It's that time of year again when your pets are most likely to be exposed to internal parasites. During July and August Amherst Veterinary Hospital is offering all clients free fecal testing. Bring us a sample and we'll identify if your pet has any parasites. We will then contact you and provide you with a recommendation for elimination of the parasite and an ongoing plan for ensuring your pet doesn't contract them again. (Please note that fecal testing can produce false negative results. This is due to the uncertainty of the lifecycle of the parasite when testing is completed. A second fecal test may be recommended.)
It's important to understand the effect that an infestation of parasites can have on your pet. Following are the lifecycles of several common parasites that your pet can easily contract.
Hookworm: Hookworms attach to the dog's intestinal lining, leaving bleeding internal wounds. They can cause blood loss, anemia and diarrhea. As few as 100 hookworms can kill a puppy. Eggs pass through the feces of an infected pet into the soil where they are easily swallowed or can penetrate through a dog's feet.
Roundworm: Roundworms cause diarrhea, vomiting, stunted growth, rough coat and bloated belly.Almost all puppies get roundworms from their mothers. They can also pickup roundworms from the soil.
Whipworms: These little critters are shaped like whips. These parasites live in the large intestine and can cause bloody diarrhea, anemia, dehydration and loss of apetite. A female whipworm can produce 2,000 eggs a day. Eggs are passed in feces and can survive for years in the soil. whipworms can be very difficult to eradicate.
Tapeworms: In order for a dog to become infected with the common tapeworm, Dipylidium, the dog must swallow a flea that contains tapeworm eggs. This process begins when tapeworm eggs are swallowed by flea larvae (an immature stage of the flea). Contact between flea larvae and tapeworm eggs is thought to occur most frequently in contaminated bedding or carpet. Next, the dog chews or licks its skin as a flea bites; the flea is then swallowed. As the flea is digested within the dog's intestine, the tapeworm hatches and anchors itself to the intestinal lining.
A dog become infected with Echinococcus when it eats a small mammal, usually a rodent, that contains the worm. Foxes and coyotes (and the wild rodents upon which they prey) are important in the life cycle of this parasite. Dogs and cats may also become infected if they eat rodents carrying the parasite.
Tapeworms are not highly pathogenic (harmful) to your dog. They may cause debilitation and weight loss when they occur in large numbers. Sometimes, the dog will scoot or drag its anus across the ground or carpet because the segments are irritating to the skin in this area. The adult worm is generally not seen, but the white segments which break away from the tapeworm and pass outside the body rarely fail to get an owner's attention!
Occasionally, a tapeworm will release its attachment in the intestines and move into the stomach. This irritates the stomach, causing the dog to vomit the worm. When this happens, a worm several inches in length will be seen.
An infection with Dipylidium is usually diagnosed when the white, mobile segments are seen crawling on your dog or in the stool. Tapeworms are not usually detected by the routine fecal examination performed by the veterinarian. Because of this, veterinarians depend on the owner to notify them of possible tapeworm infection in the dog.
Defending against these parasites: Some of these parasites are zoonotic in nature (a disease that can be transmitted from other vertebrate animals to humans) and therefore pose some threat to humans. Dependent upon the lifestyle of your pet; whether they socialize regularly with other dogs, visit off-leash parks, are inclined to eat feces, and if you have small children, it is recommended that a regular deworming program or fecal testing plan be put in place. If you have a cat who hunts mice and rats, they may be at higher risk of contracting Roundworm. Children and adults are encouraged to wash their hands after handling pets as well. Care should be taken with the protection of sandboxes where domestic and wild animals like to visit and may decide to do their business, when you are not aware.
As with any preventive practice, being proactive and consulting with your veterinarian will protect your pet, your children and you. There are several preventative products available from your Veterinarian. Visit Amherst Vet Hospital and refer to our parasite control chart and speak to one of our veterinarians about their recommendations.
| 
