*Disclaimer: The following story contains information that may be considered graphic and therefore may not be appropriate for viewers with weak stomachs.*
When we were first presented with the idea of adopting Bayley, one of the biggest concerns that my hubby and I had was whether Bayley would be healthy or not. We knew that she had been a stray that had recently been rescued and we were concerned that she might have something lurking inside her that routine shots would not cure. We were told that she had been taken to a vet and had been given her shots, but we knew we'd be taking a chance that she'd have worms. I researched the types of worms dogs can get, causes of these worms, and treatments available for the worms and then we discussed this possibility at length. Essentially what we came to decide is that all worms that a dog might have, with the exception of the heartworm, are easy to kill and not life threatening. The heartworm is life threatening but can also be killed with the right, albeit expensive, medication. Heartworms also, apparently, leave a dog looking rather unhealthy. So, my hubby and I decided that when we went to see Bayley, if she looked healthy, we'd likely be in the clear.
On the day we went to get Bayley, she greeted us at the door and then ran across the coffee table of the house to sit on the couch with us. Yep, this was a healthy looking, active dog. We instantly fell in love with her and brought her home. Over the next 1 1/2 months, we fed Bayley no less than 3 cups of food per day. She weighed 17 pounds when we got her and I thought for sure that 3 cups of food would help her gain weight pretty quickly. The average female beagle weighs between 22-27 pounds and needs 1 cup of food per day. In 6 weeks time, Bayley had not gained any weight, despite eating 3 cups of food per day. She also did these strange things. I frequently observed her drinking water from puddles after it rained. I could not get her to drink out of her water bowl. She insisted on drinking from the puddles. I assumed this was due to her history as a stray. So, the day that she ate the raw hamburger meat I had just brought home from the grocery store, I also assumed this was from being a stray.
And then it happened. One day, about 6 weeks after we got Bayley, I was taking her for an evening walk and when she relieved herself, I saw it. There in her stool was a wriggling little white thing, about the size of a piece of rice. After I overcame the initial, "EEEWWW GROSS!" reaction, I picked up the stool in the puppy poopy picker upper bag that I carry with me when we walk (so as to me a responsible and neighborly pet owner) and I inspected it. I know. Gross. It's sort of like when you're watching a scary movie and you cover your eyes because you know you don't want to see this part, but then you peek anyway because you're just so darn curious you can't help yourself... yeah, it's like that. So, I inspected the poop. And then, naturally, I brought the dog and the poop home for my husband to inspect. Only he refused to inspect the poop. I guess that he'd be the one person in the theater to say, "Yeah right, I'm not watching that!" Logical, really. I think he even said something like, "Are you nuts? I'm not looking at her poop. That's gross."
So, once I dispensed of the poop, I quickly went to the computer to google, "tapeworms in dogs" and found, to my dismay, that a tapeworm can live inside a dog for at least 1 month before you even know it is there. Apparently, the tapeworm only becomes noticeable once it finishes a full life cycle and lays eggs. Yep, the segments that come out in the poop are full of little eggs. Again, Gross. These only come out once in a while, as the tapeworm lays eggs. So, it's possible for a dog to have a tapeworm for many, many months before any human ever notices. I also learned that the treatment for a tapeworm is simple. It only requires 2 pills. One pill is given immediately and one is given in 2 weeks. Apparently, the pill kills the tapeworm and then this worm shrivels and eventually the whole thing comes out in the dog's stool in one long, shriveled up piece. Um... GROSS. From what I read, the length of the tapeworm when it comes out is only a small fraction of the length of the worm when it is inside the dog (you know, cause the pill made it shrivel and all).
The next day, I called the vet and they told me, "Yep, that sounds like a tapeworm. Come on by and get some pills", which I did, of course. We treated Bayley and several months later, this white thing that looked like a piece of string presented itself in her bowel movement. For the record, I had no desire to inspect this one, nor did I. When we treated the tapeworm, Bayley instantly began gaining weight. Today, she eats 1 cup of food per day and weighs in at 25 pounds. She refrains from eating raw hamburger meat but she does still drink from puddles. And come to think of it, the other day she climbed on the table and ate our lunch. Hm. Maybe those strange things she did weren't about the tapeworm after all.
No comments:
Post a Comment