Prevention the Key to Dealing with Intestinal Parasites
My-Dog.info > Dog Diseases, Bites, Worms & Ticks
Most pet owners are aware that worms can be a serious problem
for pets. They also know that worms carry with them the potential
to produce serious illness, or even kill pets. This is
particularly true in young puppies and kittens but also holds
true for adult animals. Since most pets are treated for
intestinal parasites early on in their lives, owners assume that
worms no longer pose a threat thereafter. Unfortunately, nothing
could be further from the truth.
The most common type of worm is the roundworm family. Their
significance lies not only in their prevalence but also in their
ability to cause serious illness such as weight loss, vomiting,
diarrhea, coughing and death. Roundworms also pose a public
health hazard, especially when children accidentally ingest eggs.
In people, blindness may result or internal organs may be
affected. If dog or cat stools are not picked up promptly from
parks, eggs in these feces remain in the environment, active in
soil or sand boxes for long periods of time. Children should
always be coached to routinely wash their hands with soap and
water after playing outside in soil, sandy or grassy areas.
Second on the list of common worms are hookworms. These worms
parasitize the digestive tract by ingesting blood. They damage
the lining of the intestines, leading to bloody diarrhea and, in
some cases, serious blood loss and death. These also pose a
public health risk in that the larval forms can cause a skin rash
or creeping eruption in people. Ensuring that the mother cat and
dog are clear of tapeworms and hookworms before pregnancy is very
important parasite prevention strategy.
Tapeworms are also quite common in both dogs and cats. They
occur when a pet swallows infected fleas. Few pets actually
suffer serious ill effects from a tapeworm infection except those
with heavy burdens, and owner disgust is usually the prime
motivator for treatment. Owners tend to diagnose tapeworms when
they notice worm segments ("rice particles") around
their pet's anus in the fur, or segments moving across the carpet
or floor. Helpful preventive measures include prevention of
hunting and flea control for your pets..
A less common type of worm, called whipworm, can infect dogs.
They often cause bloody diarrhea, leading to dehydration, weight
loss and anaemia.
Toxoplasma and Giardia are single-cell parasites, not true
“worms”, but are also internal parasites.
Cats can shed toxoplasma cysts in the stool, and contact with
cysts by pregnant women can lead to serious problems. Toxoplasma
only has a full life cycle in felines, completing the life cycle
in the intestines and shed out in stool. Other common sources of
Toxoplasma include handling uncooked or undercooked meats during
meal preparation, and gardening in flowerbeds contaminated with
infected cat feces. It is important that pregnant women do not
clean cat litter boxes as a preventive measure, and wear gloves
for handling uncooked meat, and during gardening. An adjunct for
prevention of these parasites can be accomplished by keeping your
cat as an indoor cat.
Giardia is another single celled parasite that has human
health significance, causing so-called Beaver Fever in people.
Usually, water is the source but evidence points to transmission
between pets and humans. Diarrhea, bloating and mucous malodorous
stool are typical signs in all animals. A vaccine is available
for prevention in dogs, and avoiding exposure to water
contaminated with feces is another helpful prevention strategy.
Treatment of intestinal parasites is straightforward. These
days, prevention therapy is a standard part of puppy and kitten
care. Medications currently available for both prevention and
treatment are safe and some have quite a wide spectrum, often
killing several types of parasites with one single treatment. An
important step in the fight against intestinal parasites is
having your pet's stools tested at least once a year by your
veterinarian. For pets that are at high risk, such as pets that
spend a lot of time outdoors, routine treatment with appropriate
preventive medication may be recommended by your veterinarian.
Some dewormers require more than one treatment to clear the
parasite, so follow prescription instructions closely.
Reprinted with permission from www.animalhealthcare.ca
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