Protecting your Dogs and Cat from Parasites

I actually don’t wish to ‘open up a can of worms’ for pet house owners. However, I do suppose it’s vital for house owners to understand about worms or parasites which will have an impact on their pet’s health. It’s a tangle that we must always be ready to eliminate as a priority for pets and therefore the individuals in their families.

We are lucky to live in a country where it’s rather common to recognize the threat of parasites to our human health.

It is vital to remember that our pets, when it comes to parasites, live in rather a unique world. We have to be aware of actions that we should take, for both our pets and ourselves, to make sure those 2 worlds don’t collide.

Roundworms, referred to as ascarids in medical language, are the internal parasites to discuss. They’re known as roundworms thanks to their round body form. Adults, that live in the small bowel of cats and dogs, will reach many centimetres in length. There are four species that are problematic in our area. Three species affects dogs (Ancylostoma caninum, Toxocara canis, Trichuris vulpis), two species affects cats (Toxocara cati, Ancylostoma tubaeforme), and three species could infect either dogs or cats (Physaloptera spp. Uncinaria stenocephala, Ancylostoma brasiliense). Another species of roundworm that primarily infects raccoons (Baylisascaris procyonis) is becoming more of a concern for individuals and pets, as raccoon numbers increase in our neighbourhoods. Roundworms are a common parasite of dogs and cats around the world. Recent studies within the U.S. found that over thirty per cent of dogs younger that six months were shedding roundworm eggs in their stools. Alternative studies have shown that nearly all pups are born with one species of the worm. Cat studies suggest twenty five per cent of cats are infected with the species that most frequently infects them.

Dogs and cats will become infected with roundworms in an exceedingly number of different ways. They can be infected with any of the roundworm species via consumption of infective roundworm eggs from a contaminated surrounding. If they consume other animals that are infected with roundworms, cats and dogs might become infected. Infective stages of the roundworm usually affecting dogs can be passed to puppies by ingesting their mother’s milk. In addition, that very same kind of roundworm could spread from infected mothers to developing puppies, in utero, before they’re born.

Disease in dogs and cats that become infected with roundworms is most severe in young kittens and puppies. They fail to gain weight, develop a pot-bellied look, have a poor quality haircoat and generally do poorly. It’s not uncommon in animals 4-6 months old to vomit large masses of adult worms. once such a thing happens, it can be nearly as distressful for members of the family of the pet as it is for the pet itself. On the other hand these adult worms that have been vomited, don’t create any threat of infection to other pets or individuals. In older animals the parasites could cause inflammation and irritation to the lining tissues of the stomach and small intestines that leads to diarrhea and/or vomiting.

Whenever a dog or cat becomes infected with this sort of parasite, eventually the worm reaches adulthood within the small intestine. Within a number of weeks the adult worms begin to produce eggs that are passed in the feces. The eggs typically need 2-4 weeks within the environment before they become infective or are able to cause infection. However, once this happens the eggs are quite hardy and may remain a threat to cause infection, if they’re eaten, for many years. Puppies who might be infected before birth ought to have regular deworming starting when they are two weeks old. Diagnosis of infection in older animals depends on identifying eggs of the parasite within the animal’s stool. One adult roundworm could produce as many as eighty five eggs per day. This implies if there are worms present, it shouldn’t be a drag for your vet to diagnose the problem. There are numerous of typically very effective medications that can be utilized to eliminate the parasites from an infected cat or dog. To treat potential newly-acquired infections of roundworms, the Companion Animal Parasite Council recommends dogs and cats ought to be maintained on monthly intestinal parasite control medications. periodically, stool examinations from pets ought to be performed by veterinarians to assure they’re free from roundworm infections.

There is a danger of roundworms posing a zoonotic danger to individuals. Most typically this can be a problem for kids living in an surrounding exceedingly contaminated with dog feces when they ingest infective roundworm eggs with dirt, especially in parks traveled by dogs. The larvae of Toxocara canis that develop from these eggs, after consumption, migrate internally through the child’s body and in so doing could cause very serious disease called creeping eruption or cutaneous larva migrans. Control of those parasites is indeed a crucial element of responsible pet ownership. Studies show that the prevalence of creeping eruption is considerably higher in children playing parks with uncontrolled dog movement compared to parks where dogs are not allowed. This permits for optimal health for pets and elimination of any increased risk to members of the family from roundworms.