog the necessary medical care it needs to have a full happy life.

Had to spread the rep. Great post. Excellent points. I really want to know how tis wound happened.

I live in Italy, my dog was healthy but old (sorry when I said the vet was on vacation I was talking about my first dog and that was over 25 years ago). The flies came in the morning and I immediately started to wash here. They hadn't gotten to her skin - they were under her fur - believe me any doctor - vet I talked to said it was her time. We kind of knew that she would pass away soon - because she was getting slow in her actions, but she was healthy. We've never had such hot weather like we're having now - even people are dying here from the heat.

Believe me it was very quick - she didn't have flies the day before