10/01/2026
Yikes, the microscopic world is crazy!
Every day, I spend a significant amount of time cleaning up animal poo, but today, I spent several hours examining it under a microscope.
One thing I’ve learned from working in animal rescue, is the critical importance of parasite management. Early detection and treatment absolutely save lives, especially when working with some of the most vulnerable animals, like we do. Orphans who have never had their mother’s colostrum, strays, injured, sick, malnourished, and stressed animals are all more susceptible to devastating parasite loads.
Getting a f***l test done at the vet costs about $40 per sample and takes an hour round trip to drop it off. We quickly realized it wouldn’t take that many samples to add up to the cost of a microscope, and even though it takes time to learn the skill and do it yourself, in the long-run, the convenience of doing it at home would be worth it.
I’m slowly honing my identification skills, but I still text my mentor, use google search, and consult photo charts every time I do f***l floats.
Today I learned:
· The foster kittens are remaining clear of coccidia post treatment, so far🤞
· Leo the goat’s coccidia is back however, so we’re starting new treatment today (*Coccidia is a host specific parasite, so no connection to the kittens who had Coccidia)
· Lola and Hope seem to be staying clear even though they hang out with Leo
· Bonnie and Clyde (the stray goats we rescued last week) have a very minimal amount of what is probably Roundworm or something very similar (strongyles)
· The main goat/sheep herd, although not 100% parasite free, didn’t have any alarming amounts of anything show up, just a random strongyle here and there.
The exciting thing is I spent a few hours and less than $10 in supplies, but I have a plan:
· I will continue to watch the kittens’ poops closely and retest at any hint something is “off.”
· Leo will be getting a “real drug” and staying out of the main goat area until after treatment.
· The rest of the herd will get a natural remedy, Diatomaceous Earth, followed up by recheck f***ls in a couple weeks. (I get to test the effectiveness of DE myself! I may even do a trial of treating some with DE and some with herbs 🤔)
· I will check the horse’s poo sometime soon to see what’s going on in THERE!?
Learning to navigate this microscopic world is just one of the ways I strive to provide topnotch care on a very limited budget. If you have ever donated to us, or surrendered an animal to Mellow Meadows, know that we hold both with extreme gratitude and care.
***L
