Air Bubbles & The Little Guys

Today I learned how to run my first fecal! I’ve never tried to find a parasite in the microscope before so it was pretty intimidating. Especially when the lab supervisor had already looked to see, so she knew! I thought for sure that I had found some coccidia, and when I proudly declared my diagnosis, it was revealed that it was just a mere air bubble on the slide. Darn! I’m gonna look at it as being initiated into the fecal-world of veterinary medicine. I’m sure every great veterinarian once looked in a scope and thought an innocent air bubble was responsible for the gastrointestinal problems. At least I like to think so, anyway! 

Air Bubble vs. Coccidia

I went to go get a dog because he needed an injection of Cestaject (used to treat tapeworms). Going back I wasn’t afraid because I’ve dealt with many animals that I’ve never met before. Once I saw him, though, I thought to myself, "Great! He's a little guy!" Most people would be more scared of the big dogs with a loud bark. I, on the other hand, find the little scrappy guys the scariest! They're so unpredictable and always seem to have big attitudes. This same reason though, is exactly why I love them! I'm sure this comes from home. My 95 pound Great Pyrenees is a gentle giant and our Mini Australian Shepherd has the ugliest growl you'll ever hear. A bit wary, I knealt down to offer my hand. He wasn't feeling too good so I wasn't expecting much, but he did give me a little wag and took a few steps forward. Low and behold, this little guy was a sweetheart! We walked back to the lab together: him on his way to being parasite free and me on my way to putting a little more faith in small dogs!