Dogs should typically be dewormed every three months, although certain pets have specific needs that could alter this regimen – gaps between treatments can result in intestinal parasite infestation.
Your vet will request that you bring in a stool sample at every annual visit in order to test for intestinal parasites, so a stool sample may be collected from your pet and given oral or topical medication as necessary, depending on their tolerance and lifestyle needs.
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Roundworms
Roundworms (ascarids), also commonly referred to as parasites, live inside your dog’s digestive tract and feed off partly digested food particles. Although common, puppies in particular should be regularly dewormed from two weeks of age onwards to ensure optimal health.
Roundworm infections typically arise when dogs consume inadvertently feces containing infective roundworm eggs. Once inside their digestive tracts, these eggs hatch out and migrate through to their livers and lungs for maturity and larvae production; then pass out of them into stool where they become infectious to other canines.
Adult dogs may infect other dogs via transplacental transmission of encysted larvae via their mother’s milk before or shortly after giving birth. Your vet will prescribe dewormers to treat infection and anti-parasite preventatives to keep your pup parasite-free; providing information in an easily understood format increases adherence which reduces risks significantly for pets and people alike.
Tapeworms
Tapeworms, as their name implies, are long, thin worms. In order to survive and reproduce successfully, tapeworms rely on an intermediary host; dogs with heavy infestations of tapeworms may experience diarrhea, weight loss and abdominal discomfort as a result.
Signs that your dog may have tapeworm infestation include frequently scooting its rear along the floor or rug due to irritation caused by segments. You may also spot segmented worms in its poop around its anus; and may notice your pup licking or biting his rectal area.
Tapeworms can be easily treated with a safe prescription drug available from veterinarians as either a tablet or injection. The medication allows the worms to be digested by their intestinal system and eliminated from your pet’s stool after treatment. As with fleas, to best prevent tapeworms it’s wise to enroll your pet into an ongoing year-round parasite prevention plan that includes sprays, powders, collars and oral medications.
Hookworms
Hookworms are internal parasites that cause intestinal inflammation and red blood cell loss (anemia). Puppies are more vulnerable than adult dogs to this parasitic infestation; deworming treatments should be given two to four times in their first year and monthly thereafter.
Hookworm-infected pets often release eggs into their environment through their feces. Once incubated in soil, these hatch into larvae that can infest dogs either by being consumed or through skin penetration.
Once consumed, larvae travel from their source into the small intestine and attach themselves. Some may travel further afield into trachea and lung tissue before coughing themselves up or swallowing themselves back into their original environment: back into the intestines to complete their life cycles.
Pregnant dogs and nursing mothers can pass hookworm infections onto their puppies or kittens during gestation or breastfeeding, potentially making young animals seriously ill from hookworm infection. As such, veterinarians frequently suggest treating young animals with dewormers before following up with fecal examination to verify if the infection has cleared away completely.
Heartworms
Heartworm disease occurs when adult heartworms mature within a dog and then release microfilariae into his bloodstream, where they travel via mosquito bite to a new host where they develop into heartworm larvae and mature into adults which then multiply to maturity within that host’s system. Adult heartworms then mature within that host as well, creating another cycle.
Once diagnosed with advanced heartworm disease, its effects have caused significant damage to a dog’s heart, lungs, and blood vessels. Treatment begins by stabilizing their condition with medications designed to reduce inflammation, control pain, and help prevent blood clots forming in their lungs.
After this step is taken, an injection into the back muscles is administered which kills adult heartworms – this FDA-approved medicine, commonly referred to as Immiticide or Diroban, should be given. Sometimes combined with other medications like Advantage Multi for Dogs (imidacloprid and moxidectin). Proper year-round administration of heartworm prevention medication as well as annual testing is essential.
