about a dog

Question
How do you check your dog for ticks, and how can you tell if they are
infested with worms or not?
much thanks, Dianna

Answer
Hi Dianna,

The best way of finding attached ticks on your dog is to stroke your dog's fur, feeling for small lumps. You can also examine the dog, parting it's hair and looking for ticks. If you happen to have a dog with light hair, you might see them walking on the fir before they attach themselves. I've found that just petting the dog is a lot less stressful to the dog.

If you should find an attached tick here's how to take it off:

With a pair of tweezers, go at the tick more from the side, than the top. Try to get the tweezers between the skin and the tick's jaws, and gently pull, maybe moving the tweezer a little with a side-to-side motion if it isn't budging. The main ingredient here is patience. A steady pull over a few minutes time, will usually tire out the tick enough to release its grip. Be gentle, yet firm. You don't want to yank the ticks body from his head and create a bigger problem. There are opposing opinions on what to do if this does happen. Some folks believe that you should pick the mouth parts out like a splinter, some say leave it in and your body will expel them on its own. If this does happen, I would suggest keeping the area clean and calling your health care provider for further instructions, especially if the tick bite area looks red.

Ticks do not drown in water, so dispose of them by wrapping in a tissue and flushing down the toilet, or drowning in rubbing alcohol. Do not crush the tick; that can spread disease. Some vets may want to see the tick if disease transmission is suspected.

Since ticks carry disease, a little prevention during tick season (that will depend on where you live)is an easy way of helping to protect your dog. You can buy tick prevention medications directly from vet. They are easy to apply to your dog, usually it's a once a month topical treatment. Frontline and Advantage are two brands you can get from your vet.

There are several less expensive over-the-counter flea and tick products for dogs available in pet supply stores and supermarkets. These products typically contain permethrin, which is derived from a natural insecticide. Brands include BioSpot and Control (which also include an insect growth regulator). Permethrin tends to be more effective against ticks than fleas.

Regarding your second question about worms, I'm sorry but there isn't a short answer.

Roundworms, hookworms, whipworms and tapeworms can infest a dog's intestinal tract. Tapeworms are carried by fleas. Tapeworm segments break off and can be observed in the dog's stool, they look like grains of rice. Microscopic examination of stool samples is necessary to detect other types of worms. You should bring a stool sample to your vet for examination. Worm infestation is common. Treatment of worms should be prescribed by your veterinarian. Over-the-counter worm medications may be ineffective and harmful to your dog. Untreated worm infestations may be severely debilitating. Anemia, weight loss, lethargy, intestinal irritation, dull coat, diarrhea and vomiting are common consequences of worm infestation.

Puppies are particularly susceptible to the effects of worm infestations.

Heartworms live in or near the heart and can cause serious damage before any outward signs of the infection are noticed. Heartworm disease is spread by mosquitoes and can only be detected by a blood test. The disease can be treated if detected early, but will kill the dog if left untreated. Heartworms are epidemic in some parts of the country, all dogs should be on Heartworm preventative medicine during mosquito season.

Best of luck,
Patti