Worming
It is vital that both puppies and adult dogs are wormed on a regular basis as worms can present themselves as a serious problem in puppies and can lead to an adult dog experiencing a loss of condition.
The tricky part is identifying that your dog actually has a problem relating to worms as most dogs will not even show any signs of illness unless the worms are present in large numbers. Puppies are the ones most at risk from a worm infection and this is due to the worms being transferred to them prior to their birth by their mother; they can also receive a worm infection via their mother’s milk during feeding.
A puppy with worms might display symptoms such as vomiting, diarrhoea, loss of weight and a swollen abdomen. They should be wormed on a fortnightly basis from as young as 2 weeks of age and this should continue until they reach 12 weeks old. The treatment can then be reduced to once a month until the puppy is actually 6 months old.
After this time adult dogs should be wormed regularly at 3 monthly intervals for the rest of the dog’s life.
The 2 main kinds of worms are roundworms and tapeworms and most worms survive by setting up camp in the animal’s intestine where they can snack on all the semi digested food that is there.
The most common type of worm observed in puppies is the roundworm and these can have the appearance of lots of elastic bands, they are generally several inches in length and are actually spread via the environment. Tapeworms can resemble small grains of boiled white rice, the rice grains are joined together to form what looks like a tape. The tapeworm is passed via an intermediate ‘host’ such as a flea.
It is reassuring to learn that both different types of worm can be treated and are fairly simple to clear with the assistance of a vet as they will hold suitable preparations at the surgery specifically for worm infections.
If your dog has encountered an episode of tapeworms then you must ensure that you also treat your canine chum for fleas too.
Always be responsible and pick up after your puppy / dog worms are not just unpleasant for dogs they can be potentially dangerous for children too so keep everyone safe and follow the ‘poop and scoop’ rules.
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