Page 341 - (DK) The Dog Encyclopedia

PARASITES

Healthy family
Roundworm prevention for these puppies started before
they were born, since their mother was treated during
pregnancy. They should be wormed regularly throughout life.

Danger in snails
Lungworm can be picked up if a dog eats an infected snail
or slug, either intentionally or accidentally if, for example,
there is one on a toy or bowl left outside.

individual dog and lasts less than three weeks. around your dog’s anus or in his feces. They Your vet will recommend drugs for
Lice are transferred by close contact—with cause itching, and your dog may “scoot” his treatment and prevention of lungworm.
other dogs or via grooming tools—but not to bottom along the ground. Treatment Pick up dog feces promptly (and fox feces,
people. Your vet will recommend treatments. comprises tapeworm-specific medication, too, if you find them). Lungworm cannot be
together with flea control. passed directly to other pets or to humans.
ROUNDWORM Your dog may pick up other tapeworm
The adult worms, which look like strands species from eating offal, raw meat, wild HEARTWORM
of spaghetti, live in the intestines, producing animals, or roadkill. Some tapeworms This parasite (Dirofilaria immitis) is
eggs that pass out of the body in the feces are a serious health risk to humans. transmitted by the bite of an infected
and mature for one to three weeks before mosquito. Heartworms live in the dog’s
being infective to others, including humans. LUNGWORM heart, lungs, and surrounding blood
This is why carefully disposing of your dog’s Also known as French heartworm, vessels, and can cause death if left untreated.
feces is so important. A dog can acquire this parasite (Angiostrongylus vasorum) Owners in high-risk areas should seek
roundworms from the soil or by eating other is picked up by a dog eating snails and prompt veterinary attention if their dog
carriers such as rodents. Puppies can be slugs, which can carry the worm larvae. develops a cough or becomes lethargic
infected in the womb by roundworm larvae Worms develop in the right ventricle during the mosquito season. Diagnosis
passed on from their mother. (chamber) of the heart and in the is by blood test and treatment is risky,
Prevention of roundworms starts with pulmonary artery. The females lay eggs requiring the dog to rest for several weeks
treating the pregnant bitch and continues containing first-stage larvae, which afterward. Year-round prevention with
after birth, both with the puppies and their are carried in the bloodstream to the heartworm medicines is usually effective.
mother, and at regular intervals throughout lungs. Here they hatch, burrowing
life. Ask your vet about which product to into lung tissue and causing damage.
use, as well as the worming schedule to The dog coughs them up and swallows PREVENTING WORMS
follow as your puppy grows up. them, passing them out in feces
as a source of further infection to Routine worming reduces the likelihood of
TAPEWORM slugs and snails. infestation. Your vet will advise you on the best
The eggs of the commonest tapeworm Lungworm can be hard to diagnose. treatment for your puppy or dog. The ideal
program depends on the perceived risk, which
species, Dipylidium caninum, are carried Various symptoms may include lethargy,
may be high if, for example, you walk your dog in
by fleas, and your dog can become a cough, anemia, nose bleeds, weight loss,
public places, he is an avid scavenger of dead
infected by licking fleas off his coat poor appetite, vomiting, and diarrhea. rodents, or he lives with small children. Strict flea
and swallowing them. The adult flat, The dog may also display behavioral control is the key to tapeworm prevention. You
segmented worm develops within the changes. Diagnostic tests include must weigh your dog, especially if he is still
gut, and sheds egg-containing segments, examining a tracheal wash and feces, growing, so that you give the correct dose.
which you may see as wriggly “rice grains” as well as radiography and blood tests.

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