Winnie
had suffered one previous bout with fleas as a baby. The people I adopted
her from had given her a month’s worth of flea treatment.
And I was all, “La la la la! Fleas can’t get us! We are one giant flea shield against fleas! NO FLEAS HERE!
And I was all, “La la la la! Fleas can’t get us! We are one giant flea shield against fleas! NO FLEAS HERE!
Then Winnie started scratching. A lot. One morning, around 6:00am, I
blearily trotted Winnie out to use the bathroom and watched in sandy-eyed
horror as these…things... exited her backside. Wormy things.
I immediately phoned the vet.
Vet:
“Sounds like a tapeworm. Winnie ate a flea, the flea released a tapeworm, and the tapeworm lives in Winnie. It’s the circle of life;
come get some pills.”
So Winnie had fleas and worms. Two for the price of one!
We win!
While I was at work, my dad
picked up the pills. After work, I tossed Winnie in my car and motored over to
my parents’ house.
We fed Winnie her first pill. Then I called the vet to check whether we could give her flea medicine a few days early.
We fed Winnie her first pill. Then I called the vet to check whether we could give her flea medicine a few days early.
Laura: “My puppy's itchy and squirmy and frightened
and hungry and probably confused, and she’s gnawing on herself. She’s not due for more
Frontline for another three days. Can we give her some now?”
Vet: “Yes.”
Laura: “I love you.”
Vet: “Bye.”
So we doused the dog in flea preventative and congratulated
ourselves on kicking parasite ass.
Of course, Winnie threw up the pill and scratched violently all night, but I didn’t learn this until the following morning.
Because I pretty much left the dog with my parents and fled. Bye bye, dog! I can't handle this! Have fun at Grandma's!
Because I pretty much left the dog with my parents and fled. Bye bye, dog! I can't handle this! Have fun at Grandma's!
My dad works from home, so he babysat Winnie. For a
week. I exiled Winnie to my parents’ house, only visiting her during the evenings.
Dad: “It’s been four days now. Do you want to take Winnie
home?”
Laura: “Umm, no. She still looks a little…peaked. I mean
look how white she looks. She clearly still needs close medical attention.”
Dad: “Okay.”
Winnie in August 2010
After recovering from my break-down, I took Winnie home,
and we’ve been flea free ever since.
Until now. Winnie has been scratching and biting herself
again. Upon bathing her, we found four fleas crawling through her fur.
The parasites and sleep deprivation have returned. I have no idea whether this post is funny or entertaining or even coherent because my mind has melted into sleepy sludge.
The parasites and sleep deprivation have returned. I have no idea whether this post is funny or entertaining or even coherent because my mind has melted into sleepy sludge.
I’m trying to stave off a second
break-down, but I’m making no promises. I may dump Winnie with her grandparents
and bolt again. At this point, it’s looking probable. Update to follow.
Don't do Winnie like that! She is your baby! Take care of your baby! LOL. You all will be fine.
ReplyDeleteHi, Nikia! Winnie already seems less itchy. The bath must have helped. I haven't found any more fleas on her,either. Still, I'm eager to put new flea meds on her in about 5 days. Thanks for commenting!
ReplyDeleteYeah, I'm calling pup services on you! Poor Winnie! We had a cat once that would get fleas really bad and he would meow and rear up in the air and take off running. Almost like he was trying to outrun them. Have you treated her with Capstar?
ReplyDeleteHey Harmony! Winnie appears to be on the mend, but we're still a little nervous about the presence of fleas. What's Capstar? I haven't heard of it.
ReplyDeleteCapstar is a pill you give to a cat or dog that makes all the fleas and eggs fall off and die in about an hour. And you only have to give it to them once. When our cats had fleas we would give them the Capstar and then immediately put Frontline on them to keep any new fleas (from the house) from getting on them. On a side note, I've found that Frontline works WAY better than Advantage for flea control. Hope she (and you) feel better!
ReplyDeleteWhen I phoned the vet the other day, she mentioned a pill, and that must have been Capstar. I was debating switching to Advantage, but I think I'll stick with Frontline now. Despite my neurotic rantings, Frontline has actually done a good job at keeping fleas at bay.
ReplyDeleteAnd don't stand her up on her back legs like a human anymore. It's just plain creepy. She looks like something out of Labyrinth when you do that ;-)
ReplyDeleteHaha! Sam says she looks like a Labyrinth character all the time. If that creeps you out, you should see her spin in circles on her back legs for minutes at a time.
ReplyDeleteI read this last week and realized WE HAD FLEAS TOO!! I even saw one and smushed it in the bed. And then, after spending two days cleaning every single piece of fabric in my apt (even had the Persian stuff sent to the cleaners), a friend came over and mentioned that fleas have a hard shell and thus could not be smushed between my fingertips. THANKS A LOT, WINNIE.
ReplyDeleteOh my, I was about to be all: LOLZ! But I realize fleas are no laughing matter. When I was a child and the family dog brought an infestation of fleas into the house, we flushed fleas since we couldn't crush them. Fleas suck. Is your home flea-free now?
ReplyDelete