Deep Doggy Do Do

Warning! For those of you queasy about bodily functions this post may not be for you.

Since Cody, a poor waif from a ND puppy mill, has arrived I have dealt with all sorts of unique "downloads" and improved my spelling at the same time. Giardia, coccidia, sulfadimethoxine, metronidazole are words that weren't in my vocabulary pre-Cody but now trip off my tongue and fingertips as if I'd known them my whole life. Which is what it seems like - what we've been through. If there's an organism that causes intestinal distress in dogs - Cody's had it.

The good news is that none of the other beasts picked up any of these parasites. Until last week. When we had Bella visiting for a week. And Belle got sick. Really sick with coccidia. Sick enough the vet wanted to keep her for observation overnight. How did he know she was so sick? It didn't take any lab test to have him concerned. My normally exuberant, Dr. Flaagen-I'm-so-glad-to-see-you, oh-how-I-love-my-vet Belle simply laid at my feet when Dr. Flaagen came to call us for our appointment. When he greeted her, she didn't even raise her head - but she did manage a few feeble thwack-thwacks with the end of her tail. Then, to put paid to her pitiful appearance, she had to be coaxed to get up and go to the exam room.

Sadly, the string of isolation that was my solace was broken. Belle, too, had coccidia and yesterday, I found out that Bella had come down with it as well. But, Bella had it with a twist - hookworms. Aargh!

To prevent another re-infection once the dogs have finished their meds, I'm using a mixture of ammonia and water (followed by normal washing) to clean their dishes, their kennels and the floors of my house. At the suggestion of Greta, my Invisible Fence Trainer extraordinaire, I've treated the yard with barn lime - a natural product that hastens decomposition. Also at her suggestion, I've added pumpkin to the rice gruel I've been feeding the dogs. I've switched their food to Science Diet D/D, a product containing just salmon and potatoes. Two ingredients known to go easy on a gutted gut.

Time will tell if this is the last of these infections. I sincerely hope so - they've really had me on the runs.