I decided to have this page to inform everyone on the different and most common types of parasites that can be found in your puppy or adult dog. Puppies are generally born with internal parasites. It is very important for you and your family to have your dog dewormed and on some kind of preventative. Most parasites can be spread to humans, so as I said it is very important.
We deworm or puppies at 2wks, 4 wks, 6wks, 8 wks and 11wks. We use Panacur to deworm our puppies and adults. At 16 weeks old we start all our puppies on a heartworm preventative which also controls internal parasites. I strongly recommend talking with your family vet on which brand of preventative works best for you and your location.
Puppies will commonly shed worms in their stool right after being dewormed. So do not panic if you get one of our puppies home and you see worms in their stool, give it a week or so for them to shed the dead worms. We probably just dewormed the puppy and it’s just doing its job. If you see them past that time frame then they may need additional worming. This is generally not needed but I like my new owners to know the "what ifs" before it happens.
ROUNDWORMS This is a common worm of puppies and kittens, but can be seen in adult dogs and cats also. Diagnosis is made from a microscopic examination of the feces or from a description of the worm if it is seen in the vomit or stool. Treatment is an oral medication given at 2 week intervals. Symptoms will very from none to marked vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal swelling. Transmission to adult dogs and cats occur by infected feces contaminating the yard. As a result prevention is accomplished by isolating your pet from infected feces or other animals. So as you can see there is know for sure way to prevent it. For dogs, most heartworm preventives also prevent roundworm infection. This is one of the most common parasites found in humans. Children can get roundworms from playing in dirt with contaminated feces then putting there hands in there mouth.
HOOKWORMS This is a common worm of puppies and also frequently seen in adult dogs. This parasite sucks your blood and can cause severe anemia. Diagnosis is made from a microscopic examination of your pets stool. Treatment is either an oral medication, injection or both. Symptoms will vary from none to blood in the stool the stool will look dark and tar colored with diarrhea. Severe cases may need transfusion and hospitalization. Transmission to adult dogs occurs by infected feces contaminating the grass and soil. This parasite can only be determined by your vet, if your dog shows signs take him to the vet immorality. Transmission to humans is uncommon and usually shows up as skin lesions.
WHIPWORMS This worm affects dogs only. Diagnosis is also made from a microscopic exam of the feces. Eggs from this parasite pass intermittently, however, so it may be necessary to check multiple feces before it is diagnosed. Treatment is an oral wormer or injection given at 3 week intervals for several treatments depending on the severity of the infection. Symptoms vary from more to severe watery diarrhea, vomiting, and weight loss. Some dogs do require hospitalization for treatment of dehydration, malnutrition, and infection. There are no human transmissions.
TAPEWORMS Now this is one worm that is not commonly found in the stool or under a microscope that is the tapeworm. This worm is able to use a human as a host, so wash your hands frequently and limit handling by small children and the elderly until you get it treated. You need a special medication that you can only get from your vet. To treat tape worms. Tapeworms look like dried up rice. You will generally find them around the anus or in the hair around that area. Most owners do not even know their pet has them since they are so hard to find and are generally not in the stool. Fleas are the most common, but not limited to, cause for tapeworms. So if you have a bad flea problem you will need to treat for tapeworms just to be on the safe side. After you treat for the fleas, there are many different products for flea control. Do not use store bought flea prevention it does not work. You need to talk with your vet about the right kind for your pet.
COCCIDIA are commonly found in puppies and animals that are housed together this parasite is shed through the stool of animals. All types of animals can get this. Birds are very highly prone to coccidia and shed it everywhere. So, when you have an animal that happens to walk in the soil where an infected animal has used they pick it up on their paws and then ingest it through grooming themselves. The most common side effect is watery diarrhea. Although a dog can have a normal stool and still be a carrier. This is another parasite that can only be treated with a specific medication. And this must be purchased at the vet only.
GIARDIA is another common parasite found in dogs and cats. It can flourish in any number of hosts, even humans. It is also shed through the stool. Diarrhea is a common symptom. But a dog with normal stool can be a carrier. Animals can get this from the soil, it is most common in standing water so be sure to clean water bowls daily. This is also a vet only treatment. There is no way to treat it otherwise.
People usually do not think of mange as a parasite. But it is actually a parasitic mite that attaches it self to the hair follicles. Dermodex mites are present on all dogs. The mangie spots occur when you puppy has an immune system deficiency which causes the mites to flourish beyond normal limits. This generally occurs in puppies and they will usually out grow it once they are fully matured but this is not always the case, some dogs may have outbreaks there entire life. Out breaks can be very mild to chronic. The only good thing about this type of mange is that it is not contagious to humans or other dogs and pets. Dogs that have dermodex mange should never be used for breeding even if the outbreaks go away they can still genetically pass the disease on to there offspring.
Scabies mange is the worst of the two to get. It is highly contagious to both humans and other pets. This type of mange is not very common. Most dogs that have mange tend to be carrying dermodex mites.
Both types of mange present hair loss and thickened skin. One difference in the mange is scabies is very itchy. Each of these types of mange are treated differently you must also have your family vet do the treating. There is not an effective mange treatment that you can by at any store. Please by all means do not use a home remedy to treat your dog. They can be severely toxic to your pet. Seek veterinary care if you suspect any type of mange.
