BETTER HEALTH THROUGH CONTROL OF
INTERNAL PARASITES, OR “WORMS”

WHY ARE REGULAR FECAL (STOOL) CHECKS IMPORTANT? Internal parasites, commonly known as “worms”, can dangerously sap the strength of your pet. Most types of parasites produce eggs (or ova) that are shed into the stool. When a small sample of stool is examined using the flotation technique, these ova float to the top of the test solution and are collected on a glass slide to be examined under the microscope. It is recommended that even a healthy pet’s stool be checked at least twice a year so that debilitating parasite infestations can be corrected before they do serious damage. (Over the counter Pyrantel Pamoate works well and is safe).

PARASITE CONTROL is very important to the health of dogs. The litter wormings should be indicated on the health record. Fecal checks should be done every six months and anytime there are loose or bloody stools. My dogs are wormed once a month with pyrantel pamoate, a mild liquid wormer that is highly effective against hookworms and roundworms. Some over the counter brand names are Nemex, Sergeant’s Sure Shot liquid and many others. Check the labels for the ingredient and follow the directions on the package for dosage. If your pet has whipworms, you will have no way of knowing without a fecal check and the pyrantel pamoate does not eliminate them. Your vet will have to prescribe a wormer for whips. Panacur is a good one that is effective for hooks, rounds and whips. It can be given to pregnant and nursing bitches and young puppies as well as adults. Another alternative is the heartworm preventive called Interceptor, which also helps control hooks, whipworms and roundworms. Tapeworms are usually contracted when a dog swallows a flea and you can see in the fresh stool little white shapes that resemble rice or the tapeworm segments can appear stuck to the fur near the rectum looking more like dry brown rice. Tapes are treated with a pill called Droncit provided by your vet. To prevent reinfestation, of course, the flea population will have to be eliminated.

HEARTWORM preventive is a must! Heartworm is contracted by mosquito bites and it can kill. There are no signs of infection until in the later stages of the worms’ development in the heart of the dog. The treatment is very hard on the dog and very expensive. There are excellent medications you can give monthly to prevent the development of the heartworm and I recommend using it year around. Most vets will recommend an ANNUAL BLOOD TEST to make sure your dog has remained heartworm free.

FLEA CONTROL is important and not that difficult. The secret is to understand that for every flea on a dog, there are nine wandering around his environment (and yours)! Fleas actually spend 90% of the time off the dog. Believe it or not, even with all my dogs and the boarders coming and going, there are rarely any fleas on any of my dogs. I can go for years without seeing a flea! But don’t wait until you see one! I begin in April or May by vacuuming the house and spraying thoroughly with a good household insecticide and IGR (insect growth regulator). I respray about every twelve weeks or when a dog scratches, whichever comes first. If I see a flea, I give flea baths as well. However, with a good spraying program, there’s rarely a need to treat the dogs. I never use flea collars or dip. I find the flea bombs pretty useless. The thing is that people don’t seem to realize that the time to act is way before you see a flea! Every flea you kill in May or June will save having to fight many thousands in the fall. Or ask your vet about monthly preventives such as Advantage and Frontline, the newest, most effective flea weapons. As new products come out, ask you vet for the best.

TICKS carry three very serious diseases: Lyme, Rock Mountain Spotted Fever and Ehrlichia. If you find a tick on your dog, make a note on his health record for future reference. If your dog appears not to be exactly right - doesn't finish all his food as usual, is lame and the vet can't find any obvious reason, is slow going up stairs, is lethargic, has unexplained bleeding, definitely do a "three tick panel" blood test which gives results for all three diseases. Ehrlichia killed my favorite dog of all time because none of the four excellent vets she saw thought this disease was a possibility. She had only about three ticks in her life and the vets had not seen this disease in this part of the country.

ROUNDWORMS: The adult is a long, thin, cylindrical white worm that in heavy infestations may be seen in the stool or in vomited stomach contents. Dogs and cats may pick up infestations from fecal material or from soil where other animals have defecated. Pups and kittens may become infected while still in the womb (uterus). Eggs (ova) fro the adult worms are seen on fecal checks. Signs of roundworm infestation include: poor condition, pot belly, dry cough, diarrhea, and occasional vomiting. Two doses of worm medication are required three weeks apart. (over the counter Pyrantel Pamoate works well and is safe).

HOOKWORMS: The adult is a very small white worm that attaches to the wall of the small intestine and sucks blood, often causing severe anemia. Dogs and cats pick up infestations from fecal material of from soil where other animals have defecated. Strict sanitation measures are required to rid the soil of inffective eggs. Eggs (ova) from the adult worms are seen on fecal checks. signs of hookworm infestation include: poor condition, pot belly, anemia, and diarrhea (often containing dark blood). Two doses of worm medication are required, three weeks apart.

WHIPWORMS: (DOGS ONLY) The adult is a small, thread-like worm that lives primarily in the cecum (a blind pouch at the beginning of the large intestine) and, sometimes, in the large intestine itself. Dogs pick up infestations from fecal material or from soil where other dogs have defecated. Once established, it is almost impossible to rid the soil of ineffective eggs. While many cases of whipworm infestation are detected with a fecal check, it is quite common for affected dogs to show negative test results. Signs of whipworm infestation include: poor condition, diarrhea (often with mucous and blood), straining while defecating, and occasionally vomiting and abdominal pain. Two doses of worm medicine are required, twelve weeks apart. (Panacur, for example, from your veterinarian).

COCCIDIA: These one-celled organisms, or protozoa, live within the cells lining the small intestine. Dogs and cats pick up coccidial infestations from fecal material or from soil where other animals have defecated. Eggs (oocysts) are often seen on fecal checks, but affected animals may show a negative test result. Signs of coccidiosis include: poor condition and diarrhea that may be severe and is often greenish and mucus-containing. At least five consecutive doses of medication for coccidia are required. (Albon or Ditrim, for example, from your veterinarian).

GIARDIA: These one-celled organisms, or protozoa, live both free and within the cells lining the intestinal tract. Dogs and cats pick up giardial infestations from fecal material or from soil where other animals have defecated or infected water. The freely moving stage of this organism may often be seen by taking a very small sample of stool directly from the dog or cat and looking at it immediately under the microscope. Very rarely is this parasite picked up on a routine fecal check. Signs of giardiasis include: poor condition and diarrhea that often contains mucus. At least five consecutive doses of medication are required. (Metronidazole from your veterinarian).

TAPEWORMS: In this part of the country, two types of tapeworms are important: the type that is obtained through eating rabbits and rodents and the type that is obtained through eating fleas. The adult tapeworm is long, flat and white. Dogs and cats cannot infect other dogs and cats; they can only pick up tapeworms by consuming the intermediate host, or carrier, i.e., the flea, rabbit or rodent. Although occasionally eggs are seen on fecal checks, the most common means of diagnosing tapeworm infestation is by seeing living or dried up segments of the tapeworms on the fur around the anus or in the stool. The segments look like flat grains of rice. Dried segments look like brown rice. There are usually few signs of tapeworm infestation. These include: “scooting” (dragging the rear end on the ground) and, in severe cases, poor condition and even intestinal obstruction. Tapeworm medication is obtained from your veterinarian.

CAN THE INTERNAL PARASITES OF DOGS
AND CATS AFFECT PEOPLE?

Roundworms and hookworms can be a problem for children who play in soil or sand where dogs and cats have defecated. Immature hookworms borrow into the soles of the feet and travel under the skin, making little red lines that cause intense itching. Immature roundworms travel in the internal organs of the body, causing a variety of problems.

Toxoplasmosis, a disease caused by one of the coccidian parasites of the cat, can have serious consequences for the fetus of a pregnant woman. Pregnant women should have someone else change litter or should wear rubber gloves when cleaning the litter box, make sure the box is cleaned once a day, and wash hands after handling any cat.