# Maggots in dog water bowl. Why? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 4, 2002, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maggots-in-dog-water-bowl-why/122336 "2002-08-04T22:18:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Violet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/ebca7d/32.png) [@Violet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Violet)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2002, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maggots-in-dog-water-bowl-why/122336/1 "2002-08-04T22:18:57Z")
A friend reported that he changes his dog’s water (indoors) twice a day, and has been finding maggots in the water. He can’t figure out how they get there. He brought the dog to the vet today. No evidence of maggots found on or in the dog. Anyone have this happen or know why this maggot situation might be occurring? Location of dog: southern California. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Moto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de0a6/32.png) [@Mr.Moto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Moto)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2002, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maggots-in-dog-water-bowl-why/122336/2 "2002-08-04T22:48:53Z")
Flies of some type are laying eggs there. ---
**Author:** ![jb\_farley](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9d8465/32.png) [@jb\_farley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jb_farley)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2002, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maggots-in-dog-water-bowl-why/122336/3 "2002-08-04T23:29:56Z")
are they big maggots, or smaller ones? many flies (esp. mosquitoes) lay (lie?) eggs in standing water. jb ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2002, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maggots-in-dog-water-bowl-why/122336/4 "2002-08-05T00:02:55Z")
Are you sure they are maggots and not mosquito larvae? ---
**Author:** ![Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/50afbb/32.png) [@Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duck_Duck_Goose)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2002, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maggots-in-dog-water-bowl-why/122336/5 "2002-08-05T01:57:13Z")
My guess is going to be that the dog has found something dead and full of maggots out in the yard, and is nibbling at it, so maggots stick to his mouth, and when he drinks out of his water dish, they fall off into the water. Ew. ---
**Author:** ![cookeze](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e19b73/32.png) [@cookeze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cookeze)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2002, 7:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maggots-in-dog-water-bowl-why/122336/6 "2002-08-05T07:51:12Z")
If you teach the dog to drink out of the toilet you won’t have that problem. ---
**Author:** ![Violet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/ebca7d/32.png) [@Violet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Violet)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2002, 6:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maggots-in-dog-water-bowl-why/122336/7 "2002-08-06T06:15:31Z")
I followed up with this, and **Duck Duck Goose** is most likely correct. No more maggots. The owner said they were large maggots, & the vet also took a look at one & said it was a maggot, but not coming from the dog’s body or interior. My dogs never had this problem. ---
**Author:** ![petes545](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/73ab20/32.png) [@petes545](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/petes545)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2017, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maggots-in-dog-water-bowl-why/122336/8 "2017-06-01T18:11:22Z")
:dubious:They keep appearing in my dogs water also. I’m in the So Cal desert… I keep the bowl clean…I’m baffled… I am currently searching for an answer. I’ve seen a dozen reasons but none make sense…Still searching… ---
**Author:** ![petes545](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/73ab20/32.png) [@petes545](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/petes545)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2017, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maggots-in-dog-water-bowl-why/122336/9 "2017-06-01T18:41:59Z")
ok ---
**Author:** ![markn\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@markn\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markn_1)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2017, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maggots-in-dog-water-bowl-why/122336/10 "2017-06-01T20:50:05Z")
Put a second bowl of water close to the dog’s bowl but where the dog can’t reach it. See if maggots appear in both bowls or only in the one the dog drinks from. ---
**Author:** ![Isilder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/cc9497/32.png) [@Isilder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isilder)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2017, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maggots-in-dog-water-bowl-why/122336/11 "2017-06-02T01:47:52Z")
The pregnant fly basically knowing its time, nagivated there based on odours… she wanted to lay the maggots inside the house, or inside the trash bin or on an animal’s wounds. She got desperate to deposit them, and landed them at the only source of food or dampness she could. A possible reason for desperation could be the effect of insecitides - as commonly used around residences ( and in dog cat tick,flea treatments ? ) ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2017, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maggots-in-dog-water-bowl-why/122336/12 "2017-06-02T02:37:15Z")
I have flies landing in my dog’s water dish and drowning. I didn’t know they were probably laying eggs until I read this thread. On the plus side, at least they’re not reproducing, and my dog gets fresh water more often. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2017, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maggots-in-dog-water-bowl-why/122336/13 "2017-06-03T23:09:42Z")
Kinda sad to think that the dog in the OP is most likely long since dead. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Si\_Amigo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/si_amigo/32/2877_2.png) [@Si\_Amigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Si_Amigo)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2017, 12:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maggots-in-dog-water-bowl-why/122336/14 "2017-06-05T12:13:10Z")
> [@Gatopescado](#): > > Kinda sad to think that the dog in the OP is most likely long since dead. ☹ But did he die from maggot infestation? ---
**Author:** ![Damuri\_Ajashi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/898d66/32.png) [@Damuri\_Ajashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Damuri_Ajashi)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2017, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maggots-in-dog-water-bowl-why/122336/15 "2017-06-05T13:59:19Z")
maggots in dog bowls… something about zombies… profit. ---
**Author:** ![HoneyBadgerDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honeybadgerdc/32/1033_2.png) [@HoneyBadgerDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoneyBadgerDC)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2017, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maggots-in-dog-water-bowl-why/122336/16 "2017-07-06T02:37:36Z")
Today I found about 15 dead drowned maggots in my dogs water. I have one of those bottles that just feeds in enough water. I can’t believe the maggots grew up in the water, they had to have come from somewhere else. I change the bottle about once a week. This was in my shop office/guest house. 3 days prior to the maggots I had a fly infestation that lasted a couple of days. It makes me think they dragged in a rat or a bird and the maggots got to it before I found it. No odor. I still can’t figure out how they got into the water?? ---
**Author:** ![Faithful3uLL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/9de053/32.png) [@Faithful3uLL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Faithful3uLL)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2021, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maggots-in-dog-water-bowl-why/122336/17 "2021-07-10T15:59:36Z")
Guys, I know the straight up answer. This is no LIE I as WELL just cleaned out my dogs water bowl, and for some reason as y’all may have noticed the flies have been SO SO bad this year. I live in the EST side of the US and the flies have been SO bad over here that, I put fricken fly stickies up in our kitchen and the very first day I was getting flies and Gnats on the sticky. I am WARNING YOU GUYS! Spread the news to kill these flies or our pets are gonna get sick… My cat loves to come downstairs and drink out of my dogs water bowl and I just realized there were DEAD floating MAGGOTS in my water… 😤🤧😭🤦🏼‍♀️SPREAD THIS!!! ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2021, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maggots-in-dog-water-bowl-why/122336/18 "2021-07-11T01:53:41Z")
If we don’t spread the news to 15 other people on social media, will someone die? And will that worsen the maggot problem?