General
Worms are very common in the dog. We especially see roundworms in the dog. Because these, besides the dog, can also infect people, it is important to deworm dogs often.
Which worms occur in dogs ?
– The roundworm or toxacara canis
This worm is by far the most common in the dog. Especially pups can get very sick of the roundworm. The complaints are diarrhea and vomiting. Larvae of the roundworm migrate through the body of the dog to eventually develop into an adult worm in the intestine. Adult dogs usually have no symptoms but can infect other dogs and humans. Contamination occurs via the uterus, breast milk, wild (raw) animals and feces of infected dogs.
– hookworms
Uncinaria occurs in the Netherlands. This worm often gives few complaints.
– Tapeworms
There are 3 species (Dipylidium, Taenia and Echinococcus). Contamination occurs via fleas, lice and raw meat. The symptoms of tapeworms in the dog are mild to absent. However, pieces of tapeworm can crawl out of the anus or sit around the stool (looks like rice corals) which is unpalatable.
– Whipworms
Trichuris Vulpis or the whipworm often gives typical large intestinal diarrhea. Dogs do not always have complaints. In severe infections dogs can get sick worse. Puppies can even die.
How do I know if my dog ? has worms ?
What most people do not know is that most dogs have no complaints if they only have a few worms. Adult dogs have also developed resistance to worms in the course of their lives, which means that they rarely have serious complaints with a worm infection. Young dogs are more susceptible to worms, and pups completely.
Worms can sometimes be found in the vomit or in the stool. Usually, however, the worms can only be discovered with stool research. The eggs can be seen with a microscope.
How do you treat a dog with worms ?
Because most dogs that are infected with worms have no complaints, it is advisable to worm a dog (preventively) four times a year. Puppies must be dewormed in accordance with the diagram below. This is also because people can become infected with the roundworm. People will not get adult roundworms but the larvae of the worms “pull” through our body and nestle in our muscles. Very often a larva enters the eye and can cause blindness. Not every worm means tackles all worms as well. To combat tapeworms, the drug Praziquantel is needed. This medicine can usually only be obtained from the veterinarian.