All dog owners know that their canine companions can end up with worms. Most of the time, you hear about roundworms, tapeworms, and hookworms. The most serious are heartworms, which can be lethal.
But have you ever heard of mango worms? Unlike worms that affect other types of the body, such as the digestive system, mango worms live inside a dog’s skin.
Just because mango worms aren’t dangerous doesn’t mean they can be left untreated. Your dog’s skin will get terribly irritated, and you will end up with a distressed pet.
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About the Mango Worm Parasite In Dogs
You’ve probably heard of other parasites affecting dogs, such as ringworm. Mango worms are less well-known, but they are quite common. Unlike many other parasites that infect the digestive system, mango worms target the skin and fur.
These parasites originally came from Africa. You may sometimes hear people call them mango flies, as they’re technically tropical blowflies. They want to live in your dog’s skin because they can eat that material.
Mango worms get into your dog’s skin when they’re larvae. When they’re inside the skin, they consume that tissue to fuel their growth. That is why they’re parasites: they feed off your dog.
Are There Mango Worms in the United States?
Mango worms are much rarer in the United States than they are on the continent of Africa. If you live on the continent of Africa, your dog is much more likely to end up with mango worms than if you live elsewhere.
Some places where mango worms are common are Uganda and South Africa. If you live somewhere where mango worms are common, your dog is at high risk of ending up with this kind of infestation.
How Do Mango Worms Infect Dogs?
Mango worms often hide in the soil, especially when it contains feces or urine. The soil is where mango worms deposit their eggs, and these eggs look for a host. Why? Well, they want to live in your dog’s skin.
If you’re a dog owner, you know how much dogs adore playing in the dirt. And it’s through doing this that they often end up with mango worms on their skin. After the eggs hatch, the larvae make their way into the skin. They do this by burrowing, causing irritation and distress for your dog.
The larvae eat your dog’s tissue to fuel their growth. Each larvae doing this causes a red boil. Inside this boil is a maggot worm. Once the maggots are full-grown, they burst out of the skin.
