Intestinal Parasites in Your Dog

Take care of your dogs by checking for parasites which can harm their health. Look at a list of the common intestinal parasites as below.

Statistics show that one in three dogs at some time can be infected with intestinal parasites such as roundworms, tapeworms, hookworms, and whipworms. Taking care of our canine friends not only stop at grooming, but also checking for parasites which can be detrimental to their health. The following is a list of the common intestinal parasites that infect your dog, what they are, how your dog can possibly acquire them, its harmful effects to your dog and to you, and of course, how to get rid of it.

ROUNDWORMS (Toxocara canis, Toxascaris leonine)

Description
Most common to infect the animal kingdom, roundworms grow 2 - 4 inches long, tan or white creatures with tapered ends that look like spaghetti.

How they are acquired
Puppies are usually born with them. Those infected with roundworms have a potbelly or a bloated look and dry, scaly coat. When your pets are in unsanitary conditions, don't be surprised if your dog becomes infested. Unlike hookworm eggs, roundworm eggs are very resistant to drying, sunlight or antiseptics. They can last for years in soil and still be infectious.

Harmful Effects to your Dog
If in huge numbers, a dog may vomit these worms or discharge them all as a whole in the fecal matter. Roundworms can cause diarrhea - the infestation's effect is evident on your pet's general appearance. They can also cause intestinal blockage and stool cannot pass if they become too many.

Harmful Effects to Man
Since roundworms are zoonotic, they can be transferred to humans. They cause an infection known as "Visceral Larva Migrans", which result in inflammation of muscle tissue. Young children are susceptible to transfer and can experience eye inflammations leading to blindness.

Treatment
Usually used to treat roundworms are pyrantel pamoate, fenbendazole and piperazine, both classified as Anthelmintics or dewormers.

TAPEWORMS (Dipylidium caninum)

Description
Tapeworms can be seen unlike other parasites. Tapeworm segments, usually white in color, can be seen after in the dog's feces or rectum after elimination that broke off from the adult.

How they are acquired
Fleas can carry tapeworm eggs, so the ingestion of parasite eggs is the only way to infection.

Harmful Effects to your Dog
Although they don't cause much harm to our canine friends, tapeworms cause pet owners to squirm at their ghastly sight. Dogs experience cramping and sometimes gas.

Harmful Effects to Man
Children can accidentally swallow fleas that have eggs, causing intense discomfort. Fish can also be an intermediate host - so be careful in eating raw fish.

Treatment
Antiparasitic agents, praziquantel and epsiprantel are both used both by oral medication or injection.

The best way to select a veterinarian is to visit one and then decide. A prior appointment should be taken as well as the staff should be informed before bringing the pet along. A little bit of information can be also taken on the phone about the profile of the veterinarian. The pet owner can even ask to talk with the veterinarian directly, and if he is busy doing a surgery, a message can be left to contact back. Another good way is to consult other friends who are pet owners. Since they will already be having more experience in this regard, they can be of good help.

If there isn’t familiarity with such people the local humane society, catteries and kennels can be contacted. Sometimes the price can be a problem for many people. Such people can approach veterinarians who are working in a blue collar locality.

Veterinarians are people who usually are very compassionate about pets. But some of them can lack communication skills in spite of being highly qualified, but they still will be specialized in their fields. A good veterinarian would stand close to the owner, like less than three feet. He will maintain constant eye contact and will address the pet by its name. While talking, he will smile and run his fingers through the fur of the pet. Disinterest and hurrying to finish the examination are bad indications. And if the veterinarian is really busy, it is better to opt for a veterinarian who can give more time.

The interiors of the office are another clue about the veterinarian’s nature. The office should be clean and odor free. The waiting room can also give lots of input about the vet. Flyers and displays can divulge whether the veterinarian is part of any community and social organizations. Notices which say that payment is supposed to be paid after examination and fine will be placed if appointment is not cancelled before hand aren’t good indications. In the examination room, the equipments and instruments should be disinfected and organized neatly. The selection of staff also should be observed as the veterinarian will select staff which has similar nature as his. If the receptionist doesn’t talks well, so will the veterinarian. Not only should the talking be good, but she should have a good attitude. She should look up when a person enters the room and give him a smile. Her telephone conversation can also say a lot of things. The number of staff members should also be considered. If there is a larger staff, it shows that the veterinarian is really busy and cannot give adequate time to the owner and his pet.

After the veterinarian is chosen, the next step should be bond creation. Appointments can be taken for routine physical examination which can give time to interact with the veterinarian and knows about the pet in depth. Emergency visit leaves very little time for in depth communication. It is always recommended to bring in only one pet at a time and not the whole lot. Otherwise, the veterinarian won’t be able to give individual and detailed attention to one animal.

Mornings are the best time to get appointments as the veterinarian will be having lots of free time on hand with less number of patients to see at that time. Another thing to be kept in mind is that a family member should accompany the pet who is more informed and usually makes visits to the veterinarian. He or she should be familiar with the history of the animal; otherwise it can create great confusion. This family member can maintain his own personal log and can note down questions about the pet prior to the appointment. Before going ahead with the treatment, the estimated cost should be discussed with the staff and the vet.

It is a very good idea to get the pet examined by the vet before deciding to buy it. Appointment can be made with the vet and seller. The vet can not only determine the health conditions, but also the nature of the pet. This is a great help which can facilitate owner’s decision.

HOOKWORMS (Ancylostoma caninium)

Description
Hookworms are blood-sucking intestinal parasites and are invisible to the naked eye.

How they are acquired
Puppies can acquire hookworm eggs from their mother and unhygienic surroundings or soil. Heat and dryness kills hookworm eggs quickly.
 
Harmful Effects to your Dog
If your dog is infected, their feces look abnormally blackish and loose. In the first week of infection, they may look healthy, but extreme infections in injured or young dogs can be lethal. They can cause intestinal bleeding leading to anemia and bloody diarrhea.

Harmful Effects to Man
In humans, hookworms can also cause intestinal bleeding especially to children. In adults, they can cause an infection known as "Cutaneous Larva Migrans" or "creeping eruption". Lesions that can be really itchy are caused by hookworm larvae nestling into the skin usually in the feet. More so, when severe, they can cause abdominal pains and eye problems.

Treatment
Hookworms can be diagnosed by the examination of the pet's fecal matter. Dewormers include pyrantel pamoate and fenbendazole. An example of a product is Heartgard.

WHIPWORMS (Trichuris vulpis)

Description
Another unseen freeloader is the whipworm, which is the most difficult to exterminate. They do not need to leave the intestines to complete a life cycle.

Eggs are passed in the dog's stool and after 2-4 weeks in a warm, moist environment, they become infective to another dog. The eggs hatch and the worms mature in the cecal area of the intestine where they can cause chronic bowel inflammation.

How they are acquired
Most common in adult animals especially those housed in groups or kennels because they can become infectious to other dogs after a few weeks in a warm environment.

Harmful Effects to your Dog
The symptoms may include severe diarrhea, flatulence, loss of weight and general overall condition. Whipworms can cause chronic bowel inflammation.

Harmful Effects to Man
Luckily, these parasites only adhere to our canine friends.

Treatment
Fenbendazole (Panacur) is usually prescribed after diagnosis. To regulate these parasites, give doses of milbemycin oxime every month, a heartworm preventive medication.