How to Clean Up Dog Vomit When You're Really Neurotic

Warning:  Gross post ahead.  Abandon ship, those with weak stomachs!

Thankfully, our border collie Scooter doesn't get sick very often.  But the other day the twins had fevers and didn't want their lunches.  They dumped a massive amount of mac and cheese on the floor, and I decided to cheat a little by letting Scooter come in for initial clean up.  I hadn't even finished washing the lunch dishes when I heard a hacking.  You know, the very hacking you DO NOT want to hear.

I quickly shooed him outside, but it was too late.  There was the most massive pile of dog puke on our rug and wood floors.  Seriously, I won't give you details but it was a HUGE amount.  How does his stomach even hold that much?  Oh ick.  I'm the biggest baby when it comes to cleaning up puke, have I mentioned?

Because it was a good two+ inches tall, I started by bringing the trash can over and using newspaper to scoop.  By this time the twins were interested.  So I was waving my hands saying "YUCKY!  YUCKY!  NO! NO!" while trying to wave them away.  The last thing I needed was for them to dive into the mess like it was playdoh. 

After newpaper action was done, I switched to paper towels.  Then I sprayed the area with my homemade rug cleaner (a combination of water, vinegar, and dish soap).  I scrubbed the cleaner on the rug with paper towels.  Then I sprayed the area with Lysol.  Then, I washed my hands really well with antibacterial Dial.

I continued to shoo the twins away so the rug could dry.  But two hours later I still had images of dog puke in my head.  I started worrying that maybe Scooter threw up because he had worms.  Or even parasites.  (And this thought is what did me in - honestly I'm not OCD but I just couldn't get rid of the thought of us all catching worms!). So I got out the Clorox wipes and scrubbed the rug and floor again.  And then washed my hands again.

An hour later I hit the area one more time with Clorox wipes.  And then I scrubbed it with a little Nature's Miracle for good measure.  Then I went outside and dewormed Scooter for hookworms, roundworms, pinworms, and tapeworms.  This involved 3 pills plus a liquid dewormer.  Poor Scooter.  Then more hand washing.

No lie - 8 hours later I was still thinking about dog puke.  So I vacuumed the rug and mopped the hard wood floor beside the area rug.  Then for good measure I mopped the rest of the house.

I think it's clean now.  I so need a steam cleaner!  Also - as it turns out - Scooter got into the chicken feed, so that's what made him ill.  All that worrying over worms for nothing!

So she's totally going to kill me for this, but I'm linking up today with Angela's Show and Tail at WV Treasures.  Because as all responsible pet owners know, sometimes it isn't just cute furriness.  But we love our messy furry/feathered friends anyhow!  Go check Angela out for less gross animal tales and pictures.

Also, please go visit Everyday Ruralty today.  It's a wonderful blog about rural living, farming, animals, and things of that nature. I have an interview over there, and I don't mention anything gross, I promise!