worms – Designer Dogs Online

Worming your puppy

One of the most important first steps in caring for a new puppy is in starting a deworming treatment program. Unfortunately, most puppies are born with worms which they contract from their mother; either through the uterus before birth, or through the mother’s milk. For this reason the best policy is to start a puppy deworming program as soon as a pup reaches 2 weeks of age. Worming should be a continuing part of a puppy’s overall health care, with the puppy being treated at 2, 4, 6, 8, and 12 weeks. Once the puppy reaches maturity a tri-monthly all-wormer should be regularly administered for the rest of the dog’s life.

For the health of the puppy “a better safe than sorry” philosophy is best as many species of worms can affect a puppy’s growth and development. Not seeing worms in a puppy’s stool is no guarantee they are free from infestation. Worms are internal parasites so you are unlikely to see any evidence of them unless the puppy has just recently been wormed or has a particularly severe infestation. In fact, you probably won’t see any symptoms at all in a dog that has not been wormed until the infection reaches critical levels.

When you do see signs of worm infestation puppies will usually display the following symptoms:

Weak and listless

Vomiting and diarrhoea

Swollen stomach giving the dog a “pot-bellied” appearance

Losing weight without a loss of appetite

The most common type of worm found in puppies is the roundworm. While there are over 15,000 varieties of roundworm only 3 of those are a problem for dogs. Most puppies are born with roundworm as they are passed on from the mother. Other common areas for puppies to pick up roundworms are from faecal matter and litter boxes, which means it is important to keep the yard and litter box clean.

Roundworms are extremely common in nature, and like their name describes, they are long and round; very similar in appearance to a strand of spaghetti. They are also extremely hardy as they can survive in cyst form for many months. When they are in this cyst form, they are in a type of deep hibernation that allows them to remain alive outside the dog, just waiting for the time when they are ingested by a dog and can continue their lifecycle and reproduction.

Other worm infestations your puppy may come into contact with are hookworm, tapeworm, whipworm, and heartworm – with hookworm being one of the most dangerous intestinal parasites. If a dog has suffered from tapeworm in the past, it must be regularly wormed as a dog infested with tapeworms may shed over a whopping 100,000 eggs per day!

Usually, a variety of products contain all that is required to keep your puppy free from all types of worm infestations and they are all fairly easy to administer. Tablets can be hidden in food very easily for breeds with a love of food like Beagliers, while some of the more picky Poochons and be wormed with spot on treatments. A good and reputable breeder should provide you with a detailed list of dates for your dog’s worming and instructions on how to worm the puppy yourself. However, it is important to carefully read the label of whichever product you choose to use and consult your vet if you are unsure. Your vet will be happy to give you advice, and even a demonstration in treating your puppy during your next consultation should you need it.

There are many factors that go into properly caring for a dog. Besides providing food, shelter, and love, owners should also provide routine veterinary care, vaccines, and necessary parasite preventatives. Worming your puppy is important, yet is all too often overlooked by well-meaning pet parents. It is easy to forget and often, most owners don’t really think about them unless they see their Moodle rubbing his bum on the floor.

What are worms?

Worms are intestinal parasites such as roundworm, hookworm, tapeworm, and whipworms that use a dog’s (or other host animal’s) intestinal tract as a place to live. The worms take nutrients from your dog’s food in order to survive, leaving your pet weakened and suffering from poor nutrition. Heartworms live in your dog’s circulatory system (the bloodstream) with the adults residing in the heart of affected dogs.

Roundworms

Dog roundworms (Toxocara canis) are the most common worm parasite of dogs and almost all dogs will have them at some stage in their life. They are picked up in a number of ways and can be passed on to people when basic hygiene such as hand washing is not followed after being exposed to infected dogs or their stool. They look like little lengths of noodles in the feces of puppies but are usually not seen until the puppy is given a worming tablet or syrup and the worm passed is usually a dead one.

Heartworms

Thankfully, heartworms are less common in Australia than most other dog parasites but they can cause the most damage to an infected dog. Dog heartworms cannot be transmitted to people which is a good thing, considering that they are spread by mosquitos and they are almost 100% preventable in dogs with modern treatments. Heartworm preventatives need to be given from about 4-5 months of age. If you wait until after your puppy is 6 months old to start heartworm treatment, your vet may need to perform a blood test first.

Where do worms come from?

Dogs can contract worms in a number of ways. Heartworm is transmitted to dogs through mosquitoes, while a dog may get roundworms from eating soil or stool from other animals, including rodents. Hookworms can infect dogs in a similar manner as roundworm, but can also work their way through an animal’s skin and into its blood stream. Whipworms come from consuming infected food or water, and tapeworms are the result of ingesting fleas.

What are the symptoms of a dog with worms?

A dog that has been infected with intestinal worms will show any number of symptoms depending on the species and severity of worm infestation including coughing, “scooting”, diarrhea, vomiting, sudden weight loss, distended stomach, anemia, pale gums, or even death in long term and severely infested dogs.

How are worms treated?

Depending on the type of infection and severity, worms can be treated in a variety of manners. Most often, for infections such as roundworm, whipworm, hookworm, or tapeworm, a common dewormer such as Drontal puppy suspension is administered. This treatment kills worms in the digestive tract, and typically multiple treatments at regular intervals are required. Just remember to weigh your dog as a Standard Groodle will weigh more and need a larger dose than a small breed such as a Moodle. For severe cases such as heartworm infection, antibiotics, steroids, and even surgery may be necessary. It is far better to administer a preventative than to try to treat heartworm infestation.

How are worms prevented?

Regular deworming is an important preventative measure that kills any existing parasites in a dog’s intestinal tract before they can grow and cause harm to the pet. Puppies, who are most at-risk from worm infestation, should be administered a deworming tablet or gel at 2, 4, 6, 8, 12, and 16 weeks of age, and then again every 3 months. Beyond one year of age, dogs should be dewormed about once every three months. For heartworm prevention, dogs should be administered a separate preventative, typically in the form of a monthly oral tablet, but once per year injections are now available from your veterinarian. Usually this is given at the same time as your dog’s annual vaccination.