HOW TO PREVENT INTESTINAL WORMS IN PETS

Dogs (and cats) often fall victim to several common intestinal

parasites known as worms. There are a large number of differenttypes of intestinal worms, but dogs are most commonly affected bytapeworms, roundworms, hookworms, and whipworms. These parasiteslive in the digestive tract (most commonly in the intestines) wherethey feed on nutrients, robbing the dog of the nutrition it takesin. Worm infestations can cause a variety of undesirable symptomsincluding vomiting, diarrhea, weight loss, and a generally poorappearance.How do Dogs Get Worms?There are a number of ways that a dog can wind up with aninfestation of any of these types of intestinal parasites. An animalinfested with any of these types of worms may pass the worms’ eggsin its feces. This is a strong argument for picking up after yourpet as often as possible and not allowing your dog to eat feces(something dogs will do) whenever you can. Tapeworm eggs can bespread by fleas. Fleas eat the eggs (quite a delicacy to a flea) andthen pass them to a dog when biting it. Some roundworms will liedormant in the body of a pregnant dog and activate just before itgives birth. The activated worms make their way into the intestinesof the unborn puppies where they will thrive after the pups areborn.Detecting Worms in DogsWorm infestations can be difficult to detect. While some wormsmay be passed in the feces, betraying their presence, it isuncommon. If a dog is displaying symptoms that may indicate thepresence of worms, a vet should be consulted. A stool sample will beexamined for the presence of worm eggs (these are microscopic) and amedication called a “wormer” will be prescribed. Stool samples areoften collected as part of a routine dog physical examination inorder to check for the presence of worms. In the case of tapeworms,discarded tapeworm segments may be visible in the dog’s feces orattached to the fur around the anus or under the tail. To the nakedeye these may look like small bits of white rice.Treating Dogs for WormsWhen a dog is found to have an infestation of worms, it should beprescribed a wormer immediately by a vet. Depending on the severityof the infestation, the type of worms, and the likelihood of reinfestation,the treatment may need to be repeated one or severaltimes. There are over-the-counter wormers available, but most vetsdo not recommend them because they are necessarily weaker and maynot kill all types of worms and their eggs.Intestinal worms can cause numerous health problems for dogs, upto and including death in extreme cases. Taking measures to preventinfestation, detect it as quickly as possible, and treat itaccordingly can help keep your dog safe from these harmfulparasites.Click here to read more. Are you in need of traffic? Submit your an article to www.holivine.com with a link to your website.

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