If you are a puppy owner then the chances are that sooner rather than later you pet will be infected by Roundworm, the most common type of worm in dogs.
To the eye they look a little like spaghetti, curled up into a coil.
Adult Roundworms survive by living in the pup's intestine, and feeding of their contents.
They grow to about four inches in length.
You can expect to find dozens of these little parasites in the intestine of a heavily infected animal, but thankfully they are easy to threat.
You should begin to de-worm your puppy after it has been weaned.
The guideline is to worm the pup every 2 weeks until 12 weeks of age.
Then every month until 6 months of age when you can treat the dog as an adult and worm as required.
The Roundworm breeds by laying eggs which are passed out of the dog via its stool.
These eggs can live in the soil for long periods of time and once the soil is swallowed the whole cycle starts over again.
The first signs of a puppy having Roundworm is that it tends to develop a round, bulging belly and as the worm becomes bigger inside the pup so does the pot belly effect.
Physical signs that your puppy or dog has contacted worms include: diarrhoea, vomiting and weight loss.
However, many infestations are symptom-less.
In the adult dog, the worm larvae migrate into the body and form cysts in the muscles.
There they may lay dormant for years, only to be activated in times of stress.
The commonest situation that results in their awakening is pregnancy, when large numbers of worm larvae migrate into the puppy in the uterus (womb), infecting the pups even before they are born.
Another common way for young puppies to catch Roundworm is through their mother's milk; if larvae are present in the mammary glands then the mother's milk can infect the litter.
Drugs used to de-worm puppies tend to temporarily anaesthetise the worm so that it passes out of the dog via a normal bowel movement.
Because of their size they are relatively easy to spot.
Unfortunately the eggs of the worm are difficult to destroy as they have a high resistance to most household disinfectants.
Bag it and bin it is the best solution! You should never put dog poo in a compost bin! It cannot be emphasised enough that Roundworm in dogs (and cats) can pose serious health risks to humans, especially young children.
If a child, or adult, is infected then the larvae will migrate throughout the body.
The big danger here is that it will end up behind the eye and cause blindness.
It is important to know that the eggs of these parasites can remain inactive in both dogs and humans for years.
So if you keep dogs, or cats, then you really must always be on alert especially where children are concerned.
If you suspect that either you or your child have contacted Roundworm then contact your doctor immediately! If you suspect that your dog has Roundworm then you should bring him to the vet.
If you are uncertain then a good idea would be to bring a stool with you so that the vet can examine it under a microscope.
To the eye they look a little like spaghetti, curled up into a coil.
Adult Roundworms survive by living in the pup's intestine, and feeding of their contents.
They grow to about four inches in length.
You can expect to find dozens of these little parasites in the intestine of a heavily infected animal, but thankfully they are easy to threat.
You should begin to de-worm your puppy after it has been weaned.
The guideline is to worm the pup every 2 weeks until 12 weeks of age.
Then every month until 6 months of age when you can treat the dog as an adult and worm as required.
The Roundworm breeds by laying eggs which are passed out of the dog via its stool.
These eggs can live in the soil for long periods of time and once the soil is swallowed the whole cycle starts over again.
The first signs of a puppy having Roundworm is that it tends to develop a round, bulging belly and as the worm becomes bigger inside the pup so does the pot belly effect.
Physical signs that your puppy or dog has contacted worms include: diarrhoea, vomiting and weight loss.
However, many infestations are symptom-less.
In the adult dog, the worm larvae migrate into the body and form cysts in the muscles.
There they may lay dormant for years, only to be activated in times of stress.
The commonest situation that results in their awakening is pregnancy, when large numbers of worm larvae migrate into the puppy in the uterus (womb), infecting the pups even before they are born.
Another common way for young puppies to catch Roundworm is through their mother's milk; if larvae are present in the mammary glands then the mother's milk can infect the litter.
Drugs used to de-worm puppies tend to temporarily anaesthetise the worm so that it passes out of the dog via a normal bowel movement.
Because of their size they are relatively easy to spot.
Unfortunately the eggs of the worm are difficult to destroy as they have a high resistance to most household disinfectants.
Bag it and bin it is the best solution! You should never put dog poo in a compost bin! It cannot be emphasised enough that Roundworm in dogs (and cats) can pose serious health risks to humans, especially young children.
If a child, or adult, is infected then the larvae will migrate throughout the body.
The big danger here is that it will end up behind the eye and cause blindness.
It is important to know that the eggs of these parasites can remain inactive in both dogs and humans for years.
So if you keep dogs, or cats, then you really must always be on alert especially where children are concerned.
If you suspect that either you or your child have contacted Roundworm then contact your doctor immediately! If you suspect that your dog has Roundworm then you should bring him to the vet.
If you are uncertain then a good idea would be to bring a stool with you so that the vet can examine it under a microscope.
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