Content
- Types of Intestinal Worms in Dogs
- Types of Intestinal Worms
- How to prevent dog worms
- Symptoms of intestinal parasites in dogs
- Dog worms that spread to humans
- How to Treat Intestinal Worms in Dogs
- Medicine for intestinal worms in dogs
- Environmental control of intestinal worms in dogs
- Home Remedies for Intestinal Worms in Dogs
Dogs, like cats and even humans, can suffer from the presence of intestinal worms. These parasites cause gastrointestinal conditions that can be very uncomfortable for your dog. Also, they are very difficult to detect and, in some cases, we may not even know that our pet has worms.
For this reason, it is important that you deworm your dog both internally and externally on a regular basis. Thus, it will avoid possible infestations in the dog or even the contagion to humans in certain cases.
If you want to know more about this topic, in this PeritoAnimal article we explain everything about the most common parasites that can affect your dog and other useful information to know how to treat them. Read on to find out all about the intestinal worms in dog.
Types of Intestinal Worms in Dogs
Your puppy can be affected so much by internal parasites like external. The first, which we will discuss in this article, are those that inhabit the digestive tract but can also lodge in organs such as the lungs or heart.
Among the external parasites, we find those that live in the dog's fur or skin, such as fleas and ticks. Both intestinal worms in dogs and external parasites, or those that infest the heart or lungs, damage the animal due to their activity.
Injuries will be more or less severe depending on the pet's health status and the level of infestation. So, the parasitosis may be asymptomatic or, on the other hand, produce different clinical pictures. In all cases, the worms in dogs must be prevented and treated, as there are also parasites that can also affect humans.
Types of Intestinal Worms
It is vitally important that handlers are aware of intestinal worms in dogs, these are the most common:
- Ascaris: such as toxocara kennels and Toxascaris leonine, which are very common. They live in the stomach and intestines and can grow to a considerable size. They lay eggs that are able to withstand a long time in the environment. Puppies can be infected by the mother and any dog can become infested through the environment or by ingesting an intermediate host, such as a rodent.
- Hookworms: These are known as "hookworms" because they attach through the mouth to the mucous membrane of the small intestine, absorbing blood and fluid. These worms can be contracted by contact between the puppy and the mother, by ingestion of larvae present in the environment, by direct penetration through the skin, especially in the area of the pads, or by ingestion of an intermediate host.
- tapeworms: They are worms that lodge in the small intestine and can reach 2 meters in length. In this parasitism, fleas play a very important role, as they can ingest tapeworm eggs and transmit them to dogs if they swallow them.
- Tricurids: They are known as "whip" because of their threadlike appearance, but with a thicker end. These worms attach themselves to the walls of the large intestine and, although they lay fewer eggs than other parasites, they are able to survive for years in the environment.
How to prevent dog worms
THE internal deworming of our dog should start early:
- You puppies must be free of parasites before each vaccination. Deworming must start from the second week of life. Every 2 weeks until the puppy is 12 weeks old. Then it should be every 3 months. It is best to consult your veterinarian to plan the vaccination schedule and when to deworm it.
- You adult dogs must be dewormed every 3 months. This will eliminate all possible parasites present. If your dog suffers from any disease such as Leishmaniasis consult your veterinarian about whether it is necessary to deworm more often. Depending on the animal's health and lifestyle, special precautions must be taken.
You should also take into account that, the pregnant females and lactating puppies can get infected. If the mother is parasitized, the baby will be infected from birth and this is very dangerous. Therefore, you should correctly deworm your dog throughout pregnancy and lactation.
Symptoms of intestinal parasites in dogs
Although, as we have already said, the presence of internal parasites in dogs does not always generate a clinical picture, below we indicate the most common symptoms that we can notice when the infestation is significant or the dog is at more risk due to a deficient immune system, as in this case of puppies, due to immaturity, or elderly or vulnerable dogs because they suffer from diseases or go through stressful situations, such as surgeries or changes.
You Symptoms of Intestinal Parasites in Dogs are:
- Diarrhea.
- Vomiting.
- Weight loss or stunted growth in dogs.
- Abdominal inflammation or also symptoms associated with pain.
- Anemia, seen in the pale coloration of the mucous membranes.
- Weakness.
- Blood in the stool.
- A skein-like mass formed by a large number of worms can lead to bowel obstruction.
- Some intestinal parasites can also be responsible for respiratory symptoms.
Dog worms that spread to humans
Some of the intestinal parasites in dogs mentioned above are susceptible to transmission to humans and vice versa. For example, the parasites are able to produce a disease in people called "migrating visceral larva", which occurs after eating their eggs.
At small children they are a risk group as they are more likely to eat dirt and show poorer hygiene habits. Symptoms, which appear in large infestations of internal parasites in dogs, include abdominal pain or coughing, as well as complications that will depend on which organ the larvae reach.
Some hookworms are responsible for the disease known as "migrating skin larvae", which causes itching due to the penetration of their larvae into the skin. As we can share parasites and so that dogs do not become a source of contagion and vice versa, it is essential to establish an adequate deworming schedule.
How to Treat Intestinal Worms in Dogs
If you detect any of the symptoms described in your pet and are even able to see worms in your pet's feces or vomit, you should go to the vet without delay. However, more than treating infestations, we must avoid them. In this way, we will protect our dog and the whole family. For this, prevention is essential, which will consist of a complete deworming program prepared with the veterinarian. The provider will assess the dog's age and habitat, product safety and route of administration.
Medicine for intestinal worms in dogs
It is possible to find, in pet shops, syrups, pastes or, more conveniently, pills to eliminate intestinal parasites in dogs. However, always use dewormers prescribed by the veterinarian, otherwise, we could cause the dog to become intoxicated and even aggravate a problem if there are no symptoms generated by internal parasites in the dogs.
The recommendation is to follow a monthly deworming program that should be started at two weeks of age and maintained throughout your life. Because we love our pets, we ensure they are protected and dewormed correctly.
Environmental control of intestinal worms in dogs
Besides the internal deworming, to fully eradicate these parasites from the environment and thus avoid re-infestation, we must adopt measures such as the following:
- Institute good hygiene habits, especially in children.
- Avoid playing in parks frequented by dogs or in open litter boxes.
- If your dog has an outdoor area, the floor should be made of cement or gravel so it can be disinfected, as the soil is a good substrate for pests. If you have a kennel, it is advisable to clean it daily with a hose.
- Clean your dog's feces immediately if he defecates at home.
- It is not recommended to let the dog hunt, eat scraps of food from the garbage or raw meat.
- Consult your veterinarian for additional measures, taking into account the life cycle of the parasite.
- Of course, it is essential to keep your pet dewormed, for the health of him and the whole family.
Home Remedies for Intestinal Worms in Dogs
More and more people are looking for Natural Remedies for Worms in Dogs, however, it is important to note that these types of therapies must also be prescribed by a veterinarian who will oversee the process and who in no way replace drug treatment. Its use can help prevent its appearance, but once the infestation has occurred, it does not completely eradicate it.
Therefore, if you want to use some home remedies to deworm dogs, it will be important that you consult your trusted specialist and that you do not neglect the prescribed veterinary treatment.
This article is for information purposes only, at PeritoAnimal.com.br we are not able to prescribe veterinary treatments or perform any type of diagnosis. We suggest that you take your pet to the veterinarian in case it has any type of condition or discomfort.