I think I have Worms
September 9, 2015 5:12 AM Subscribe
Help! I think I've been infested with worms, gross details below the fold.
So, I live in a suite in an old poorly maintained house in Vancouver, BC. We have had mice for months now. We've packaged up all of our food in jars and tins, washed everything and set traps but our downstairs neighbors are much less clean and careful. Now, I have trapped and disposed of literally dozens of mice and the house next door to us was recently demolished. It was a crazy house, with a lot of mice and some rats, I think. Anyway, the result is an even worse infestation. I see mice every day, despite trying to clean up and trap them all. Every time I go into a storage area or move furniture, there are signs of mice, droppings and urine trails. I've cleaned them up but it really feels like I'm fighting a losing battle.
I have a small dog and two days ago, I noticed something moving in his poo when I was taking him for a walk. The next day there were a lot of rice-shaped bits in it and Google tells me these are tape-worm segments. So, he was banned from the bed, given a bath and today taken to the vet to get a deworming pill. But this morning, I noticed that there were similar rice shaped things in my own poo. Gross! I intend to visit the doctor but can't get in until tomorrow. I'm kind of freaking out about it, as I have an immune disorder and I can't jeopardize my health.
So, my question is two-fold. First, is this worm infestation related to the mouse infestation, and if so what can I do about that? Moving is not an option at this time because of money issues and lack of suitable housing. And secondly, is it likely that I also have worms? And what will that do to my body and how is it treated.
Thanks for any input, I am really losing my shit over this. I've contacted my landlord about the problem but he is notoriously lax about doing anything. The last time I contacted him he just showed up with sticky traps.
So, I live in a suite in an old poorly maintained house in Vancouver, BC. We have had mice for months now. We've packaged up all of our food in jars and tins, washed everything and set traps but our downstairs neighbors are much less clean and careful. Now, I have trapped and disposed of literally dozens of mice and the house next door to us was recently demolished. It was a crazy house, with a lot of mice and some rats, I think. Anyway, the result is an even worse infestation. I see mice every day, despite trying to clean up and trap them all. Every time I go into a storage area or move furniture, there are signs of mice, droppings and urine trails. I've cleaned them up but it really feels like I'm fighting a losing battle.
I have a small dog and two days ago, I noticed something moving in his poo when I was taking him for a walk. The next day there were a lot of rice-shaped bits in it and Google tells me these are tape-worm segments. So, he was banned from the bed, given a bath and today taken to the vet to get a deworming pill. But this morning, I noticed that there were similar rice shaped things in my own poo. Gross! I intend to visit the doctor but can't get in until tomorrow. I'm kind of freaking out about it, as I have an immune disorder and I can't jeopardize my health.
So, my question is two-fold. First, is this worm infestation related to the mouse infestation, and if so what can I do about that? Moving is not an option at this time because of money issues and lack of suitable housing. And secondly, is it likely that I also have worms? And what will that do to my body and how is it treated.
Thanks for any input, I am really losing my shit over this. I've contacted my landlord about the problem but he is notoriously lax about doing anything. The last time I contacted him he just showed up with sticky traps.
That level off infestation is a municipal issue. Contact the city.
posted by srboisvert at 5:29 AM on September 9, 2015 [28 favorites]
posted by srboisvert at 5:29 AM on September 9, 2015 [28 favorites]
This sounds like a nightmare, I'm so sorry.
I hate to add this to the mix but tapeworms are likely from fleas coming from the mice. Your dog swallows an infected flea and gets worms. It is unlikely but possible for you to get a tapeworm infection this way as well. Make sure your pup is getting his flea treatment monthly. Get a prescription monthly flea treatment from your vet. Vacuum everything and follow flea control protocol, though if the mice have fleas it may be difficult to control the fleas. Obviously you know you need to see your doctor.
I agree that if moving is at all possible it probably needs to happen.
posted by Katine at 5:31 AM on September 9, 2015 [1 favorite]
I hate to add this to the mix but tapeworms are likely from fleas coming from the mice. Your dog swallows an infected flea and gets worms. It is unlikely but possible for you to get a tapeworm infection this way as well. Make sure your pup is getting his flea treatment monthly. Get a prescription monthly flea treatment from your vet. Vacuum everything and follow flea control protocol, though if the mice have fleas it may be difficult to control the fleas. Obviously you know you need to see your doctor.
I agree that if moving is at all possible it probably needs to happen.
posted by Katine at 5:31 AM on September 9, 2015 [1 favorite]
Your doctor will likely require a stool sample. If you do have worms, the treatment for humans is pretty much as simple as the treatment for dogs - deworming meds. You'll take the pill(s), you'll poop out the worms/eggs, and you'll be good to go.
While you can keep cleaning up after the mice, it's not a great long-term solution. Are you trapping them in the killing sense or in a trap-and-release sense? If it's the latter, chances are really good it's not going to work - mice know a sweet deal and can find their way back very easily. If it's the killing kind of trapping, know that you may never be able to keep up with the numbers - they breed fairly quickly and joyfully.
Contact your landlord again and insist on proper treatment of the problem. If he doesn't get on board, I agreed that you need to contact the city - as a tenant, you have rights, and your landlord doesn't sound like he's managing the property well.
If all else fails, call up a pest control company and let them know that you need them to come by and deal with the mouse problem. It can be expensive, so do everything possible to get your landlord to deal with this instead of doing it yourself. (It's less expensive than moving, however..)
Poisons are usually the most effective, but may be problematic with your dog - any chance he can stay with a friend/family/boarding for a period of time? Figuring out how they're getting inside is the next step - and a much more challenging one, usually, given that they can fit into small spaces, climb bricks, etc. Talk to the pest control company about that, too.
You're doing the right things - keep all food in impenetrable containers. Wash surfaces with bleach before using them. Wash pots and pans before using them. Keep soft stuff (clothing, towels, etc.) in plastic bins or in some sort of storage that doesn't allow mice access.
posted by VioletU at 5:37 AM on September 9, 2015 [4 favorites]
While you can keep cleaning up after the mice, it's not a great long-term solution. Are you trapping them in the killing sense or in a trap-and-release sense? If it's the latter, chances are really good it's not going to work - mice know a sweet deal and can find their way back very easily. If it's the killing kind of trapping, know that you may never be able to keep up with the numbers - they breed fairly quickly and joyfully.
Contact your landlord again and insist on proper treatment of the problem. If he doesn't get on board, I agreed that you need to contact the city - as a tenant, you have rights, and your landlord doesn't sound like he's managing the property well.
If all else fails, call up a pest control company and let them know that you need them to come by and deal with the mouse problem. It can be expensive, so do everything possible to get your landlord to deal with this instead of doing it yourself. (It's less expensive than moving, however..)
Poisons are usually the most effective, but may be problematic with your dog - any chance he can stay with a friend/family/boarding for a period of time? Figuring out how they're getting inside is the next step - and a much more challenging one, usually, given that they can fit into small spaces, climb bricks, etc. Talk to the pest control company about that, too.
You're doing the right things - keep all food in impenetrable containers. Wash surfaces with bleach before using them. Wash pots and pans before using them. Keep soft stuff (clothing, towels, etc.) in plastic bins or in some sort of storage that doesn't allow mice access.
posted by VioletU at 5:37 AM on September 9, 2015 [4 favorites]
Worms in well-nourished adults are almost never harmful. Generally people don't even know they have them until their (the worms') life cycle ends. Pick up some deworming meds for you and the pup. Talk to the landlord about the mice, as this will likely continue until the infestation gets professional-grade treatment.
posted by BusyBusyBusy at 5:49 AM on September 9, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by BusyBusyBusy at 5:49 AM on September 9, 2015 [2 favorites]
Document your communications with your landlord and request that he gets a professional pest control service to come take care of the problem. It is 100% his responsibility in BC.
According to some internet resources, you can contact your local health authority to do an inspection of the building. They can then force your landlord to do proper pest removal. If they decline, you can still file a claim on this website to try and force some action.
posted by mayonnaises at 5:51 AM on September 9, 2015 [4 favorites]
According to some internet resources, you can contact your local health authority to do an inspection of the building. They can then force your landlord to do proper pest removal. If they decline, you can still file a claim on this website to try and force some action.
posted by mayonnaises at 5:51 AM on September 9, 2015 [4 favorites]
Worm medication, vermox, mebendazole etc is usually available from your pharmacy.
The whole situation though? It is bad. The worms are just a side effect of the mice, and it is all bad for immune conditions.
Go nuclear on the situation, however you need to.
Landlord, city council. Poison outside the house so that outside mice aren't coming in. A foaming caulking gun and go round the kitchen and other rooms, plugging up mouse/rat holes, inside and outside the house (I had to do this when wild rats had chewed through the outside wall of the house I lived in, into the kitchen, it worked!). If the house is crappy it doesn't matter if you do a basic job of sealing them out of your living areas, just fill the holes with foam, it will take awhile for any new holes to be excavated.
If it gets cold enough in winter, that may help kill them off.
posted by Elysum at 5:55 AM on September 9, 2015 [4 favorites]
The whole situation though? It is bad. The worms are just a side effect of the mice, and it is all bad for immune conditions.
Go nuclear on the situation, however you need to.
Landlord, city council. Poison outside the house so that outside mice aren't coming in. A foaming caulking gun and go round the kitchen and other rooms, plugging up mouse/rat holes, inside and outside the house (I had to do this when wild rats had chewed through the outside wall of the house I lived in, into the kitchen, it worked!). If the house is crappy it doesn't matter if you do a basic job of sealing them out of your living areas, just fill the holes with foam, it will take awhile for any new holes to be excavated.
If it gets cold enough in winter, that may help kill them off.
posted by Elysum at 5:55 AM on September 9, 2015 [4 favorites]
It will be difficult to get this level of mouse infestation under control by yourself, especially when your neighbors are less fastidious. Control will likely require the help of a pest-control company. Your landlord should pay for it.
Mice are much harder to exclude from a home than rats due to their size. They can flatten themselves and sneak through the tiniest openings.
You have a right to a pest-free living environment.
posted by dweingart at 6:10 AM on September 9, 2015 [1 favorite]
Mice are much harder to exclude from a home than rats due to their size. They can flatten themselves and sneak through the tiniest openings.
You have a right to a pest-free living environment.
posted by dweingart at 6:10 AM on September 9, 2015 [1 favorite]
A handyman needs to deal every possible entrance the mice are using. Pest control does this, too.
Take pics of droppings and mice. Document Document Document. Save your medical records (pet and human) and hand those over to the authorities.
Frankly, I would have reported this landlord to the city already. You waited until you and your pet got worms.
Call the city. Today.
posted by jbenben at 6:40 AM on September 9, 2015 [3 favorites]
Take pics of droppings and mice. Document Document Document. Save your medical records (pet and human) and hand those over to the authorities.
Frankly, I would have reported this landlord to the city already. You waited until you and your pet got worms.
Call the city. Today.
posted by jbenben at 6:40 AM on September 9, 2015 [3 favorites]
1. I would definitely consult your GP - however:
2. Tape worm infestations are *rare* in North America (outside of areas w/lots of livestock).
3. I can tell you from disgusting personal experience that there are a wide variety of roundworms that you're far, far more likely to contact, that dog feces can be a vector for, and that you can pass in your stool.
4. The majority of both adult round and tape worms can be easily and simply killed with anthelmintics, available over the counter (e.g. Reese's Pinworm Medication - they are used in single dose treatments by the WHO to do this in areas where infestation is endemic and usually much more serious).
5. If on the very slim chance that you do have a tapeworm, you should follow up with your GP if you experience any symptoms of Cysticercosis (again, the chance here are very small).
posted by ryanshepard at 8:29 AM on September 9, 2015 [2 favorites]
2. Tape worm infestations are *rare* in North America (outside of areas w/lots of livestock).
3. I can tell you from disgusting personal experience that there are a wide variety of roundworms that you're far, far more likely to contact, that dog feces can be a vector for, and that you can pass in your stool.
4. The majority of both adult round and tape worms can be easily and simply killed with anthelmintics, available over the counter (e.g. Reese's Pinworm Medication - they are used in single dose treatments by the WHO to do this in areas where infestation is endemic and usually much more serious).
5. If on the very slim chance that you do have a tapeworm, you should follow up with your GP if you experience any symptoms of Cysticercosis (again, the chance here are very small).
posted by ryanshepard at 8:29 AM on September 9, 2015 [2 favorites]
Mice carry mycoplasma this infection causes walking pneumonia which is debilitating, tiresome, and can mimic auto immune disease. You deserve a better environment. Sometimes dogs just get worms, don't worry until your doctor tells you you have them from the stool sample.
posted by Oyéah at 10:13 PM on September 9, 2015
posted by Oyéah at 10:13 PM on September 9, 2015
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