Worms in Dogs
“My dog doesn't have worms. I have looked at its poo and never seen any. Anyway it isn't thin or ill so it can't have worms.” |
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| How many times have we heard that? Yes, your dog does have worms even if you haven't seen them. Very few dogs with worms are ill in themselves, but some are. if you see a puppy or a dog that is failing to thrive, has a swollen pot belly and a poor coat there may be many causes for this, but the most likely one is that it has worms. It is even possible for worms to completely block a puppy's gut and kill it. Puppies are born with worms, the reason for that will be seen as you read on. | ||||
| The most common type of worm to be found in dogs (and also in foxes) is the round worm which goes by the name of Toxocara Canis. It is quite long and looks a bit like spaghetti. The adult worm sheds hundreds of eggs in the animal's gut, eggs so tiny they can only be seen under a microscope, these are passed out of the body and into the ground in the dog’s poo. | ||||
| In mature dogs the worm doesn’t usually reach the adult stage. The eggs hatch out into immature larvae and, instead of growing, hundreds of these tiny larvae dig through the gut wall and make their way into muscles throughout the body where they form cysts. There they wait for the opportune moment to come. There is no medicine that can penetrate the walls of these cysts so there is no way to get rid of them. | ||||
| The larvae remain dormant until the bitch becomes pregnant when the change in hormones triggers them to wake up. Then its "Yippeeeee! A new home!" and off they race into the bitches womb and milk glands. As the forming pups develop they will be swallowing the amniotic fluid in the womb and with it the worm larvae. The larvae can also pass down the umbilical chord. So you see the puppy is already infested with worms before it is born, and these worms are shedding more eggs. | ||||
| When the pup starts to suckle from its mum it is taking in yet more worm larvae. Mum, being the good mum that she is, cleans up her pups thereby taking in all the excreted eggs and reinfecting herself. By the time the pup is a few weeks old not all the larvae become adult worms, more and more migrate through the gut into the muscle wall and form cysts. Because the worm larvae can live in other species and not only in dogs and foxes, it is obvious that we ourselves are at risk. Children, especially the under five’s, are more likely to play in the earth where the excreted eggs may be, they then put their hands to their mouths thereby introducing the worm eggs into the child’s body. | ||||
| Although the number of affected children is small every case is one too many. The anti-dog brigade have used scare tactics about worms to bring about the banning of dogs in public places. As responsible dog owners we must always clean up after our dogs to avoid any egg getting into the ground and we must worm our dogs regularly. |