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Why Fecal Tests and other preventative measures are important to your
4-legged child... and family!
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At Cleveland Dog Boarding, the practice of promptly picking up dog feces
helps to prevent the spread of worms and other diseases which are common
in areas where numerous dogs are visiting. Being next to the MetroParks
also provides opportunities from natural wildlife, thus, promptly
removing dog feces is a safe practice that is adhered to whenever
possible.
Many vets
recommend worming for tapeworm and roundworms every 6-12 months. Unlike
a kennel where bleach can be used to disinfect the concrete, it is
impossible to do this at Cleveland Dog Boarding since it is a home
environment which is why it is requested a fecal test be performed
within three (3) months of boarding.
Simply taking your dog for a walk around your neighborhood is an
invitation to pick up worms. This is why Cleveland Dog Boarding
mandates a Fecal Test be done within three (3) months of each boarding
visit to ensure the safety of your pet as well as other visiting dogs,
including the house resident.
Dogs smell it, roll in it, walk in it, even ingest it. And, oftentimes,
pick up serious diseases from it. Animal feces are one of the most
common sources of some diseases.
Your dog may have worms even though you see no evidence of them.
Did you know…
A simple kiss from your dog can pass a parasite to it’s human.
Did you know…
A dog simplying cleaning themselves (licking) that may have stepped in
an area where contaminated feces was could spread to your dog.
The best way to
diagnose worms in your dog is to have your veterinarian perform a fecal
exam. Your veterinarian will examine your dog's feces under a microscope
for the presence of microscopic worm eggs. However, your dog may have
worms, yet show no eggs in the stool. This is why regular deworming with
a prescription wormer is so important. Be sure to take your dog for
regular fecal exams to detect the presence of species of parasitic
worms.
Common
Types of Worms:
Almost every pet has had or will have a case of intestinal
parasites at least once in his life. The two most common intestinal
parasites in our pets are roundworms and hookworms. |
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Roundworms-
One of the most common intestinal parasite and
it affects both dogs and people and are especially dangerous to
children. The most common parasite of the digestive tract in dogs - are
several inches long, look like spaghetti, and may occasionally be seen
in the stool or vomit of an infected dog. Usually, though, you will not
see them. Roundworms migrate throughout the blood into the lungs, are
coughed up, and usually re-swallowed. Sometimes the larvae can travel
through the liver and brain. You may never see these worms, and one day
one may come out in the dog's stool. They can cause bloating, diarrhea
and vomiting. Your dog may stop eating, after passing a stage of
overeating, and always being hungry. In young puppies untreated
roundworms can cause the bowel to rupture. Puppies get roundworms from
their mom, as the larval worms migrate into the womb, or into her teats.
Roundworm eggs can lie dormant for years. Once they enter the child
host they can migrate to the child's liver, lungs, eyes or brain and
become permanently encysted. |
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Hookworms
- Are
very contagious among dogs. Very small and virtually impossible to see
in the stool or vomit. Looks like roundworm, but has teeth at one end
that grab onto the dog’s intestine and attaches itself. It changes the
attachment site at least six times per day. There is blood loss to feed
the bloodsucking worms, but most blood is lost at the spots of
detachment until they heal, thus causing anemia and iron-deficiency.
Hookworms are bloodsuckers and can make a puppy anemic. Hookworms
are intestinal parasites that live in the digestive system of your dog.
The hookworm attaches to the lining of the intestinal wall and feeds on
your dog’s blood. Its eggs are ejected into the digestive tract and pass
into the environment through your dog’s feces. Larvae (young hookworms)
that hatch from hookworm eggs live in the soil. These larvae can infect
your dog simply through contact and penetration of the skin and through
the dog eating the larvae when they ingest dirt or during their routine
licking (cleaning). Hookworms suck blood and therefore cause internal
blood loss. They are a serious threat to dogs, especially young puppies
that may not survive the blood loss without transfusions. In older
animals the blood loss may be more chronic, and the pet may have
diarrhea and show weight loss. Some hookworms of dogs can infect humans
by penetrating the skin. This is most likely to occur when walking
barefoot on the beach, working in the garden or other areas where pets
may deposit feces. Infection usually results in an itching sensation at
the point where the larvae enter the skin and visible tracks on the
skin. The condition is easily treated but can cause mild to extreme
discomfort in the affected person. One species of hookworm that infects
dogs is known to develop in the human intestine, too, where it may cause
disease. |
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Whipworms
– Are highly contagious to other dogs, but not to humans. They are very
small and virtually impossible to see in the stool or vomit and must be
tested by a vet. Whipworms are bloodsuckers and can make a puppy
anemic.
Dogs become infected with whipworms by swallowing infective whipworm
eggs in soil, grass, or other substances that may contain dog feces.
Adult
whipworms are called whipworms because they have a broad posterior
(rear) segment that is connected to a disproportionately long, fine,
narrow, 'whip-like' anterior (head) segment. This gives the worms the
physical appearance of a 'long whip with a short, fat handle'. The very
thin anterior segment of the worm ("the whip") is the part that the worm
uses to hold on to the large intestinal wall of the host dog (it sucks
blood to survive). The fatter posterior end of the dog whipworm ("the
handle") contains the reproductive organs that the worm uses to produce
fertile eggs. The worst part… there is nothing you can treat the
soil with to kill whipworm eggs. The best would be to remove the
soil 4 – 6 inches deep, replace the soil and put the contaminated soil
somewhere dogs cannot get to it for 10 years or more. Then treat the
dogs and pick up all feces and discard it so the new soil will not
become contaminated again. Do not let any other dogs visiting the place
to use the lot. |
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Tapeworms
- If you look closely, you may be able to see segments of tapeworms
moving around your dog's anal area. If dried, they may appear as
rectangular segments similar in size to a grain of white rice or a
cucumber seed. There are a few different varieties of tapeworms. Fleas
carry tapeworms, so if your dog has fleas, or had fleas, there is a good
chance he could have tapeworms. Also if the dog eats the flea he could
have tapeworms. Standard
wormer doesn't always kill tapeworms, so a stronger wormer is needed.
People can get
tapeworms from ingesting a flea from a dog, which is not hard;
considering a flea is so small, it could easily land on your plate, or
your hand, and be ingested unnoticed. A tapeworm is not that dangerous
to a dog, it is referred to by some as the smart parasite, but it can be
dangerous to people, causing serious liver disease. |
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Puppies should
be treated at 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14 and 16 weeks, about every two weeks up
to the puppy reaching three months old and again as advised by your vet,
and with vet recommended medicine.
It is
very important to worm your puppy and your dog, as tapeworms and
roundworms can infect people. |
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Giardia
is a single-celled parasite that lives in your dog’s intestine. It
infects older dogs but more frequently infects puppies. Dogs become
infected when they swallow Giardia that may be present in water or other
substances that have been soiled with feces. Many dogs infected with
Giardia
do not get any disease. Giardiasis, the disease caused by
Giardia
infection, usually results in diarrhea. |
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Heartworms are common in dogs throughout the United States
. They are among the most damaging parasites in dogs but they are
almost100 percent preventable. Heartworms are transmitted by mosquitoes
and, once mature, they live in the heart and large blood vessels of the
lungs. Adult heartworms can measure over one foot in length.
The heartworm larvae deposited by the
feeding mosquito eventually migrate to the chambers of the heart or into
the vessels of the lungs. Once in the heart, the worms can affect blood
flow throughout the body. Heartworm infection can affect many different
organs of the dog—heart, lungs, kidneys, and liver, for example—so
symptoms may be varied. Most commonly though, signs of heart or lung
disease are present. A veterinarian may suspect that a dog has been
infected if an active animal tires easily or shows shortness of breath
or coughing. Early in the disease, dogs are often asymptomatic. Signs
are often progressive over weeks to months and untreated, heartworm
infection can be fatal.
This
is checked with a blood test. |
Even
though you may have received treatment recommended by a veterinarian,
there will also be steps to follow at home.
Cleaning the bedding is one of the key elements in completely getting
rid of worms.
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