Clevengers Corner Veterinary Care

Q: Do you have any advice about Easter chicks or ducklings?A: Happy Easter! Each year many area children get Easter chicks or ducklings as gifts. Because they are so cute and fluffy many people do not realize the potential risk in handling these baby animals. Young birds often carry the harmful bacteria Salmonella. Each spring children are infected by Easter chicks or ducklings. Birds that carry Salmonella frequently show no signs of illness. The harmful bacteria populate the bird’s intestines and eventually coat their entire bodies. Children are exposed by kissing, cuddling, or simply holding the birds. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends the following safety steps:- Do NOT purchase live animals as Easter gifts. Give toy stuffed animals instead.- Do not let children under 5 years of age handle baby chicks or other young birds. Keep them from coming into contact with packages in which chicks or ducklings arrive. - If anyone touches the chicks or ducklings or their environment, make sure that they wash their hands immediately afterwards. Pacifiers, toys, bottles or other objects should not touch the baby birds or their enclosures. If these objects do become contaminated, wash them with warm soapy water. - Do not allow anyone to eat or drink while interacting with birds or their environment. Keep the bird area separate from areas where food and drink are prepared or consumed. Do not allow chicks or ducklings on table surfaces or places where food will be prepared or eaten. - Talk to your veterinarian, nurse or doctor about possible risk factors. Q: What is the best deworming schedule for puppies?A: The CDC estimates 14% of Americans have been infected by dog or cat roundworms! While most human infections go unnoticed, more than seven hundred people permanently lose vision every year from roundworm larval migration through an eye. The most commonly affected are children. (For more roundworm information from the CDC, visit www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dpd/parasites/toxocara.)Puppies have an extremely high rate of roundworm infection. Some estimate as high as 95%. Larval roundworm cysts in the mother’s muscle tissue are activated by pregnancy hormones. These larvae then pass through the placenta and the milk to the puppies. While a daily dose of fenbendazole starting at day 40 of pregnancy can reduce or eliminate transmission, it is generally safe to assume that all puppies could be infected.Human infection occurs by exposure to contaminated soil. A puppy with an established roundworm infection can heavily contaminate a yard. Even a single worm can lay thousands of eggs that will live for months to years in the soil. Therefore, it is essential to appropriately deworm puppies.Founded in 2002, the Companion Animal Parasite Council (CAPC) is “an independent council of veterinary practitioners, parasitologists, physicians, legal experts and others working together to create guidelines for optimal control of internal and external parasites that threaten the health of pets and people.” The CAPC guidelines recommend beginning routine deworming at two weeks of age. The dewormer should be continued every other week until a monthly broad-spectrum anti-parasite medication is started. Nursing mothers should be dewormed on the same schedule as their puppies. If monthly broad-spectrum internal parasite medication was stopped during the pregnancy, it should be resumed as soon as the puppies are born. Additional CAPC recommendations include:· Performing fecal parasite screenings two to four times during the puppy’s first year of life and one or more times per year thereafter, depending on risk factors.· Feeding pets cooked or prepared food (not raw diets)· Providing fresh, potable water. · Covering sandboxes when not in use and protecting garden areas from fecal
contamination. · Picking up feces immediately whenever walking a dog in a public area.· Removing feces from the backyard environment at least weekly, preferably daily. · Practicing good personal hygiene when handling animal waste. The complete guidelines and additional parasite information can be found at www.petsandparasites.org.

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