Pulled: Wednesday July 20, 2011 from Dillon County Animal Shelter/Middle Mutts
Poor Chester York. The kids and I took both Pa(X)ville/Max and York to the vet on Friday. Both had hookworms (yuck), and York tested positive for the dreaded HEARTWORMS.
So, he’ll have to spend 3 days at the vet, getting expensive treatment. The rescue organization I work with, Middle Mutts, has set up a chip-in link to raise money for his treatment. Please consider chipping in at:
http://middlemutts.chipin.com/finn-hw-treatment
(And, yes, I changed Finn’s name to York, to continue with my Chester+SC towns/cities/counties system of naming.) We’ll just say that his full name is Chester Finn York, or Chester York Finn. Either suits him well, I think.
The good news is that Chester Y. seems to be in the early stage of heartworm disease, so I’m hoping for a quick and easy recovery. The medicine will cause the worms to die and to fall off the affected organ/s. From what I understand, the only thing we’ll have to do afterward is coddle him for about a month. We don’t want the little guy to overexert himself, thereby speeding up the whole worm eviction thing and risking a clot. But, Chester Y. is such a cutie that he makes coddling easy, whether required or not.
More good news: Once well, Chester Y. will have a home with Lisa Bailey; human sister, Hannah; and canine sister, Molly. Lisa will be renaming him “Pepper,” which suits him too. And what a lucky guy to be spoiled by a houseful of fabulous girls.
And, yes, I did freak out when I was reminded about the nasty, contagious parasites that are hookworms. They’re very common during the summer in the South, and shelter dogs are prime targets. Our family dogs and foster Chester E. should be fine, since they are all on heartworm preventative. — which also prevents hookworm infection.
However, humans can get hooksworms too! If you’re infected, you may see what looks like the worm beneath the surface of your skin. It’s called a “creeping eruption.” /shudder.
To prevent this: (1) pooper scoop your yard; and (2) wear shoes. To all of those who have teased me about rejecting my Southern roots by refusing to let my kids go barefoot: SCORE! for me.
ALTHOUGH: don’t think I haven’t convinced myself, at times, that I have hookworms anyway. I’m perfectly capable of imagining hookworms jumping onto the side of my foot that’s not protected by my flip flop. Chesters Y. and X. should be fine now, after having successfully endured 3-days worth of dewormer, but I still feel my feet itching occasionally all the same.
Chester PaXville: Adopted by Jim Summey; Renamed Max
Chester York: Adopted by Lisa Bailey; Renamed Pepper
Fostering Chester 
Leave a Reply