The Expert's Guide on the Heartworm Family Diseases

By Paul Kramer

While the exterior part of a dog's body hosts fleas and ticks, the inside of the body is commonly inhabited by a variety of parasites. Most of these are in the worm family. Tapeworms, roundworms, whipworms, hookworms and heartworm all plague dogs.

There are also several types of protozoa, mainly coccidian and giardia, that cause problems. The common tapeworm is acquired by the dog eating infected fleas or lice. Normally one is not aware that a healthy dog even has tapeworms.

The only clues may be a dull coat, a loss of weight despite a good appetite or occasional gastrointestinal problems. Confirmation is by the presence of worm segments in the stool. These appear as small, pinkish white, flattened rectangular shaped pieces.

When dry, they look like rice. If segments are not present, diagnosis can be made by the discovery of eggs when a stool sample is examined under a microscope. Ridding a dog temporarily of tapeworm is easy with a worming medicine prescribed by a veterinarian.

Over the counter wormers are not effective for tapeworms and may be dangerous. Long term tapeworm control is not possible unless the flea situation is also handled. Ascarids are the most common roundworm or nematode found in dogs.

Adult dogs that have roundworms rarely exhibit any symptoms that would indicate the worm is in their body. These worms are cylindrical in shape and may be as long as 4 to 5 inches. They do pose a real danger to puppies, where they are usually passed from the mother through the uterus to the unborn puppies.

It is wise to assume that all puppies have roundworms. In heavy infections they will actually appear in the puppy stools, though their presence is best diagnosed by a stool sample.

Treatment is easy and can begin as early as 2 weeks of age and is administered every two weeks thereafter until eggs no longer appear in a stool sample or dead worms are not found in the stool following treatment.

Puppies often harbor the protozoa and show no symptoms unless placed under stress. Consequently, many times a puppy will not become ill until he goes to his new home. Once diagnosed, treatment is quick and effective and the puppy returns to normal almost immediately.

Severely infected puppies can die from roundworm infestation. Again, the worming medication should be obtained through a veterinarian.

To learn more about the different types of pet meds for your dogs, cats, horse, etc., and how to get discount and cheap pet medications, make sure to visit http://callpetmeds.com/freedom-spoton-for-dogs-c-148.html where you will find everything on getting quality yet affordable pet medications as well as tips on how to take care of your pets like the experts.