Worms in dogs and cats are tenacious parasites and treatment can be frustrating. In spite of the treatment that you may adhere to for your pet, there is always an underlying risk of re-infection. This is due to the fact that worm larva and eggs can stay dormant in the tissues and intestines for a long time before maturing. The above mentioned condition makes prevention a pertinent aspect of controlling worms in dogs. It is also important to note that some intestinal parasites can only be controlled and total eradication is not possible.

Prevention and treatment of worms depend upon the typical lifecycle of each type of worm. Dog tapeworm and cat tapeworm infest cats and dogs mainly when an infected flea or rodent is consumed. One species of roundworms need a foreign host to mature whereas others can infect cats directly. Some others can infect kittens through mother’s milk too.

Symptoms of worms in dogs and cats are not prominent except in cases of severe infestation. Tapeworms are mostly diagnosed by physical viewing. Small grain like segments that detach from the main body of the tapeworm can be seen crawling near the anus. This is a sure sign of infestation. Oral drugs or an injection will almost certainly kill tapeworms in the cat but there is a strong possibility of re-infection. Preventive measures for controlling tapeworms include

Never give your puppy any parasite-killing medications unless they have been authorized by your veterinarian. It is important to keep in mind that these preparations, although can be purchased over-the-counter and without a prescription, can have side effects just like all other drugs.

Remember, there are many different types of parasites: hookworms, ascarids, tapeworms, whipworms, coccidia – all of which are most commonly identified. Since some of the parasites are quite difficult to kill, while others are relatively simple, many of these over-the-counter preparations must be quite toxic to fulfill their claims of being all-purpose anthelmintics. Therefore, you may be medicating your puppy with a very potent worm medicine which could be eradicated more easily with something less dangerous to your dog’s health.

These medications are poisons after all, designed to kill living creatures that are inhabiting your puppy’s body, And they have the potential to kill your pet along with these parasites. Proper worming also takes into account the life cycle of the specific parasite involved and this life cycle varies for each individual pest.

Parasites Get To Know These Annoying And Harmful Bugs

Dog Fleas – Itchy!

At one point or another, your dog will catch a flea, and sometimes maybe even two. However, it only takes two fleas to create an entire army. Regardless of where you live, how often you take him outside, and how careful you are, there is a 99% chance that your dog will get a flea in his lifetime.

So how do you deal with this parasite issue? Getting rid of fleas is a big factor for dog owners. Some dogs are allergic and sensitive to flea bites and can get flea bite dermatitis, which is a skin condition that is painful and difficult to cure.

These nasty fleas can also cause tapeworms and anemia in your pet. In rare but serious circumstances, fleas can carry bubonic plague to humans. On a less serious but nonetheless very annoying case, they can infest your home and live and breed underneath your carpet, your sofa, your furniture, and even under your bed!

Dog Ticks – Ouch!

Parasites 5 Nasty Internal Parasites Your Dog May Have

When you hear about the subject of internal parasites, the most common worm that comes to mind are heartworms. Heartworms are nasty little creatures that can prove to be fatal if left unchecked. However, there are other parasites to look out for which are equally dangerous to your dog or puppy.

Roundworms: Roundworms spend their time floating inside the liver, heart, and the lungs of your dog’s body. When they mature, they make their home inside the small intestines where they continually feed on the food that your dog eats. Signs that your dog may be infested with roundworms include gas, enormous surges in appetite, diarrhea, and bloating.

Whipworms: Whipworms can be found living inside the large intestine of your dog, which is where they also reproduce. Dogs can become infected with whipworms by eating the stools of other dogs that contain the parasite. Sometimes a dog can easily become infested with whipworms after stepping in dog feces when walking outside and then lick their paws. These little creatures can cause your dog to have diarrhea, bloody stools, dry fur, and an increase in appetite.

There were times when it was believed that the only way worms in dogs passed on to puppies, was through the mother’s system while they were still in the uterus. Whereas this contention still holds good for some types of worms, it has now been established that worms can infest puppies through other means also.

Worms like dog tapeworm, and dog roundworms and even some feline parasites have a typical lifecycle and can enter a pet’s body through various means.

Worms are intestinal parasites that reside mostly in the small intestines. Worms like tapeworms and roundworms are extremely migratory within a dog’s body and they are expelled and ingested during different stages of their lifecycle. Infestation can be through ingestion of larvae or eggs of worms or through ingestion of infected intermediate hosts like rodents and mice. Worms are passed through feces and puppies ingest worms directly from the environment as well. Sometimes the infection can be passed on by contact with the coat of the infected mother.

Canine or feline parasites are a potential source of danger for pets and humans alike. A single female Toxocara canis, commonly known as roundworms, can shed up to a hundred thousand eggs in a single day. Humans, especially children, are exposed to these eggs when they are excreted in stools or vomit. On entering the skin they can cause visceral larva migrans leading to red, intense itching eruptions in humans. Ocular larva migrans can even lead to blindness.

Worms in dogs and cats are a common phenomon with most of the transmission of the contagion taking place through the fecal or nursing route. Intestinal parasites do not spread through contact but the eggs that are excreted in the stool are capable of infesting other pets and humans.

Roundworms and tapeworms are two of the four most common intestinal parasites that are visible with the naked eye. A close observation of the stool of the animal is enough to determine whether it is infested with parasites or not.

Roundworms change color from white(when fresh) to tan (later). They assume different sizes and shapes during their lifecycle and the whole worm can be seen externally in the cat’s stool. Tiny larvae of roundworms can transmit to tissues in kittens while they are in the mother’s uterus or through the mother’s milk while they are nursing.

The most common among the worms that infest dogs are:

* Hookworms
* Tapeworms
* Whipworms
* Roundworms
* Heartworms

The simplest manner in which you can confirm the presence of worms in dogs is by observing the animal’s feces. Roundworms are the easiest to spot as most of the times whole worms can be seen in the feces. The structure of dog tapeworms comprises of segments and small segments that detach form the main body can be seen sticking to the dog’s anus or the tail. Hookworms and whipworms are very small and therefore cannot be spotted in the dog’s excreta with the naked eye. Heartworm is not an intestinal parasite and is not passed out with the waste that comes out of the intestines.

Sometimes worms do not get excreted in the stool. And therefore it is imperative that pet owners know the types of worms that can infest pets and the symptoms of worms in dogs and cats. This can allow them to identify certain symptoms of worms irrespective of whether they appear in the stools or not.

Hookworms are considered to be the most pathogenic of all canine and feline parasites including roundworms and dog tapeworm.

Hookworms are excessively greedy blood suckers and cause extensive loss of blood. They ‘hook’ on to the walls of the intestines and draw out blood and ingest it directly. Some can bite and cause lacerations which result in blood leaking. To add to the miseries, the esophageal glands of the hookworm secrete an enzyme that inhibits blood coagulation.

Hookworms can penetrate skin and infect humans as well. Barefoot humans and children who play in areas where dogs defecate are at a high risk of infection. A study of the lifecycle of hookworms can go along way in achieving the goal of treating hookworm infection and eradication of hookworms from the environment.

Depending upon the species, an adult hookworm can lay up to thirty thousand eggs in a day. A moist loamy soil and warm temperatures are most conducive to hookworm survival. But these hardy parasites have been known to survive in tougher climatic conditions also. Unlike other worms in dogs hookworms develop in feces only when the feces are broken up naturally by earthworms or rain. Larvae in their infective stage move out from the feces and wait in the soil or vegetation for a host to pass by.

Parasitic worms in dogs and cats normally reside in the intestines. The one aspect of these parasitic worms is that worm larvae and eggs can remain dormant for years in tissues and wait for an appropriate trigger to surface and infest your pet. In many cases it is the stress factor that acts as a trigger for worms to migrate. Feline parasites like roundworms and hookworms can surface abruptly in advanced stages of pregnancy and transmit to the young ones.

Kittens can get infected while in the womb of the female cat or through the milk of the infected mother. Adult cats can get infected by ingesting worm infested feces. They can also fall prey to these parasites if they consume a prey that is infected. Larvae of roundworms can migrate to various parts of the body and can travel up to the eye and cause damage to vision. Vomiting, diarrhea, an extended abdomen, dehydration, weight loss and listlessness are other common symptoms that manifest themselves among cats infested with worms.

Hookworms are relatively more dangerous than other types of worms in dogs. Left untreated, hookworms can lead to death. This is particularly true for young puppies.

Hookworms are ravenous creatures that suck blood by sticking themselves to the intestinal walls of the host. The hookworm larvae can even burrow into the skin of the human foot or leg causing itchy lesions. Hookworms are not so common among the feline parasites that infect cats, but if they do infect a cat, they can be equally problematic for cats, dogs and humans alike.

The most common species of hookworm that infects puppies is Ancylostoma caninum. The natural habitat of this species is warm and humid areas in countryside but they are known to survive almost anywhere. Although the most common mode of transmission to puppies is through mother’s milk, hookworms can also penetrate the skin and get into a puppy’s body. Once inside, they cling to the intestinal walls with their hooks, a characteristic which gives them their name.