Drunken musings...gross question!

[mrcriss]

Hi there. This is definitely a Saturday night thread....if you're sensitive then I suggest you look at something else.

So I was chatting with some of my fellow keepers down the pub, and we wondered if we were more susceptible to catching worms ourselves, seeing as we deal with so much poop every day.

I know an ex-flatmate of mine (not a keeper) was once infected with worms as he told me of a time when he felt one wriggling out of his bumhole, and he had to bang it on the bath to kill it!!!

As our lifestyles are unavoidably a bit grubbier than your average persons, then are we more likely to be riddled with beasties? Should we be regularly taking worming medication? How would we go about this? Would be an awkward visit to the docs!?!

Discuss.

 

[stubeanz]

I have never had worms (or never knowingly I assume!) but I know quite a few keepers who will take wormer for a precautionary measure lol

I wonder how wide spread taking wormer is in the animal industry in general ?

 

[mrcriss]

I have never had worms (or never knowingly I assume!) but I know quite a few keepers who will take wormer for a precautionary measure lol

I wonder how wide spread taking wormer is in the animal industry in general ?

What kind of wormer then? Are we talking stuff that specifically made for humans, or just off the shelf panacur from Pets at Home? Maybe a bit of Advocate spot on for the neck?

 

[devilfish]

So you mean parasitic worms? You're right to be more cautious about spread from faeces and other animal material. As a general rule, good hygiene is a better precaution than medication - especially over dog wormers.
If you do happen to find worms on / in your person, I'd keep the specimen and show your doctor.
Did your flatmate have any history of tropical travel? It's not uncommon to find different worms in household toilets, so could this story possibly be an exaggeration?

 

[Kifaru Bwana]

@mrcriss, you are probably right in terms of dealing with faecal matter raises your chances of picking up something extra-ordinary. However, I would not be running to the closet and pick up a medicine box and take out a precautionary de-wormer without any undue evidence of any.

You will rather quickly know when if you do as you lose weight rather alarmingly even while binging or by coming down with a right good diarrhea and sometimes emission of blood and other intestinal tissue.

My advice would be: no precautionary medicine as it can do more harm than good (then) and only do when you find the symptoms cited in paragraph two and only under doctor's advice and supervision.

Good luck!

P.S.: no drunken musings … to me!

 

[mrcriss]

I shall pass all this on to settle the debate, thanks.

(not sure if he'd done much by way of tropical travel, Devilfish....but he was a scouser soooo......)

 

[dean]

My late partner once had worms I think they were called hook worms but I forget now they are active at night and live in the lower bowel he showed me one (I won't say from where), we had to take a liquid drink from the chemists that tasted of oranges even though i hadn't any symptoms at all. Apparently they are not uncommon. How he got them I don't know animals weren't his strong point, and he had an office based job.

 

[Nisha]

My late partner once had worms I think they were called hook worms but I forget now they are active at night and live in the lower bowel he showed me one (I won't say from where), we had to take a liquid drink from the chemists that tasted of oranges even though i hadn't any symptoms at all. Apparently they are not uncommon. How he got them I don't know animals weren't his strong point, and he had an office based job.

That sounds like thread worms..very commonly picked up (particularly in children)

 

[dean]

That sounds like thread worms..very commonly picked up (particularly in children)

yes Nisha I think they were, I believe they cling to the intestine with hooks and tend to migrate to the rectum area at night. I wonder how they know it is night time living in the dark?

 

[Pacu]

I have been hold that they move towards the rectum when you are lying down; which tends to be at night, rather than they move at night. I do not know how true this is but it does make sense.

 

[tetrapod]

One might also add to the argument that most captive animals are so well treated with wormers and other drugs that in general they don't carry anything that we don't already have. I've picked up my own fair share of faecal matter as a keeper (and never caught any zoonotics), but I can also say that I have inspected quite a bit under a microscope checking for nasties. It is pretty unusual to find anything out of the ordinary.

 

[mrcriss]

One might also add to the argument that most captive animals are so well treated with wormers and other drugs that in general they don't carry anything that we don't already have. I've picked up my own fair share of faecal matter as a keeper (and never caught any zoonotics), but I can also say that I have inspected quite a bit under a microscope checking for nasties. It is pretty unusual to find anything out of the ordinary.

Ahh, but parasites don't just come from poo. There's a particularly nasty one that grows on wet grass (something we all come in contact with).

Plus, not ALL captive animals are kept as up to date as they should be with worming meds. Anyone who says that ALL of their charges are wormed as often as is recommended by vets are just lying really.

 

[tetrapod]

Ahh, but parasites don't just come from poo. There's a particularly nasty one that grows on wet grass (something we all come in contact with).

Plus, not ALL captive animals are kept as up to date as they should be with worming meds. Anyone who says that ALL of their charges are wormed as often as is recommended by vets are just lying really.

True. Also some individuals seem to never be totally free of a particular parasite no matter how often they are treated. But definitely the majority are usually completely free.