Varieties of Canine Worms and Common Symptoms

Canine Worms and Common Symptoms

Canine worms are common and found in nearly nine out of every ten puppies. Mother dogs transfer the worms to their babies through their milk. Many vets give new puppies dog worm medicine as a precautionary measure and test adult dogs yearly. Vets take microscopic slides of animals’ feces to look for signs of worms or their eggs. There are five main forms of dog worms: • Heartworms • Hookworms • Roundworms • Tapeworms • Whipworms Canine worms' eggs pass to an animal through feces, infected soil, mother’s milk and mosquito bites. Some varieties of worms pass to humans. Therefore, you must take every caution to ensure your dogs remain free of these parasites. Most worms attach themselves to the intestines where they survive on nutrients in an animal’s blood. Some animals never show signs, but younger animals quickly turn anemic. Left untreated, many worm varieties slowly kill puppies and adult dogs. Heartworm is a form of roundworm that attacks the heart muscle. Treat heartworm early to prevent death, though it’s best to use heartworm medications to prevent the disease. Visit your vet for the chewable medication for heartworm dogs love. Heartworm medications resemble beef jerky ensuring dogs love taking the medication. Canine hookworms top the list of worms found in dogs. These nasty parasites attach to the lining of the small intestines and survive on blood. Untreated hookworms cause anemia in young dogs. Symptoms of these puppy worms include bloody diarrhea, weight loss and weakness. Dog tapeworms pass to animals through fleas or rodents that are positive for tapeworms. Tapeworms are long, up to six inches, and make their home in the intestines. The rice like particles are easy to spot in feces or stuck to an animal’s fur. Tapeworms resist dewormers, so visit your vet for safe, effective prescription medications. Other common parasites are canine roundworms. Eggs pass through feces and the lining of the uterus making it easy for mother to pass the worms on to her puppies before their birth. Roundworms attach to the intestines causing bloating, malnutrition and intestinal blockages. Eggs are problematic because they are extremely hard and resist wormers. Worming medications only kill adult worms found in the intestines, therefore repeated dosages are necessary. Canine worms known as whipworms are less common but still problematic. Like roundworms, the eggs resist medications, so multiple treatments are required. Whipworms survive in the large intestines causing severe weight loss and mucous covered stools. Vets struggle to diagnose whipworms because they do not lay many eggs. Expect to provide several stool samples before receiving a positive diagnosis. See your veterinarian for canine worms deworming medications. There are over-the-counter meds, but they rarely work effectively. In addition, some over-the-counter medications come with dangerous side effects.

 

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