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Parasites
and Walking Dandruff
by
Deborah Sullivan, Babydoll Pomeranians
Round worm which infects most often pregnant nursing
bitches and young puppies. Adult worms are passed by puppies
with or without accompanying feces. Often several worms are
passed at one time coiled up like a spring or in a loose heap.
Life cycle: the release of hormones during pregnancy
activates roundworm larvae which may be lying dormant in the
tissues of the bitch. Some will migrate to the uterus, mammary
glands and into the developing puppies while other larvae continue
their life cycle in the intestine of the bitch. Larvae already
within the puppy at birth develop into adult worms by the time the
puppy is two weeks old.. The puppy will also receive more larvae
via the bitch's milk from being licked by the bitch and from her
coat where traces of feces may remain. Additionally, the bitch
will take into her body eggs, larvae and adult worms when she
cleans up the feces of her puppies. Within the puppy ingested
roundworm eggs hatch into larvae which burrow through the gut wall
and migrate via the liver to the lungs, where they undergo further
development. Other maturing larvae are coughed up, swallowed and
pass down into the digestive system where they mature into adult
worms, which lay thousands of eggs within the intestine.
Signs:
It may be taken that all young puppies and nursing bitches have a
roundworm burden, whether you see any live adult worms or not. A
very heavy worm burden in puppies will cause breathing problems,
coughing and possibly pneumonia while the larvae are migrating
through the lungs. Abdominal pain, diarrhea, retarded growth, a
potbellied, poor appearance and harsh coat will be seen when the
stomach and intestines are full of round worm. Badly affected
puppies whine and adopt a characteristic straddle legged position.
Treatment:
Worming should be given at two and a half to three weeks of
age and then at two week intervals until three months of age and
then again at 6 months old. Some very safe worming meds are:
strongid, panacur, vermifuge pyrapam....(these were supplied by my
vet)
Hookworms are also commonly encountered in puppies but dogs
of any age can be seriously infested. This worm too may be passed
to the puppies before birth or at an early age. A heavy
infestation can cause death. these worms are tiny, white,
hair-like parasites which have hook like mouth parts for chewing
and attaching themselves to the intestinal lining. A heavily
infested dog may be weak and anemic from loss of blood. He may
have thin, mucoid bowel movements that are always diarrhea like
and often contain blood. Mild infestations may produce loss of
weight,poor coat, chronic diarrhea and just plain listlessness.
Treatment:
Worm 3 times with 10 days between each worming
Whipworms are more commonly seen in the older dog and
usually very difficult to remove because they inhabit the colon
and cecum, a blind out-pouching of the intestinal tract that may
be by passed by the worm medicine. Whipworms are small, round
sharply tapered white worms. Symptoms may be vague and include
intermittent diarrhea, generally poor condition and a dry harsh
coat.
Treatment:
is often effective with medicine given by mouth, but usually some
medicine must be deposited right in the blind pouch which is
introduced through the rectum.
Tapeworms: There are two more or less common tapeworms
which claim the dog for their host for part of their life cycles.
They are: Dipylidium, which spends part of its cycle in the flea
in which case ingestion of an infected flea is necessary before
the dog can become infected and Taenia which spends part of its
cycle in the rabbit, so that intestine of rabbit viscera is
necessary before the dog can become infected. The head end,
or scolex of these worms attaches to the intestinal linings and
the rest of the parasite streams out into the lumen of the
intestine like a rope floating in a river. As the parasite is flat
and segmented, and the segments are all produced at the scolex or
the head end, the whole worm becomes longer and longer. Eventually
some of the segments break off and appear in the stool. Unless the
head is removed the parasite will soon grow again and again. Often
the segments from the stool will become attached to the hair
around the anus of the dog. These segments may dry and fall of.
they are commonly found in the dogs bed and look like pieces of
dried rice. Finding these dried up segments or seeing the fresh
segments in the stool, plus voracious appetites, loss of weight
and generally poor condition of coat are usually indicative of
tapeworm infestation.
Treatment:
Special tapeworm remedies given orally from the vet will
accomplish getting rid of them the right way which include getting
rid of the heads....
Walking Dandruff: this is a small mite that appears to look
like dandruff on first examination of skin and coat. In fact if
you take the dandruff off of the coat by shaking the hair or
combing and put it on a dark surface you will see the dandruff
"move".....
Treatment:
Bathe dog in flea shampoo once a week for three weeks. Spray
bedding area with a good mite spray or flea and tick spray. Once
your baby has this, all in the kennel are infected so all dogs
should be on this regime of bathing for the next three weeks.
~Submitted by'
Deborah
Sullivan
Babydoll Pomeranians
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