Stuck On You

Stella has been having a rough time of it lately.

A few months ago, we began to transition her from puppy food to adult food, and for some reason (an allergy or something), the new food didn't agree with her little digestive system. I won't go into details, but suffice it to say the results were fairly explosive. After a couple of vet visits, a few rounds of "just in case" parasite-ridding medication and a prescribed food that would get things back in order, we tried again with a different brand. This time, things went a little better, but still, the new food did not agree with our girl.

Finally, a month or so ago, someone told my husband about a great food with no fillers or artificial anything and suggested we try it for the next go-round. He picked up a bag, we made the transition, and magically, things seemed to fall into place. Our little girl had finally found a grown-up food she could handle.

Our elation lasted about a week, and then we were back to the, um, explosions. And they were worse than ever. We put her on a bland diet for a couple of days, but I really didn't think the food was the problem this time. After all, she had been eating it with good results for awhile; with the other foods, the change was pretty immediate. Last night, we took her to the vet, and we found out I was right; it wasn't the food at all. My little girl had brought home a pet without permission. Giardia.

For those who don't know, Giardia are one-celled parasites that live in the small intestines of dogs and cats. Animals usually pick them up from drinking infected standing water (or, pleasantly, eating the poo of another infected animal). I've been reading up on the little buggers, and it seems that they can live outside the body for quite some time, so it is recommended that owners wash any bedding and whatnot that pets have come in contact with, disinfect everything, etc., to make sure they're all gone from the home.

And the most exciting news is that humans can get them too. We're not planning on eating any poo, of course, but you can't be too careful. So tonight, my husband and I are going to clean our home from top to bottom with as much disinfectant as we can, just in case.

Now I know how parents feel when their kids come home with a head full of lice. Gross.