The Accidental Smallholder Forum

Community => Coffee Lounge => Topic started by: happygolucky on June 21, 2013, 04:52:59 pm

Title: Why do we worm domestic anmals and pets
Post by: happygolucky on June 21, 2013, 04:52:59 pm
Watched a programme about puppy farming and it was horrid, but it raised a question, in the wild, no one worms animals, so how do they survive full of worms or do they do something such as eat vegitation!!
Title: Re: Why do we worm domestic anmals and pets
Post by: Bodger on June 21, 2013, 05:24:03 pm
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1304091/Toddler-lose-eye-catching-infection-dog-mess-park.html (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1304091/Toddler-lose-eye-catching-infection-dog-mess-park.html)
Title: Re: Why do we worm domestic anmals and pets
Post by: lachlanandmarcus on June 21, 2013, 05:36:47 pm
Watched a programme about puppy farming and it was horrid, but it raised a question, in the wild, no one worms animals, so how do they survive full of worms or do they do something such as eat vegitation!!

Wild animals roam over large areas, over land also used by other species which mop up each others worms and can choose their diet to an extent. Pets have none of those characteristics in their lives. However it may also be the case that wild or semi wild animals do die of worm infestation, certainly the ex moors are gathered and wormed once a year and a friend who bought a well bred welsh cob youngster who had been brought up on the open mountain lost him after 2 years to complications of chronic worm damage.
Title: Re: Why do we worm domestic anmals and pets
Post by: xnbacon on June 21, 2013, 05:57:34 pm
Don't know about where the little girl lives, but in London its just as likely to be fox poo.  Schools are covered in it (ok, slight exaggeration) but no dogs allowed or in fact do enter.  Also seems to be the done thing to feed the wretched things (foxes!) rather than control them.
Title: Re: Why do we worm domestic anmals and pets
Post by: jaykay on June 21, 2013, 06:35:37 pm
Because we'd rather our domestic animals and pets didn't die at the rate of animals in the wild, because we keep them in more intensive conditions and because we'd rather not pick up avoidable zoonoses from them.
Title: Re: Why do we worm domestic anmals and pets
Post by: happygolucky on June 21, 2013, 08:11:28 pm
 :thumbsup: I understand why we do worm them but just wondered how wild animals manage, I suppose, years ago, most  humans were also infested with fleas and worms.......
Title: Re: Why do we worm domestic anmals and pets
Post by: Lesley Silvester on June 21, 2013, 08:26:46 pm
Thanks, Sandy. I'm itching now.
Title: Re: Why do we worm domestic anmals and pets
Post by: happygolucky on June 21, 2013, 08:28:10 pm
 :innocent: so am I
Title: Re: Why do we worm domestic anmals and pets
Post by: Dans on June 24, 2013, 11:47:37 pm
Humans are still infested with fleas and worms in developing countries. They get by, they are weaker, they are more likely to fall in from other things. Life span is shorter and harder. We love our pets so we take as many of the 'burdens' of living wild off of them, striving for shelter, having territory of their own, having to hunt for food and water and dealing with parasite burden.

Dans
Title: Re: Why do we worm domestic anmals and pets
Post by: john and helen on June 25, 2013, 05:30:05 pm
Worms!!!! not nice, many many many years ago when i was one of those teenage things..i went hitch hiking around Europe, pinching the odd bit of veg or fruit as i passed the fields.... on my return, i started to loose a bit of weight and eat like there was no tomorrow....a bit like your average teenager but twice as much... one day without getting into to much detail...i saw something wriggling in the toilet pan.... i knew it wasn't normal so fished it out .... no!!! not with bare hands...  :thinking: or was it ! anyway... i put it in a small bottle and took it to the Doctors...

"you have a Tape worm John" ...... "Have"....."yep! " "you have about another 2ft inside you"  :gloomy:

anyway, he gave me a prescription , and low and behold, it was like a milk shake... not long after i started passing this bloody horrible worm...i can honestly say, not a nice feeling. but glad to have gotten rid of him...

i did name him.... Percy  :innocent:
Title: Re: Why do we worm domestic anmals and pets
Post by: happygolucky on June 25, 2013, 06:20:32 pm
Not nice for Percy to evict him from his comfy home though :-J
When I worked in an  upper school I loved to look in the Laboratories at the bottled tape and round worms...nasty little things...to think they use to sell tape worm eggs to help people diet...Yuck 
Title: Re: Why do we worm domestic anmals and pets
Post by: john and helen on June 25, 2013, 07:48:00 pm
I never knew that..i can say it worked...and as for Percy..he eat himself out of house and home  :yum:
Title: Re: Why do we worm domestic anmals and pets
Post by: happygolucky on June 25, 2013, 08:57:40 pm
My mum worked as a psychiatric nurse and a treatment in the old days for tape worm was.........starve the patient but give them a chunk of meat to swallow tied to some strong thread, then slowly pull it up, a little each day, in the end its pulled out of the mouth as its still attached to the meat........ :innocent:
Title: Re: Why do we worm domestic anmals and pets
Post by: sabrina on June 26, 2013, 11:02:28 pm
Are you lot trying to give me nightmares !!
Title: Re: Why do we worm domestic anmals and pets
Post by: Bodger on June 27, 2013, 06:15:03 am
I never knew that..i can say it worked...and as for Percy..he eat himself out of house and home  :yum:

Surely you mean arse and home :innocent:
Title: Re: Why do we worm domestic anmals and pets
Post by: john and helen on June 27, 2013, 06:45:32 am
I never knew that..i can say it worked...and as for Percy..he eat himself out of house and home  :yum:

Surely you mean arse and home :innocent:

 :roflanim: :roflanim: :roflanim:  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: Why do we worm domestic anmals and pets
Post by: ZaktheLad on June 27, 2013, 12:02:38 pm
I often wonder the same about how horses manage in the wild with their feet getting overgrown or their teeth getting too long and sharp.  Domesticated horses are shod every 6 weeks and have annual teeth checks/rasps. 
Title: Re: Why do we worm domestic anmals and pets
Post by: happygolucky on June 27, 2013, 12:08:03 pm
Me too, I watch a lot of adventure programmes and think very differently about remote tribes.....maybe not such an idyllic life after all!!