Parasites, Schmarasites:

"How can my dog have worms? He only goes outside to potty!" is a common phrase from pet owners. And unfortunately, it is heard all too often. Internal parasites, or worms, shed eggs from a dog or cat and these eggs can be found in soil, anywhere. Additionally, we humans can track these eggs in from the soil into the house on our shoes.

 Hookworms, roundworms and hookworm eggs and protozoan oocysts are invisible to the naked eye and can only be seen under a microscope. On occasion, if the animal is heavily burdened with internal parasites the pet owner may see adult worms in the feces. Or if the animal has tapeworms, owners will see egg packets that may resemble grains of rice. 

Additionally, fleas carry tapeworms and transmit them to your pet. These parasites not only pose a problem for animals, but humans as well. 

Roundworms and hookworms can be transmitted to humans, particularly the elderly and children. Problems that may result are blindness, skin problems, and other problems. The Center for Disease Control has strict protocols for de-worming of internal parasites to minimize human risk. 

During the month of June, Ashby Animal Clinic is focusing on the importance of de-worming and internal parasite detection. 

Help keep your pet healthy by keeping him parasite free! 

For more information, call or visit us at Ashby Animal Clinic!

Updated:  2:44 p.m. ET June 4, 2008

SAN FRANCISCO - A Northern California biotech company announced Wednesday that it will clone dogs for the five highest bidders in a series of online auctions. Some ethicists condemned the offer, fearing it could lead to human clones. 

Opening bids start at $100,000 for the service being offered by Mill Valley-based BioArts International. The cloning process is to be performed by a South Korean scientist who suffered international disgrace after being found to have faked research. 

BioArts chief executive Lou Hawthorne formerly ran Genetic Savings & Clone, which offered to clone pet cats for $50,000 but folded in 2006 because few were willing to pay so much. 

But Hawthorne said in a phone interview that another service his old company provided — the storage of pet DNA for future possible clones — showed him the market for dog clones was strong.  

Some groups that monitor advances in genetic technology argue that the company's project, called Best Friends Again, could serve as a gateway to more unsavory practices. "Many people consider pets to be part of our families," Marcy Darnovsky, associate director of the Oakland-based Center for Genetics and Society, said in a statement. "If we get used to cute cloned puppies, will some people expect cute cloned babies next?"  

Groups critical of the dog-cloning effort also say the process is cruel, arguing that hundreds of failures are typical before one mammal is successfully cloned. 

But BioArts found that dogs are much less likely to miscarry or give birth to malformed offspring during the cloning process than other animals, Hawthorne said. "If everything isn't perfect, it doesn't work at all," he said. "With other species, their reproductive systems are more tolerant of error." 

The auctions are scheduled to begin June 18.

© 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.


Source:  MSNBC News
 

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