Hello everyone! So as my second year of graduate school came to an end (finally because this year was intense) so came time for Chloe’s annual physical. Here is the story of our adventure: Conveniently Chloe started having these swallowing/pigeon head gesture/gagging/scarfing lots of grass attacks all night long (Sunday night to Monday morning) before her annual senior wellness physical (btw I got about 3 hours of sleep that night).  Her vet told me Chloe’s symptoms resembled acid reflux so she prescribed Chloe some pepcid ac.  The other good news (a day later after her ‘stuff’ was analyzed) is that she is a healthy 11 year old girl (even with lots of bumps: 2 lipomas, 2 warts, 1 skin tag, all benign!)!

Fast forward a few days.  Chloe barfed about a pound of grass on the carpet in the morning, then she was panting, drinking water excessively, lethargic and a bit bloated.  Called her vet and she told me to bring her in.  They did x-rays to make sure there weren’t any obstructions inside (and there weren’t any, yay!).  Results of the xray:  Her lungs still look clear (yay!) and that everything else inside still looks healthy.  Only thing, she is apparently starting to get a bit of arthritis in the lower lumbar region of her spine (where she only has one back leg), but that it is barely noticeable. The really hilarious thing was that she had a lot of poop waiting to be let out ( you could see her ‘fecal matter’ on the x-ray).  As soon as I saw it I knew what it was and it took everything I had to not laugh uncontrollably. I can now say that I have seen the before, during and after results of her food. My life is complete. After some thought I think that her stomach problems stemmed from these rabbit treats someone gave me for Chloe.  Since Thursday, I have ceased treats, continued pepcid pills, and added Optagest digestive aid to her food. No more upset tummy, YAY!!!

But then, the vet called to check in on Chloe and told me her fecal sample was positive for roundworms! AHHH! Pretty sure it is from eating questionable things (like cat poo) around the yard.  I’ve seen her scarf some things down and by the time I reach her they are gone… The solution? No more unattended wandering! The vet prescribed her some de-worm meds even though she is on Trifexis (which should take care of it even without de-worm) but we want to get rid of those worms!! At least Chloe likes the taste of the fluorescent yellow de-worm liquid.  I give her another dose 2 weeks after the first. I am thinking this might have contributed to her other symptoms (like bloated stomach).