The veterinary profession is full of creepy crawlies and spooky animal encounters, and Halloween is the perfect time to swap scary stories. On “Agriculture Today,” Dr. A.J. Tarpoff, Kansas State Beef Extension veterinarian, shared some of his creepiest stories from the field.
“Have you ever had the feeling that something or someone was watching you?” Tarpoff recalled one necropsy where he could feel eyes on him, but was initially unsure where that feeling was coming from — until he looked up.
“At the top of the fence, eight feet above me, was a giant bald eagle that was just sitting at me staring very intently,” Tarpoff says. It must have thought Tarpoff was interfering with its meal. In an effort to appease the bird and avoid being the target of its large talons, Tarpoff tossed a chunk of liver in its direction as an offering. As he lives to tell the tale, that offering was enough — for now.
If birds of prey aren’t quite spooky enough for you, Tarpoff wants to remind you that the bubonic plague is still alive and well in the U.S.
“Some of these plagues and diseases we thought were long gone, they’re still around,” he says. “There are still fleas transmitting them. There are animals that are succumbing to them.”
Notably, hikers should take caution if they come into contact with dead wildlife on the trail.
Still not creepy enough? Have you ever heard of cattle grubs?
Caused by the heel fly laying eggs in the feet of cattle, these hatched larvae puncture through the hide then burrow upward into the spinal column or esophagus where they sit in wait as they mature.
“Once they become an adult, they go back into the skin, they bore a little breathing hole and become this big larva that’s just a big knot,” Tarpoff says. “It looks like a huge zit or little abscess that’s right underneath the skin. They sit there and wiggle around. You can see them moving under the skin. It’s disgusting.”
With it being deer season, finding nasal bots within the head of a deer you’re dressing is not uncommon. These bots can also infect sheep, goats and occasionally cattle. Just as the name says, these are grubs that live in the nasal cavity of an animal.
“Don’t be surprised as you’re doing your cleaning and dressing of that carcass that you remove the head or tongue area, and all of a sudden you start seeing some stuff move around,” Tarpoff says. “These little bots start pouring out of the nasal cavity after that animal dies. It freaks people out.”
Halloween is also the season for pranks.
As winter approaches, cases of lice are on the rise, and Tarpoff likes to have a little fun with the crews he works with.
“Whenever I diagnose lice, I’ll go and just start itching,” he says. “I’ll go bare handed and start itching my head until I get everybody in the group itching because they think they’re infested with lice now too. And then I remind them that lice are species specific, so you have nothing to worry about.”
After the parasites, predators and plagues, Tarpoff left veterinarians with one fitting takeaway: “There’s creepy crawlies everywhere. There’s dangerous stuff out there, but it’s good to be aware. Good basic preventative care working with your veterinarian can go a long way in solving a lot of these issues.”
As you head out for your Halloween calls, or your next necropsy, keep your eyes peeled and your gloves handy. You never know who or what might be watching you.
