Look Out For Worms In Dogs

All dogs owners should be made aware of how worms in dogs can affect their pet's and their familiy's health. Worms in dogs are a kind of parasite but they can lead to ill health in both dogs and people.

All too often, there are no obvious outward signs of ill health until the worms in dogs have already caused damage. It is true that worms in dogs can often be difficult to spot, but owners should look out for the common symptoms such as general loss of condition, sickness and diarrhoea. There are two types of common worms in dogs: roundworms and tapeworms.

Roundworms

Pale white or beige in colour, roundworms look as though they are coiled like a spring and may grow up to be 100mm long. You might be able to see them in either your dogh's faeces or vomit. Dogs ingest roundworm larvae and, later, adult worms develop inside the dog's body.The eggs are then passed out in faeces, allowing the worm's life cycle to be completed. Unfortunately, the most common roundworm to affect dogs is known as the Toxocara Canis and it can affect people, particularly children. If children ingest worm eggs, which is possible through poor hand hygiene and contact with infected soil, the larvae can migrate through their bodies. If the larvae manage to reach the eyes then they can actually cause damage to eyesight. This is one of the main reasons why dog owners should always pick up after their pet, washing their hands thoroughly afterwards.

Tapeworms

You may be able to see evidence of tapeworms in your dog's faeces or around his anus: they look like flat segments filled with what look like moving grains of rice but that are actually eggs. Dogs pick up a tapeworm infection when they swallow fleas whilst grooming themselves: this is because fleas carry tapeworm larvae. An adult worm inside the dog can grow to be as long as 5 metres.

As is the case with all health problems, for worms in dogs, prevention is better than cure. Therefore worming your dog every three months is important. Young puppies require worming even more regularly than that: you can ask your vet for advice on how often to worm your puppy. A range of different worming medication can be bought at veterinary surgeries and pet shops and they are not too costly: your vet will be able to pick out the most appropriate ones.