I operated on a 6 month old kitten 2 months ago with a large Bot fly larvae in it's proximal neck.
The larvae are very smart at any attempt at removing them and they will quickly slide back into their oxygen chamber hole. (they surface periodically for oxygen) After 10-plus unsuccessful attempts at capturing and removal of thi foreign body with forceps...I had to laterally excise the air chamber to shorten the escape area, apply slight pressure beneath the larvae, wait for it to resurface for oxygen...and VERY quickly grab it w/small, curved, hemostats. I removed the larvae w/the small hemostats.
The tissue surrounding the area was necrotic and the kitten was obviously dying from infection. I removed two, 3 cm sections of necrotic neck muscle with my scalpel. After partial suturing and installing a Penrose drain and antibiotic tx...the kitten quickly recovered.
The former wound is completely healed and the young cat is doing well. Bot fly investment can be a terrible condition w/o medical intervention.
