Deworming Your Dog

At some point in your dog's life they will have
worms. Whether it's as a puppy (which is most
common) or as an adult dog, worming treatment as
soon as you notice a problem is crucial to stop
further infestation and the development of other
illnesses. The common intestinal parasites that
we know are tape worm, round worm, hook worm and
whip worm. Heartworms are located in the heart's
blood vessels which lead to the lungs. Blood
tests will be needed to detect heartworms. Tape
worms and round worms can be diagnosed visually,
the others have to be determined through faecal
examination. It is important to do regular
de-worming of all types dogs, including puppies
and pregnant females. This will help reduce
infestation of your pet and stop infection to
humans. Round worm symptoms include, vomiting,
coughing, diarrhoea, bowel obstruction,
pneumonia, a dull coat, and a swollen stomach.
Serious cases can be deadly. Round worms are
usually 3 - 6 inches in length and they can
infect dogs by ingestion, in the placenta, or
can be transferred to puppies through the
mother's milk.

Worms can be passed from animal to human.
Children are the most vulnerable, as the eggs
can be picked up from petting their dog and then
using dirty hands when eating, or even more
commonly picking up eggs from a sandpit or dirt
outside. Once in a child's system worms can
cause different health problems, they can live
behind the retina which can cause damage to the
eyesight. This disease is called Toxocariasis,
and has been known in this day and age to still
cause partial blindness in up to 100 children
each year.

At two weeks of age puppies need to be dewormed
and then again at four, six, eight and twelve
weeks. It is vital then to continue with the
worming treatment at four months, five months
and then at six months old. This regular
deworming pattern kills all worms and their
eggs, whether contracted as a foetus, through
infected mother's milk, or by consuming the
eggs. At 6 months of age, you will want to start
a heartworm medication treatment once per month.
It's also an important point to deworm the
mother at the same time as the pups. The cycle
won't be broken if one of them has been treated
at a different time. Contamination on a small
scale will not be a big threat to your dogs
health as they have some immunity and most have
an inbuilt resistance to a small amount of
worms. An abundance of worms however would
impair the health of your dog dramatically. The
nutrients and vitamins needed by your pet will
be used up by the worms. The tissues and the red
blood cells will be destroyed which could lead to
anaemia.

For adult dogs worming treatments may be more
flexible. Some people prefer to keep their pets
on a quarterly programme others like to only
treat them when they have an infestation. I
would strongly advise speaking to your vet about
whether or not continual flea and deworming
treatments throughout your pets life is
necessary. If you have more than one dog it's
likely to be a more regular requirement, but
again check all medication with your vet. It's
not worth being wrong for either your dog, or
you and your family.

----------------------------------------------------
Alex Kelly

As a pet owner, my articles are based on issues
I feel are important for fellow animal lovers.
Pet Promenade has everything you will need for
the furry member of the family. From pet food,
dog leads, grooming equipment and bird cages.
With over 5000 pet products, at competetive
prices, it's worth paying us a visit at
http://www.petpromenade.co.uk/

EasyPublish this article: http://submityourarticle.com/articles/easypublish.php?art_id=242145

>