Round worms

Ok I know YUCK! But we have to deal with them for our dogs But theres something else you need to know

PARASITE FACTS

Thousands of people become infected with roundworms in the United States every year. How do people become infected you ask? Large numbers of eggs can accumulate in the soil where dogs are allowed to defecate. The eggs are sticky and collect on objects, the hands and under fingernails of people. Children and others who may not have good hygiene are most prone to becoming infected.

So wash your hands wash your hands wash your HANDS. wear shoes and keep the kids clean.

Now that were done with that tidbit lets go on to how our dogs get them and how to prevent it and eliminate it.

Of the three types of roundworms affecting dogs T. canis has the most complex life. It begins when the worms eggs pass out in the dogs infected feces. These eggs survive in the environment and are later ingested by other dogs. The larvae are released from the eggs and enter the wall of the new host small intestine and eventually migrate through the circulatory system or to other organs and tissues. They finally re-enter the intestines where they mature and mate, and eggs are passed again through dog feces.

Round worms live in the hosts intestines and can cause malnutrition, diarrhea, vomiting, and pot-bellied appearance Heavy infestation can lead to pneumonia and obstruction of the intestines.

It is recommended to have your vet check for worms on a scheduled basis. If worms are found de-worming products which are used is prowormer-2, or safe guard granules These treatments anesthetize the mature woms allowing them to exit with feces Two or three treatments are required 2-4 weeks apart to rid the dog completely of worms as they mature.

You must remove and dispose of stool in order to control the spread of roundworms Also watch your dog so they don't pick up dead rodents or infected things to eat.

Now those are vet medications for worms there is always natural remedies one is again parasite dr from www.nativeremedies.com Alot of prevention is keeping your dogs are clean

When I'm done with the parasite series I'm going to get all the natural remedies together and write a blog on those and places to find them

But for now keep yourself clean and your dog for pevention

Hook worms

My Pandora loves flowers and smelling them just like me.

I'd like to do a series on the parasites that our dogs get. Many of us become aware of them as our dog gets them and must take them to the vet. But many of us do not know how our friend got them or from where. Perhaps if we understand where they come from and how our dog got them we can take precautions to hopefully avoid these unpleasant invaders and be able to recognize them if your dog does get them and how to eliminate them quickly

Today is Hookworm which can be a killer.

There are three ways your pet can get hookworm.

1. Through the skin

Larvae entering through the skin migrate through the bloodstream to the lungs and trachea, and are coughed up and swallowed.They attach themselves to the intestinal wall and suck blood from tiny vessels of the wall and it completes its life cycle.

2. Larvae may be ingested through contaminated food or water, from moist surfaces or prey animals.Most larvae that are ingested pass down to the intestines where they stay. A few however, may migrate through the body and to the trachea where they coughed up and swallowed. Some will stop migration midway and embed in muscles.

3. Through the uterus or milk

Larvae that embed in the muscle can migrate to the uterus of a pregnant dog and infect the fetuses. They can also move to the mammary glands of the lactating female and infect the young.

By feeding on the blood of the dog hookworms can cause anemia. The lining of the mouth and gums will turn very pale in colour until almost white. The dog can become weak and sometimes the stool will become black and like tar. Young pups can be stunted and their hair will be dull and dry. small puppies can can actually die quite quickly from infestation.

Your vet will look in the feces for eggs and in the young desease may be present even before adult worms are present

Now treatment vary and you must decide whats best I myself prefer prevention as much as possible.

Your vet may give you heartgard plus, tri-heart plus, interceptor, and revolution. These all will kill hookworms too. Sometimes treatment is needed if worms are bad enough to the point of transfusions. Also thers over the counter products like pro-wormer 2, nenex-2 I tend to stay away from these as in a previous blog about fleas many over counter products have things like concentrated insecticides that do kill the critters but also can be very dangerous for your dogs.

I also found a product I likwe to use because its natural and won't hurt my dogs and its a preventative. Its called " Parasite Dr." You can find this product at http://www.petalive.com/ they carry alot of good natural remedies that you may want to look at.

Next time I'll cover heartworms.

Mean time lets keep our pets happy and healthy

Thank-you