Wound care monitoring and management has become more important than ever, due to the arrival of New World screwworm (NWS) in the United States for the first time since the 1960s.1

The NWS blowfly larvae feed on living tissues of warm-blooded animals. At this time most U.S. cases have been identified in cattle, but NWS can affect horses, dogs, and cats. Any open wound can serve as a potential infestation site—including post-surgical and traumatic wounds.2

“The key to preventing NWS infestations is to monitor wounds closely and encourage fast healing,” said Acacia Roman, DVM, technical services veterinarian with Vetoquinol USA. Romanpracticed in Puerto Rico and has experience monitoring for NWS due to infestations in nearby countries. “Today, we as veterinarians have the added pressure of wanting fast healing so we don’t give New World screwworm the chance to lay eggs in the wound and cause even more damage.”

Here are Roman’s top tips for veterinarians to encourage fast wound healing in animals:

  1. Prioritize surveillance. Recommend clients inspect animals regularly for wounds and perform skin checks during every veterinary visit.
  2. Monitor for ectoparasites that might create open skin wounds and underscore the importance of prevention with clients.
  3. Address all wounds immediately. Veterinarians in or near confirmed NWS detections should recommend clients report wounds immediately so treatment can begin right away.
  4. Customize wound management. There are many options for cleaning and protecting wounds. Where possible, bandages can help protect open areas from fly strikes. Protective sprays such as AluSpray® can help encourage healing where bandages aren’t possible. Fluorescent light therapy can help speed wound healing up to twice as fast.3

 A proven fluorescent light therapy system for animals, such as Phovia®, can help accelerate natural skin regeneration for most lesions when compared to antibiotic and topical treatments alone.4 The once-a-week sessions also can be used as a touchpoint to monitor and inspect wounds by veterinary staff, Roman said.

“Phovia was developed specifically for pets and can be used along with immunomodulators, steroids, and most antibiotics to give veterinarians another tool in their wound-healing kit,” she said. “We always want wounds to heal as quickly as possible. Now, New World screwworm makes it even more important to provide the best wound care possible to our pets and horses.”

References:

1. United States Department of Agriculture. (2000) Selections from the Screwworm Eradication Collection: 1956-1959. https://www.nal.usda.gov/exhibits/speccoll/exhibits/show/stop-screwworms–selections-fr/1958-1969.

2. American Veterinary Medical Association. (2026) New World screwworm (NWS). https://www.avma.org/resources-tools/one-health/veterinarians-and-public-health/new-world-screwworm.

3. Marchegiani, A., et al. (2021) The Effectiveness of Fluorescent Light Energy as Adjunct Therapy in Canine Deep Pyoderma: A Randomized Clinical Trial. Vet Med Int, 6643416.

4. Apostolopoulos, N. and Mayer, U. (2020) Use of fluorescent light energy for the management of bacterial skin infection associated with canine calcinosis cutis lesions. Vet Rec Case Rep, 8,e001285.