Day 5: Of Worms and Now It's Zoey's Turn

Shame on Zoey's humans for not realizing quite the stress she's under, too.  Of course her whole world has changed, everything topsy-turvy for almost a week now, just like Rhyn's did!  And how is she reacting to it?  She's got diarrhea  today, too.  Gah.  I don't know how to make her feel better except to give her as much attention as I can, and try to keep to a regular schedule. We have been doing that - taking walks at our normal times, and eating breakfast at the same time every day.  On this morning's walk, we even stopped in to see a favorite neighbor for a few minutes.

I know when we got back from a road trip to Sugar Island last year, Zoey didn't react well to that, either.  While we were there our human friend died, Zoey was in a really strange environment for a week, and being in a car for six hours there and back - her first time - well, anyway, she had diarrhea when we got home, too.

The solution:  Fresh Digest Daily Digestive Supplement for Dogs by In Clover.  It worked last year (within the day!) and I hope it works this time, too.

Update on Rhyn's situation:  Yes, he has Roundworms, so very common in puppies that many vets routinely deworm puppies before getting a stool sample. Roundworms are most commonly passed to puppies from the placenta before they are born; transmission through the mother's milk does occur but is less important for puppies than for kittens.  Dr. Mead said it wasn't a large infestation (so maybe the ONE DOSE of Pyrantel provided by Underdog Rescue helped a very tiny bit).  So, we received six packets of Panacur powder:  One packet a day for three days, mixed in with moist food, and then again in three weeks.  We take a new stool sample in on September 14.

More interesting info about Roundworms, also sometimes called ascarids.  They live in a dog's intestines, consuming partially digested food. (Boy, these worms are eating the very best puppy food, for sure, Merrick Puppy Grain-Free).  The Roundworm does not attach to the intestinal wall; rather, this worm literally swims in its food.  OK, that was gross, and we're moving on.

Here is a photo of the lovely Zoey, taken yesterday.

Zoey