My dog has maggots in a wound. How do I treat it and help him heal?

Question

My dog ( German shepherd/ male ) a hole in back of his front leg and I found that it's a maggot infection and I am treating with turpentine oil am applying it once in a day from yesterday and I found larvae ( two to three) coming out from the hole after applying oil into the hole and am about to clean his wound with betadine solution am afraid that larvae might penetrate inside him deep is this curable and how long it takes for him to recover and when will the hole close and get new skin. Pet's info: Dog | German Shepherd | Male | 2 years and 4 months old

Kevin Sanada, DVM · Accepted Answer

These maggot wounds are treatable, but turpentine and Betadine won't kill them all and will actually make the wound worse. They are best killed with camphor powder, but the maggots need to be pulled out from in the wound, or they will cause a severe infection. In order to pull them out, the dog often needs to be sedated. For this and other wound treatment, I highly recommend you take him to a vet doctor. For now, you should flush the wound using a syringe or other dispensing device with normal, clean, warm water for five minutes. This may not be easy, because dogs tend to hate this and will try to run away. I recommend having someone help you with this and holding Brando to make sure the wound gets flushed well. Infection is the biggest concern with these wounds; so after flushing, it's best to apply an antibacterial cream to the wound and a bandage. In order to keep the wound clean, it's best to flush the wound 1-2 times a day and gently wipe away any big crusts - make sure not to scrub the wound, because this can make it worse. Apply the antibacterial cream after each flushing. I hope that helps and Brando gets better soon.

My dog has maggots in a wound. How do I treat it and help him heal?

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