A Tale of Four Parasites
At 4 months of age, Oreo Cook considered herself a very lucky kitten to be adopted from the local animal shelter into a loving home with one of her siblings. Oreo loved playing in the living room and sleeping comfortably in her owners’ bed. One spring day as Oreo was looking out the window she devised a plan to see what was on the other side of the door. She had seen the birds and squirrels playing in the May sun and decided that she wanted to join in the fun. One June morning, as Oreo’s owner opened the door, Oreo shot through it and began to wander the wide world. Her owners’ desperately tried to lure her back but were unable as Oreo is a very nimble young cat. Oreo found herself wandering and went a little too far from home, she was unable to return for over 2 months.
During these two months she had to fend for herself. One August 12th after 8 weeks in the wilderness Oreo found her way home. Oreo was very thin and weak. Her owners were ecstatic that Oreo was alive, but concerned about her health, they immediately brought her to Northside Animal Hospital to get advice on how to rehabilitate the young cat. When the doctor looked at Oreo an emaciated, sunken eyed, unkempt cat looked back. Luckily, the Feline Leukemia, Feline Immunodeficiency Virus, and Heartworm tests were negative. The fecal revealed many parasitic issues.
The first parasite was a whipworm, this is a nasty intestinal parasite that is found in the soil. Oreo must have cleaned her paws while she was out and exposed herself to the worm eggs.
The second parasite was toxoplasma a protozoal parasite that is transmitted by eating raw meat. In order to survive Oreo hunted and ate small mammals that harbored toxoplasmosis.
An unidentified ectoparasite was found.
Lastly a demodectic mite was seen in the stool sample. Demodex is a mite that lives in small numbers in the hair follicles of animals, when an animal undergoes stress or immunosuppression the mites can overgrow.
Through proper medication and nursing care Oreo was brought back to full health and a subsequent fecal sample was negative of all parasites. Oreo is once again happy and healthy and enjoys playing in her living room and sleeping contently on her owners’ bed. Her owners have kept her strictly indoors and put safety measures in place to ensure that she stays inside.
This story illustrates that exposure to parasites can occur from even brief forays outside (and from some indoor sources). Infection is common, one is ten fecal flotations is positive for at least one parasite. Some parasites are zoonotic (transmissible to humans), therefore periodic fecals and strategic dewormings are of utmost importance in maintaining good health in ourselves and our animal friends.
OFFICE HOURS:
MONDAY 8-5 | TUESDAY 8-6 | WEDNESDAY 8-5 | THURSDAY 8-6 | FRIDAY 8-5
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Northside Animal Hospital 574 Arah Street Hooksett, NH 03106 info@northsideanimalhospital.com PHONE: 603-622-5299 FAX: 603-644-7935 |
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