I have learned so many things over the course of this experience, and I definitely feel as though I have completed all of the four goals that I set out to achieve. (I reflected on each one throughout the experience.) In this blog post, though, I want to answer one question: Why was this winterim important or significant?
Many people might be wondering how the issue of parasites in animals is significant to the world or what can be learned from it, and I think one reason it is important is because it is similar to what is happening in the world of human medicine. I determined that veterinary medicine is not the track for me, but I am now thinking of a profession in human health, so this winterim experience was still relevant to the field that I would like to pursue. In the domestic animals (both in North Carolina and at the vet clinic), I saw several cases of parasite resistance to drugs, such as the dog that was rescued from Texas and had Heartworm and the horse from the equine unit that had an EPG of 1,025 despite being regularly dewormed. This type of resistance is happening in human beings (with bacteria), which is causing many drugs that were previously effective to become ineffective. In fact, it has been predicted that within the century, drug resistance among bacteria would essentially cause all of our current drugs and antibiotics to become ineffective. However, there has been a recent discovery of a new antibiotic (the first new antibiotic to be discovered in 30 years!) called Teixobactin, which has proven to be effective against most of the bacteria that have become resistant to drugs. Not only that, but it is almost impossible for the bacteria to mutate and become resistant to this drug! The reason for this is that it works through multiple receptors, meaning that the bacteria would have to have mutations in all of the receptors simultaneously, which is highly unlikely and almost impossible.
No antihelminthic (drug for parasites) like this exists in animal medicine yet, though, and the issue of drug resistance is a scary one, knowing that once a parasite mutates, the drug is then completely ineffective. I learned over this winterim that, just like in human medicine, it is extremely important to use dewormers and other drugs wisely and only when necessary. Because of this, I am very thankful that I now have the skills to test for parasites in my own animals before deworming unnecessarily and overusing drugs.
I hope you all enjoyed reading my blog as much as I enjoyed sharing my experience with you!
Saturday, January 24, 2015
Thursday, January 22, 2015
Day 16: Sleepy Puppy
Today was very busy because both vets were here in the morning. It was mostly annual appointments, but there were some things that I hadn't previously seen, one of which was an 18-year-old dog! He didn't look like it at all either.
The first patient that came in was a dog who had a histiocytoma on his foot, which is a tumor that is not cancerous or spreadable. These tumors often go away on their own, but some require surgery.
Joey was a very unique patient that came in; he was previously a stray from Michigan, but he was a beautiful dog and very friendly, too. He looked great, but we found that he has a TON of whipworms along with heartworms. I was able to see both under the microscope. The heartworms were very interesting to look at because they coil and uncoil under the microscope. There was only one other dog that I've seen with Heartworm here, but he had already been diagnosed and was being treated, so I never got to see the worms in his blood. Later in the afternoon, there was a puppy that came in who had just gotten adopted from the dog warden who has tapeworms and roundworms. I have now seen all four of the internal parasites that I researched about last week.
I got to watch the surgery for Harley, the dog that came in yesterday with the ear hematoma. This pocket was completely filled with blood from a bunch of vessels that burst, so Dr. Beth sliced open the entire length of the inside of his ear, and it all came gushing out. She didn't sew the incision closed, though, because that would have cause the pocket to fill right back up, so instead she stitched it like a quilt--all the way through the ear--and left the incision open for anything else to drain. Scar tissue will then build up, and the incision will close on its own.
Right before lunch, there was an ADORABLE puppy that came in, and he curled up and fell asleep on my lap! I was highly considering stealing him, but I don't think my dad or the owners would be too thrilled. Tomorrow is my last day, and it's full of appointments and no surgeries. The staff has been very fun to be around.
The first patient that came in was a dog who had a histiocytoma on his foot, which is a tumor that is not cancerous or spreadable. These tumors often go away on their own, but some require surgery.
Joey was a very unique patient that came in; he was previously a stray from Michigan, but he was a beautiful dog and very friendly, too. He looked great, but we found that he has a TON of whipworms along with heartworms. I was able to see both under the microscope. The heartworms were very interesting to look at because they coil and uncoil under the microscope. There was only one other dog that I've seen with Heartworm here, but he had already been diagnosed and was being treated, so I never got to see the worms in his blood. Later in the afternoon, there was a puppy that came in who had just gotten adopted from the dog warden who has tapeworms and roundworms. I have now seen all four of the internal parasites that I researched about last week.
I got to watch the surgery for Harley, the dog that came in yesterday with the ear hematoma. This pocket was completely filled with blood from a bunch of vessels that burst, so Dr. Beth sliced open the entire length of the inside of his ear, and it all came gushing out. She didn't sew the incision closed, though, because that would have cause the pocket to fill right back up, so instead she stitched it like a quilt--all the way through the ear--and left the incision open for anything else to drain. Scar tissue will then build up, and the incision will close on its own.
Right before lunch, there was an ADORABLE puppy that came in, and he curled up and fell asleep on my lap! I was highly considering stealing him, but I don't think my dad or the owners would be too thrilled. Tomorrow is my last day, and it's full of appointments and no surgeries. The staff has been very fun to be around.
Wednesday, January 21, 2015
Day 15: Eyeball Removal
The first surgery of the day was a cat declaw, and it was much simpler than I thought it would be--it only took about ten minutes! It's called a digital removal because Dr. Bart essentially amputates one whole digit (it's like removing your finger from the last knuckle up). It took him about one minute to cut off all the claws on one paw, then he would glue each of the holes back up. He did that for both paws, then vet wrapped each leg, and that was it!
The second surgery was a spay for a six-month-old boxer Lucy. It was a little longer, more complicated, and riskier than the neuters that I saw yesterday. First he made his incision, then stuck his finger down in it to break suspensory ligaments in order to get an ovary out! He did this for both ovaries, cut the ovaries and uterus out together, then stitched everything back up. It took about a half an hour all together. After that was another dog neuter; his owner brought us freshly baked s'more cookies when she came to pick him up!
The fourth surgery almost made me throw up several times (you'll see how nasty it was in the pictures!). It was an eyeball removal for a little pug who had a severely damaged eyeball from being attacked by another dog. The surgery began by stitching the eyelids shut, then cutting around the whole eyeball. He had to cut all the extra ocular muscles in order to remove it, which took a little time; it kept bleeding profusely out of a couple places, so he had to clamp and stitch those off. He removed the whole eye with the skin on top of it and stitched the socket back up. Just for experimental purposes, Dr. Bart and I cut open the eyeball. It squirted a clear, aqueous solution all over when he first cut into it--all over Dr. Bart's face and eye! Gross! We found the lens inside.
Today was mostly annual appointments, but there were a couple special cases. The first appointment we saw was a brown lab (Harley) who had an ear hematoma, which is a big fluid-filled pocket caused by an ear infection. The only way to get rid of it is with surgery, so he is coming back tomorrow morning to be put under anesthesia and get all of the fluid drained. Berlin was a boxer puppy that had a habit of eating his own feces, so I learned that putting spinach or pineapple in with the dog food makes the feces smell bad. I wouldn't think that dogs would be too inclined to eat pineapple, though. Maybe with dog food they wouldn't care! Bailey was a dog that came in who had a broken nail and kept trying to lick and chew at it, so Dr. Bart ripped it off and said it would just grow back. Sasha was a dog who had a cyst on her eye that is going to be removed in about a month. Buddy was a huge intact pit bull who had a bad skin infection and had skin flaking everywhere. Dr. Bart determined that it was allergy related, but he still doesn't know what is causing the reaction, so he instructed the owner to switch dog foods for two months to see if anything happens. He also did a skin scrape to determine if mites were the cause, but he found nothing under the microscope.
Now for a little goal reflection...the most prominent thing that I've noticed about the life of a vet is how busy it is and how little free time there is. Both of the vets that I've worked with have noted the fact that even though they have a two-hour lunch period, they are often there for most of that time making phone calls and catching up when clients aren't there. In addition, the clinic closes at six, but the vets and technicians often have to stay there for an extra hour cleaning, finishing things up, and getting things ready for the next day. The time during the day is very rushed, too; it is a struggle trying to stay on time while thoroughly attending to each and every client. I'm not even the vet, and I am still exhausted when I get home every night! I've also noticed that much of what a vet does is diagnosing problems--one after another--and it is very eye opening but also a little sad. As an animal lover, I'm not sure I want to be exposed to all of those problems every single day. Taking an animal's life is also not something that I take very lightly (nor do many people), and I don't think that is something that I would want to be doing on a daily basis. To be clear, this is definitely a fun experience, and I am enjoying it a lot, but as far as a future career, I don't think it's an option; it's good that I'm figuring that out now, though.
The second surgery was a spay for a six-month-old boxer Lucy. It was a little longer, more complicated, and riskier than the neuters that I saw yesterday. First he made his incision, then stuck his finger down in it to break suspensory ligaments in order to get an ovary out! He did this for both ovaries, cut the ovaries and uterus out together, then stitched everything back up. It took about a half an hour all together. After that was another dog neuter; his owner brought us freshly baked s'more cookies when she came to pick him up!
The two ovaries are at the ends, and the uterus connects them.
Kato getting neutered
They eye before the surgery
Cuttig around the eyeball
Taking the eyeball out
All stitched up!
Today was mostly annual appointments, but there were a couple special cases. The first appointment we saw was a brown lab (Harley) who had an ear hematoma, which is a big fluid-filled pocket caused by an ear infection. The only way to get rid of it is with surgery, so he is coming back tomorrow morning to be put under anesthesia and get all of the fluid drained. Berlin was a boxer puppy that had a habit of eating his own feces, so I learned that putting spinach or pineapple in with the dog food makes the feces smell bad. I wouldn't think that dogs would be too inclined to eat pineapple, though. Maybe with dog food they wouldn't care! Bailey was a dog that came in who had a broken nail and kept trying to lick and chew at it, so Dr. Bart ripped it off and said it would just grow back. Sasha was a dog who had a cyst on her eye that is going to be removed in about a month. Buddy was a huge intact pit bull who had a bad skin infection and had skin flaking everywhere. Dr. Bart determined that it was allergy related, but he still doesn't know what is causing the reaction, so he instructed the owner to switch dog foods for two months to see if anything happens. He also did a skin scrape to determine if mites were the cause, but he found nothing under the microscope.
Now for a little goal reflection...the most prominent thing that I've noticed about the life of a vet is how busy it is and how little free time there is. Both of the vets that I've worked with have noted the fact that even though they have a two-hour lunch period, they are often there for most of that time making phone calls and catching up when clients aren't there. In addition, the clinic closes at six, but the vets and technicians often have to stay there for an extra hour cleaning, finishing things up, and getting things ready for the next day. The time during the day is very rushed, too; it is a struggle trying to stay on time while thoroughly attending to each and every client. I'm not even the vet, and I am still exhausted when I get home every night! I've also noticed that much of what a vet does is diagnosing problems--one after another--and it is very eye opening but also a little sad. As an animal lover, I'm not sure I want to be exposed to all of those problems every single day. Taking an animal's life is also not something that I take very lightly (nor do many people), and I don't think that is something that I would want to be doing on a daily basis. To be clear, this is definitely a fun experience, and I am enjoying it a lot, but as far as a future career, I don't think it's an option; it's good that I'm figuring that out now, though.
Tuesday, January 20, 2015
Day 14: Huskies!
I got to watch three surgeries this morning: two dog neuters and a cat dental. I can't say that before today I've ever seen a dog neuter! It was a lot quicker than I expected; it only took about 20 minutes from the time he cut the dog open to the time that the dog was completely stitched and glued up.
Bunker (a Springer Spaniel) was the first dog Dr. Bart neutered. As he went through the surgery, Dr. Bart explained to me everything he was doing. He made the incision, took one testicle out, ripped off all of the unnecessary connective tissue, clamped the blood flow three times, cut the testicle off, then stitched it up. He repeated the process for the other one, then stitched up the incision (with dissolvable stitches) and put glue on the outside for good measure. He did another dog (Bilbo) right after that.
The third surgery was a dental for a cat who also had to get three teeth extracted. The dental was just like for people, just with a little less teeth. One of the technicians cleaned her teeth, polished them, and put fluoride on them, then Dr. Bart pulled the three teeth. One that he needed to pull was a lower canine, and he was telling me that it is really easy to fracture the jaw when pulling a lower canine. Yikes!
The very first appointment to come in was a cat that had to be euthanized because she had a tumor around her nose and eyes. I was not in the room with the patient, but Dr. Bart only sedated the cat in the room then brought her to the back room where I was allowed to watch him euthanize her. Because she was sedated and unaware of what was going on, he injected it right into her heart to make it go faster.
After lunch there was an alaskan husky that came in (they're SO pretty!), but he was bleeding a lot out of one of his ears; he had blood all over his ear and neck and was getting it everywhere. Dr. Bart couldn't tell for sure the cause of it, but he found a lump in his ear canal that should not have been there. Later I saw ANOTHER husky! I'm not sure I've ever even personally seen one before today.
Two extremely cute puppies came in today from a breeder, and they were almost as small as the chugapoo puppy from yesterday! Both of them had roundworms, but again it's pretty common for young puppies to have parasites. Right after those puppies, there was a four-month-old hairless chihuahua puppy that came in for a regular appointment. It must have weighed two pounds max.
I also saw a dog that had pneumonia, along with a very overweight yellow lab (160 pounds!) who would not put weight on his front right leg. They did X-rays on him, but it looks like it's just a soft tissue injury.
The last patient of the day was an interesting one: it was a bulldog who had recently had a huge cyst removed on his neck, but there was a huge pouch full of fluid and one spot where it was leaking out. He still had the stitches in from his previous surgery, so Dr. Bart took those out, then decided to remove the bulge where it was leaking so that he could drain the whole thing. He took Daisy the bulldog into the back, numbed the spot, cut it out, drained the pouch, and stitched it back up. It was very disgusting!
I helped out today by holding dogs, running and getting supplies, and drawing more vaccines--they're so trusting! Alicia, one of the techs, came out of a room and said, "Grace, I need you to draw the two vaccines in the fridge for the blue room." During surgery, Dr. Bart asked me to control the oxygen machine. I'm happy that I'm actually able to help and not just following people around doing nothing all day.
Bunker (a Springer Spaniel) was the first dog Dr. Bart neutered. As he went through the surgery, Dr. Bart explained to me everything he was doing. He made the incision, took one testicle out, ripped off all of the unnecessary connective tissue, clamped the blood flow three times, cut the testicle off, then stitched it up. He repeated the process for the other one, then stitched up the incision (with dissolvable stitches) and put glue on the outside for good measure. He did another dog (Bilbo) right after that.
Bunker
Bilbo
The third surgery was a dental for a cat who also had to get three teeth extracted. The dental was just like for people, just with a little less teeth. One of the technicians cleaned her teeth, polished them, and put fluoride on them, then Dr. Bart pulled the three teeth. One that he needed to pull was a lower canine, and he was telling me that it is really easy to fracture the jaw when pulling a lower canine. Yikes!
The very first appointment to come in was a cat that had to be euthanized because she had a tumor around her nose and eyes. I was not in the room with the patient, but Dr. Bart only sedated the cat in the room then brought her to the back room where I was allowed to watch him euthanize her. Because she was sedated and unaware of what was going on, he injected it right into her heart to make it go faster.
After lunch there was an alaskan husky that came in (they're SO pretty!), but he was bleeding a lot out of one of his ears; he had blood all over his ear and neck and was getting it everywhere. Dr. Bart couldn't tell for sure the cause of it, but he found a lump in his ear canal that should not have been there. Later I saw ANOTHER husky! I'm not sure I've ever even personally seen one before today.
You can even see the blood on the wall.
Two extremely cute puppies came in today from a breeder, and they were almost as small as the chugapoo puppy from yesterday! Both of them had roundworms, but again it's pretty common for young puppies to have parasites. Right after those puppies, there was a four-month-old hairless chihuahua puppy that came in for a regular appointment. It must have weighed two pounds max.
I also saw a dog that had pneumonia, along with a very overweight yellow lab (160 pounds!) who would not put weight on his front right leg. They did X-rays on him, but it looks like it's just a soft tissue injury.
The last patient of the day was an interesting one: it was a bulldog who had recently had a huge cyst removed on his neck, but there was a huge pouch full of fluid and one spot where it was leaking out. He still had the stitches in from his previous surgery, so Dr. Bart took those out, then decided to remove the bulge where it was leaking so that he could drain the whole thing. He took Daisy the bulldog into the back, numbed the spot, cut it out, drained the pouch, and stitched it back up. It was very disgusting!
I helped out today by holding dogs, running and getting supplies, and drawing more vaccines--they're so trusting! Alicia, one of the techs, came out of a room and said, "Grace, I need you to draw the two vaccines in the fridge for the blue room." During surgery, Dr. Bart asked me to control the oxygen machine. I'm happy that I'm actually able to help and not just following people around doing nothing all day.
Monday, January 19, 2015
Day 13: Chugapoo
Today was a VERY busy one at the vet clinic! In fact, I didn't think I would get to see such a wide range of things in one day. I was surprised how few "regular" appointments there were--almost all the patients today had some problem that they needed to be diagnosed. The very first patient (Max) actually had Heartworm! It's not common around here in the winter because it is transmitted by mosquitos, but he was a rescue dog from Texas. I got to see first-hand an example of the heartworm resistance that I talked about in the south. He got a shot a month ago to kill off the weak worms, and now he is back for two shots two days in a row to kill off the rest. Max also had Whipworms, but that can be pretty common in dogs.
The fourth dog that came in (Ozzie) had diabetes, and I got to see a test to determine his blood sugar. I also got to see a dog with an ear infection, a pit bull who was having weekly seizures, a cat who had asthma, and a different cat who was having respiratory problems.
One of the highlights of my day was when Dr. Beth and I went to examine this month-old puppy (Dixie) who was a pug, chihuahua, and miniature poodle mix--apparently they're called chugapoos. This little puppy was SO small and cute! She was so little that I could cup her in my hands. She was healthy except that she had Coccidia, which is very common in puppies; I was able to look at the eggs through the microscope.
Missy was a terrier that had a hole in her eye because of a fight she had with another dog, so I got to see Dr. Beth put neon drops in her eye and examine it under a black light. She also had a heart murmur, which I got to hear; it sounded a lot like a washing machine! There was no clear beat to it.
It was such a busy morning that I didn't get off for lunch until 1:20 when I was supposed to get off at 12:00! Good thing they have a "two-hour" lunch period...after lunch I got to see Callie, a French pit bull, be treated with chemotherapy for Lymphoma. I never thought I would be seeing dogs with cancer, or even Heartworm for that matter! After that, Dr. Beth taught me how to draw up a vaccine into a syringe, so I drew up a rabies vaccine for a dog named Elroy. I hope I did it right! Later I drew an oral vaccine that involved liquid and powder, so I drew up the liquid, syringed it into the powder, mixed the two, then drew up the mixture.
The afternoon slowly got more and more depressing. First we had a dog that was diagnosed with lung cancer. We did an X-ray on her, and it showed signs of cancer, although there is a small chance it could be a really bad infection, but it is highly likely that it is lung cancer. They originally brought her in because she was having weird breathing patterns then had what appeared to be a seizure. I did not come back in the room when Dr. Beth was telling them the X-ray results; the parents were pretty emotional. After that, someone brought a cat in who had to be euthanized, so I was also not allowed to be in the room for that. I've noticed that vets have to be very emotionally strong; I'm not sure I could handle putting animals down.
My work day ended at 6:00. Tomorrow I will be working with Dr. Bart, and he has surgeries scheduled for the morning, so that should be fun to watch! In fact, one of the cats that came in today is coming back tomorrow for a dental and is getting a canine pulled.
The fourth dog that came in (Ozzie) had diabetes, and I got to see a test to determine his blood sugar. I also got to see a dog with an ear infection, a pit bull who was having weekly seizures, a cat who had asthma, and a different cat who was having respiratory problems.
One of the highlights of my day was when Dr. Beth and I went to examine this month-old puppy (Dixie) who was a pug, chihuahua, and miniature poodle mix--apparently they're called chugapoos. This little puppy was SO small and cute! She was so little that I could cup her in my hands. She was healthy except that she had Coccidia, which is very common in puppies; I was able to look at the eggs through the microscope.
Missy was a terrier that had a hole in her eye because of a fight she had with another dog, so I got to see Dr. Beth put neon drops in her eye and examine it under a black light. She also had a heart murmur, which I got to hear; it sounded a lot like a washing machine! There was no clear beat to it.
It was such a busy morning that I didn't get off for lunch until 1:20 when I was supposed to get off at 12:00! Good thing they have a "two-hour" lunch period...after lunch I got to see Callie, a French pit bull, be treated with chemotherapy for Lymphoma. I never thought I would be seeing dogs with cancer, or even Heartworm for that matter! After that, Dr. Beth taught me how to draw up a vaccine into a syringe, so I drew up a rabies vaccine for a dog named Elroy. I hope I did it right! Later I drew an oral vaccine that involved liquid and powder, so I drew up the liquid, syringed it into the powder, mixed the two, then drew up the mixture.
The afternoon slowly got more and more depressing. First we had a dog that was diagnosed with lung cancer. We did an X-ray on her, and it showed signs of cancer, although there is a small chance it could be a really bad infection, but it is highly likely that it is lung cancer. They originally brought her in because she was having weird breathing patterns then had what appeared to be a seizure. I did not come back in the room when Dr. Beth was telling them the X-ray results; the parents were pretty emotional. After that, someone brought a cat in who had to be euthanized, so I was also not allowed to be in the room for that. I've noticed that vets have to be very emotionally strong; I'm not sure I could handle putting animals down.
My work day ended at 6:00. Tomorrow I will be working with Dr. Bart, and he has surgeries scheduled for the morning, so that should be fun to watch! In fact, one of the cats that came in today is coming back tomorrow for a dental and is getting a canine pulled.
Dixie the Chugapoo
X-ray of the dog with lung cancer
All of the medications!
Saturday, January 17, 2015
Days 11 and 12: Home Sweet Home
I finally made it home! Our goal was to make it home yesterday late at night, but we decided we couldn't make it and got another hotel. I started my college search by looking at Wake Forest and Davidson, which will serve as good comparisons for other schools now.
I couldn't get a lot of research done yesterday, so I did some today when I got home. Although this is slightly tedious work, I'm excited to apply it next week in the clinic. Today I got through Heartworms, Fleas, and Ticks.
Heartworm is transmitted from animal to animal through mosquitoes; microfilariae (baby heartworms) in the bloodstream are not capable of causing hearworm without first passing through a mosquito. These worms can reach more than 12 inches in length when mature! General symptoms include labored breathing, coughing, vomiting, weight loss, and fatigue after moderate exercise. Unlike other worms, diagnosis involves radio graphs, ultrasounds, or blood tests rather than a fecal exam. There have been recent studies showing that in southern states, heartworm resistance is growing because mosquitoes are active all year long; vets are seeing more pets on prevention dewormers testing positive for Heartworm.
The flea life cycle involves four stages: egg, larva, pupa, and adult. The eggs are laid in the animal's fur in bunches of about 20, and an adult female can lay about 40 eggs every day. The eggs represent 50% of the entire flea population present in an average home. The larvae develop over several weeks and can get up to a quarter inch long; they make up about 35% of the flea population in an average home. A cocoon protects the pupae for several days or weeks before an adult flea emerges. It has a sticky outer coating, which allows it to hide deep in a carpet and cannot be removed by a vacuum; it makes up about 10% of the flea population in a home. The adult fleas need to feed from a host within a couple hours of emerging from their cocoon and can live from a couple weeks to several months on a host; they make up less than 5% of the entire flea population in a home!
There are 850 species of ticks, which are put into two general groups classed by body structure: soft and hard ticks; the most common with pets are hard bodied ticks. Like fleas, there are four stages to their life cycle: egg, larva (or seed tick), nymph, and adult. A unique thing about ticks is that most of them need three different hosts to complete their development. The six-legged larvae attach to a host and fill with blood over several days, fall to the ground, molt (shed their outer skins), and become eight-legged nymphs. They then wait for a second (slightly larger host) and repeat the same process to become an adult tick. After that, they look for a third host (which is usually either a deer or dog), feed off of them, then breed to produce more eggs. Their entire life cycle can take from two months to years depending on the environmental conditions.
Tomorrow is a needed day off! I need to get unpacked and prepare for the vet clinic starting on Monday...no holiday for me!
I couldn't get a lot of research done yesterday, so I did some today when I got home. Although this is slightly tedious work, I'm excited to apply it next week in the clinic. Today I got through Heartworms, Fleas, and Ticks.
Heartworm is transmitted from animal to animal through mosquitoes; microfilariae (baby heartworms) in the bloodstream are not capable of causing hearworm without first passing through a mosquito. These worms can reach more than 12 inches in length when mature! General symptoms include labored breathing, coughing, vomiting, weight loss, and fatigue after moderate exercise. Unlike other worms, diagnosis involves radio graphs, ultrasounds, or blood tests rather than a fecal exam. There have been recent studies showing that in southern states, heartworm resistance is growing because mosquitoes are active all year long; vets are seeing more pets on prevention dewormers testing positive for Heartworm.
The flea life cycle involves four stages: egg, larva, pupa, and adult. The eggs are laid in the animal's fur in bunches of about 20, and an adult female can lay about 40 eggs every day. The eggs represent 50% of the entire flea population present in an average home. The larvae develop over several weeks and can get up to a quarter inch long; they make up about 35% of the flea population in an average home. A cocoon protects the pupae for several days or weeks before an adult flea emerges. It has a sticky outer coating, which allows it to hide deep in a carpet and cannot be removed by a vacuum; it makes up about 10% of the flea population in a home. The adult fleas need to feed from a host within a couple hours of emerging from their cocoon and can live from a couple weeks to several months on a host; they make up less than 5% of the entire flea population in a home!
There are 850 species of ticks, which are put into two general groups classed by body structure: soft and hard ticks; the most common with pets are hard bodied ticks. Like fleas, there are four stages to their life cycle: egg, larva (or seed tick), nymph, and adult. A unique thing about ticks is that most of them need three different hosts to complete their development. The six-legged larvae attach to a host and fill with blood over several days, fall to the ground, molt (shed their outer skins), and become eight-legged nymphs. They then wait for a second (slightly larger host) and repeat the same process to become an adult tick. After that, they look for a third host (which is usually either a deer or dog), feed off of them, then breed to produce more eggs. Their entire life cycle can take from two months to years depending on the environmental conditions.
Tomorrow is a needed day off! I need to get unpacked and prepare for the vet clinic starting on Monday...no holiday for me!
Thursday, January 15, 2015
Day 10: Saying Goodbye
I said goodbye to the Sicilianos today and started towards home. We only went a couple hours, so the rest of the time was spent researching about parasites that I will most-likely be seeing next week in the vet clinic. My mentor told me to research Roundworms, Hookworms, Whipworms, Heartworms, Fleas, and Ticks; today I got to Roundworms, Hookworms, and Whipworms.
Roundworms are a lot like Ascarids in horses in the way that they migrate to the lungs and cause respiratory problems, such as pneumonia and coughing. There are three different species, one of which can transfer to humans, so this is a very important and serious worm! The most common mode of infection in puppies with this species is transplacental transfer--pregnant dogs can have larvae migrate into the developing fetus. These roundworms have been found in the intestines of puppies as early as one week after birth. Symptoms include lack of growth, loss of condition, inflated gut, diarrhea, and coughing.
Hookworms appear to be predominantly in dogs, but cats are still susceptible to infection. Transmission can occur in three different ways: through the environment, milk of infected females, or larval invasion through the skin. Because these parasites can invade the skin, one of the symptoms of Hookworms is dermatitis. Other symptoms include anemia, anorexia, emaciation, and weakness.
Like Hookworms, Whipworms predominantly affect dogs and appear to be rare in North American domestic cats. The eggs are highly resistant to desiccation, temperature extremes, and ultraviolet radiation and can remain viable for many years. They are named for their whip-shaped body, which is composed of a think, filamentous anterior end ("lash" of whip) and a thick posterior end ("handle" of whip). Adult worms can reach up to 4.5-7.5 cm long, about 75% of which is the anterior portion of the whipworm. An adult worm can produce more than 2,000 eggs per day, but they begin producing between 74-90 days after infection, which causes problems with diagnosing the parasite, as dogs will often show clinical signs before eggs are shed in the feces.
Roundworms are a lot like Ascarids in horses in the way that they migrate to the lungs and cause respiratory problems, such as pneumonia and coughing. There are three different species, one of which can transfer to humans, so this is a very important and serious worm! The most common mode of infection in puppies with this species is transplacental transfer--pregnant dogs can have larvae migrate into the developing fetus. These roundworms have been found in the intestines of puppies as early as one week after birth. Symptoms include lack of growth, loss of condition, inflated gut, diarrhea, and coughing.
Hookworms appear to be predominantly in dogs, but cats are still susceptible to infection. Transmission can occur in three different ways: through the environment, milk of infected females, or larval invasion through the skin. Because these parasites can invade the skin, one of the symptoms of Hookworms is dermatitis. Other symptoms include anemia, anorexia, emaciation, and weakness.
Like Hookworms, Whipworms predominantly affect dogs and appear to be rare in North American domestic cats. The eggs are highly resistant to desiccation, temperature extremes, and ultraviolet radiation and can remain viable for many years. They are named for their whip-shaped body, which is composed of a think, filamentous anterior end ("lash" of whip) and a thick posterior end ("handle" of whip). Adult worms can reach up to 4.5-7.5 cm long, about 75% of which is the anterior portion of the whipworm. An adult worm can produce more than 2,000 eggs per day, but they begin producing between 74-90 days after infection, which causes problems with diagnosing the parasite, as dogs will often show clinical signs before eggs are shed in the feces.
Whipworms
Saying goodbye to the goofballs
Tomorrow the plan is to visit Wake Forest and Davidson before heading back to Toledo.
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