After the Wolf/Spiral Worm.. HELP!

Hello! I adopted a 3 month old kitten today from my local shelter. In the process of signing the papers I found a spot full of pus on the side of his neck and the shelter lady immediately took him to the vet. It was what they called a wolf worm (I've also seen spiral worm on the internet) and it was removed. I picked him up a couple hours later and brought him home.

He played with my other rescue cat for a few hours and was a ball of energy, like a kitten should be. When he settled down and let me look him over I found another spot on his chest that the vet over-looked. It is full of pus and you can feel how inflamed the tissues are in that area. I'm sure it is another wolf worm. He goes back to the vet in the morning.  

Of course being the crazy cat mom I am I have been reading non-stop about these disgusting larva and the stories I am seeing are scaring me. He's only 3 months old and is just slightly underweight. He's acting like a normal kitten but I don't know what these larva are doing to him on the inside (other than feeding obviously).

I've never dealt with wolf worms before... He's already on antibiotics from the first worm. After they remove the second one tomorrow what can I expect? Is there a chance there are more in him that we just can't find from the outside? Will they randomly show up on the surface for me to find over the next few weeks/months? The area around his first wound (where it was already removed) is all gross and full of dried pus and drainage. Can I give him a bath tomorrow after he gets back home or should I wait until he's completely healed? Should I give him a bath now to clean the area around the wound from the first larva? Should I just stick with a wet towel and just get what i can off? How long do these wounds usually take to heal?

Thank you so much for any information you can give me about this ucky things. I'm going bonkers with worry.

I've never dealt with something like this, so can't help you there, but I would definitely encourage you to keep the new kitty separated from the others until this is cleared up.

I have minimal experience with wolf worms. What I DO know is that the larva comes out after 30 days.

So, my question would be when was this kitten brought to the shelter? Was it in another home prior? In knowing this, you can calculate the latest possible date the kitten was exposed to the outdoor environment. This will give you a timeframe in which to look for cyst and monitor the kitten's behavior.

If you have been reading on the issue, I'm sure you've come across the mention of the larva migrating to the brain (though very rare!) So, monitor the kitten's behavior closely. I know I have read that there is away to kill the larva using medication, perhaps this might be something to discuss with the shelter and/or your own vet?

My experience with the wolf worm was with a cat that escaped her foster home and was missing for 3 months. We noticed a hole on her head 2 days after she was found. Took her to the vet (fearing an abcess) and the vet confirmed that the hole was from a wolf worm. Our kitty was lucky that the worm was essentially located between the skin and skull on to of her head. No neurological issues at all.

CatPack said:

I have minimal experience with wolf worms. What I DO know is that the larva comes out after 30 days.

So, my question would be when was this kitten brought to the shelter? Was it in another home prior? In knowing this, you can calculate the latest possible date the kitten was exposed to the outdoor environment. This will give you a timeframe in which to look for cyst and monitor the kitten's behavior.

If you have been reading on the issue, I'm sure you've come across the mention of the larva migrating to the brain (though very rare!) So, monitor the kitten's behavior closely. I know I have read that there is away to kill the larva using medication, perhaps this might be something to discuss with the shelter and/or your own vet?

My experience with the wolf worm was with a cat that escaped her foster home and was missing for 3 months. We noticed a hole on her head 2 days after she was found. Took her to the vet (fearing an abcess) and the vet confirmed that the hole was from a wolf worm. Our kitty was lucky that the worm was essentially located between the skin and skull on to of her head. No neurological issues at all.

Click to expand...

His picture was uploaded on their Facebook page on June 3rd. So he's been there about 12-13 days. So I should be spending the next 20 or so days checking him for new places? 

They have already removed one at the vet. The sore was open and oozing and I assume they just got the thing out with tweezers. Over the past few hours that spot has closed and is barely draining a clear liquid. The spot on his chest has not been looked at yet but will be looked at in the morning by the vet. Hopefully if it is another worm they will remove it as well. It is open but not oozing like the other spot was.

I don't have any experience in open wounds such as this on cats. Is a bath to clean the area a no-no? His fur is all crusted with the dry drainage and a warm wet washcloth is not doing much to clean it. 

I would hold off on a bath for the time being and discuss the issue with the vet tomorrow.

Thank you so much.