Raccoons can carry a deadly roundworm called roundworms, And the eggs live in their feces.

If humans ingest these eggs, these eggs will hatch into larvae, pass through the body and invade organs including the eyes and brain, and extremely rare parasitic infections will occur.

So when her one-year-old son ate raccoon feces in a flowerpot in the garden more than four weeks ago, Horton knew she was shocked: The symptoms of the infection included brain damage, blindness, and coma.

It can also be fatal.

The boy’s father, Jon Martin, said: “They cross the stomach barrier and infect your body… basically eat you from the inside out.” Eyeopene, Calgaryr, CBC Radio Morning Show on Thursday.

“If you don’t treat them quickly enough, there is no way to reverse this effect, because they have actually eaten your tissues.”

Special authorization granted by Health Canada

Martin and Haughton immediately called their family doctor and the provincial poison and drug information service center.

Both advised their parents to wait to see if their son, who did not want to be named in order to protect his privacy, showed signs of infection.

Instead, the parents tried to test the feces for roundworms, and their veterinarian confirmed the worst case: the sample was infected with so many eggs and larvae that they could not count them all.

After sending their son to the emergency room of the hospital, they prescribed albendazole, which needs to be taken within three days of exposure.

The department told CBC News that because its manufacturer has not yet submitted a drug application in Canada, Health Canada has given special authorization to prescribe it.

This marks the arrival of delay.

“We started calling around… trying to track it, and then quickly realized that it was not available at all,” Martin said.

“I can’t imagine being in that situation”

When Lethbridge pharmacist Bryce Barry received a call from Martin looking for albendazole and the reason, he immediately understood the terrible dilemma.

“I have young children and I can’t imagine being in that situation,” said Barry, who works at Shoppers Drug Mart in Park Place Mall.

But when he checked his supplier, Barry realized that he could not bring the medicine to his pharmacy. When he found that it was not commercially available in Canada, he started contacting his network.

When medicines are not widely available, compound pharmacies can prepare personalized medicines for patients by mixing the various ingredients in the exact strength and dosage required.

Barry’s friend Dawson Bremner opened a pharmacy in Vancouver that has many suppliers outside of Canada and is doing a large number of compounding prescriptions — and may be able to order or manufacture albendazole.

Bremner couldn’t do it either, but he contacted his pharmaceutical representative, who sent emails to customers in Western Canada.

Calgary’s Script Pharmacy responded.

For more than ten years, it has not had a compound anti-parasitic formula, but it has the medicines and ingredients needed to make it into a delicious liquid.

“When we first received that email… my technicians took it very seriously,” said Aleem Datoo, co-owner and pharmacist of Script.

“[But] I don’t think we fully understand how [serious] Until a few weeks later, our provincial college called to verify, [the feces] There are indeed such parasites.

“That’s when we truly fully appreciate what we have done-but in the end, it’s all a team effort.”

Meanwhile, Martin and Haughton were preparing to drive to Montana to get the medicine when they learned that the Calgary pharmacy could produce the medicine.

“This is one of the most pleasant calls I think you can receive in this situation,” Martin said.

“I mean, my phone is malfunctioning.”

‘Everyone get together’

After 56 hours of ingesting raccoon feces, Martin and Horton’s son received his first dose of albendazole.

From hospital doctors to veterinarians to chain pharmacists, it was incredible for Barry to have so many people working together to obtain the drug.

“Everyone gets together, some of us have a small part…but we are proud to get it in time,” Barry said. “And I think it’s neat.”

Since Martin and Horton’s son had been exposed to roundworms four weeks ago, this meant that he was not in the window period when symptoms of infection usually appeared.

According to Martin, he looks good.

“He is still doing all the wonderful things this toddler should do,” Martin said. “You really can’t ask for more.”