Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Eye infestation by fly larvae in young outdoor cats during summer
By Schlesener, Brittany N et al.·Published in Journal of feline medicine and surgery·2022·Department of Clinical Sciences, United States·View original on PubMed →
PetCaseFinder translated the abstract of this peer-reviewed paper into plain English so pet owners can read it. We do not publish original research — every detail traces back to the citation above. How we work →
Original publication title: Feline ophthalmomyiasis externa caused bylarvae: four cases (2005-2020).
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
Four young cats, all under 3 years old and with access to the outdoors, were brought in with eye problems caused by larvae. They were examined during the summer months, and all had issues in their right eye, including some with corneal ulcers and inflammation. The veterinarians successfully removed the larvae from all the cats, which helped relieve their discomfort and improve their symptoms. However, one cat still had a corneal ulcer and was lost to follow-up before it healed.
People also search for: cat eye problems larvae · kitten eye infection treatment · outdoor cat eye issues
Abstract
CASE SERIES SUMMARY: Described are four cats diagnosed with ophthalmomyiasis externa caused bylarvae. Medical records were retrospectively reviewed to identify cats with ophthalmomyiasis externa between 2005 and 2020 at Cornell University Hospital for Animals. Signalment, history, clinical and diagnostic findings, treatment and outcome were recorded. All cats were young (< 3 years of age), had outdoor access and were initially examined during the summer months. All cases had unilateral disease with the right eye affected. Two cases had nictitating membrane lesions and two had orbital disease. Concurrent superficial corneal ulceration was present in three cats. Two cats suffered from pyrexia, suspected secondary to inflammation from the larval infestation. Successful larval removal was performed in all cats, which resulted in improvement of discomfort and clinical signs. A corneal ulcer persisted in one cat, which was lost to follow-up prior to ulcer resolution. Parasite identification confirmedspecies infestation in all cases. RELEVANCE AND NOVEL INFORMATION: To the authors' knowledge, this is the first report of feline ophthalmomyiasis externa caused byspecies. Parasite removal was successful in restoring comfort and resolving clinical signs in all cats with adequate follow-up information.
Find similar cases for your pet
PetCaseFinder finds other peer-reviewed reports of pets with the same symptoms, plus a plain-English summary of what was tried across them.
Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33988048/