The Early Bird Gets the Worm

Just when you think things are running smoothly, that there is a break in the madness, you realize that you spoke just a little too soon. Our brief glimpse at serenity was just that, brief, it was the calm before the storm. I took a momentary break from my weekly veterinary visits to focus on a new job opportunity. I suppose the vet must have wondered where we had run off to, but I have to admit that I was enjoying our hiatus. My wallet was heavier, my dog was healthier, and all appeared to be perfect in our happy little household.

The recent ease of our lives had given me temporary, blissful, amnesia. All of our previous woes slipped away as I started to plan our carefree, vet free existence. Pleased beyond words, Toby and I trotted out the door, practically singing as we left for our evening walk. Even cleaning up the poop (normally an arduous and sickening chore) did not phase me that evening. In fact, when Toby did his standard bathroom dance I politely turned my back, gave him a moment of privacy, and happily whipped out a plastic bag. A moment later I bent down, gave Toby a little nod, and prepared for a swift pick-up. I thought I caught a funny look from Toby as I leaned over to scoop his business, it was fleeting, but there was a distinct expression of worry that flashed across Toby’s face. So as not to nauseate you with the gory details, let me leave it at this…Toby had worms, and Toby knew it. Toby felt shamed, and I felt ill. We were not going to combat this with our bad attitudes, but I must admit it was a sight like no other I had ever experienced.

An emergency call to the vet taught me that worms are highly common and easily treatable. In fact my vet was quite calm and did his best to answer my endless questions with patience. The questions ranged from relatively straight forward (is he contagious?) to those of a more complex nature (Do I have worms too? Are they in my apartment? Do I need to call an exterminator?). Hundreds of frantic inquiries later, Dr. Harner assured me that both Toby and I would be fine and that two simple rounds of a de-wormer would do the trick. Slightly calmer (but still nauseous) I took out my Toby Binder and added “worms” to our ever growing list of medical mishaps.