Say hello to our little worm eater.....
Yup! This sweet little girl? She's a worm eater! Charming isn't it? Missy has lived with us for almost 12 years, and this worm eating thingy just surfaced about 6 months ago. It's one step up from her cat poop eating habit, but not by much.
At first, Missy would eat the occasional dried up worm she found while we were out in the neighborhood walking. Lately, she has become OBSESSED with eating every dead worm she finds. I imagine for Missy that taking a walk is like an all-you-can-eat buffet. Four times a day.
Thank goodness (for her and me) she does not eat live worms. At this point, she seems to only have a taste for dried-up crusty worms. And if they have been run over by a car and are smushed to the pavement? That is not a deterrent to this gal. She will get down and gnaw on it to get it loose. Missy doesn't mind working a little bit for her worm.
I had a long talk with our vet Dr. Vaughn about this. I was worried about the health risks of her eating worms. I was also worried that maybe there was something else going on that triggered this behavior all of a sudden - some health issue. Dr. Vaughn, whom I believe loves Missy just as much as we do, assured me that this little habit of Missy's, disgusting as it is, is really harmless and not uncommon in dogs.
He said he talked to the other Vets at the office, and did some research, and as long as they are the earth worms she is eating, there is really no harm. He told me that he had two suggestions, but he knew I wouldn't like either. One was to try a "behavior" medication - something like Prozac. Pass. The other was to put a muzzle on her when we walk. Definitely a pass.
So, that is where we are at now. We share our house with a worm eater. Bless her little heart! 💓
Funny! My Coco is near the end of her life and we are just loving every second with her. I chased her around the back yard today while raking leaves and it was so good to see her get up and go all around the yard!!! 😁
ReplyDelete❤️ Love this! Bless little Coco.
DeleteThat's where I am with Missy. It's hard not to lose my patience with her when she stops to eat her 15th worm, but she's 12 yrs old, but I try to focus on the walks. 😊
Thank you for reading and sharing 😊
Our JoJo does the same thing. She will even try for a dried up frog every once in a while.
ReplyDelete😳 Jacky! Dried up frogs! Sweet Cheezits!
DeleteWe have a worm eater, too. Keeva loves them. Yuck! I'm glad you shared what your vet said. That makes me feel a little better. I have been a worm worrier. Our walks in the neighborhood are stops and starts when she looks for worms....but only the crusty ones. I figure this is better than our Delta's habit of eating her own poop. She would make a beeline for the last place she left a pile when she went out.💩 We sure love our doggies, though.❤
DeleteSharon, oh my goodness! That sounds just like us! I mentioned to Dr Vaughn that perhaps Missy is missing some sort of nutrient found in worms - something we could supplement with. He said she may be, but the testing and trial and error would be exhaustive and expensive. So, we have learned to accept this little quirk!
DeleteA side note on the poop eating: I was talking to my friend Kay, and she mentioned that the Doggie Day Care she uses asks that owners not feed their dogs pumpkin puree. Apparently, this makes the poop 'appealing" to dogs.
All these little quirks! But you are absolutely right! We sure do love our doggies!
Our boys don’t eat worms but one of their friends started doing it out of the blue. She became obsessed with them.😂
ReplyDeleteIsn't that so weird! For almost 12 years Missy had no interest in worms. 😆. Now, the crustier the better! Bless her little worm eating heart!
DeleteAlways appreciate and thank you for reading and writing! ❤️
nope, no kisses from you Missy !!!!....Mom
ReplyDelete😂❤️ Exactly! As if she didn't have a bad breath issue already!
DeleteHaving actually witnessed Missy's zest for these dry, crunchy delicacies (and her mother's penchant for spoiling her adorable baby) I see no remedy. However, it sounds like the really great news is that your back has recovered enough for you to take to the streets 4 times a day!!! Love you, my friend. -B
ReplyDelete😆 she is a determined little gal Billy! I'm doing good. We do short walks and some days are better than others. But definitely better than I was! 🙏😊.
DeleteAlways appreciate you reading and sharing ❤️
Worm jerky, what's wrong with that, Missy probably thinks some things you are ummm, less than appetizing and gross. The all you can eat buffet cracked me up :-) I hope you are feeling better, you have been in my thoughts <3 Lisa D
ReplyDeleteThank you Lisa! 😊. Worm Jerky😆😆 hilarious!
DeleteShe's a pip this one! ❤️
That is the cutest, funniest Missy story. We miss you!
ReplyDeleteAwwwww thank you! 🤔😊 Who is this? ❤️
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