Hoppers Crossing Veterinary Clinic and Hospital

INTESTINAL WORMING FOR DOGS AND CATS

COULD MY PET HAVE WORMS?

As our client you have probably been asked by one of the vets “has your dog or cat been wormed recently?”. While many owners believe their pets are not suffering from intestinal woms as they have not seen  worms in the droppings, this is often not the case. Research indicates that a high proportion of dogs and cats are infected with worms. This poses a significant health risk not only to our pets but also to the human population.

WHAT ARE THE CLINICAL SIGNS OF WORMS?

Young puppies can suffer from round worm infections causing a dull coat, potbelly, diarrhoea and in severe cases death.  Puppies may also acquire hookworm from their mother before birth, again causing diarrhoea and possibly death.

Adult dogs may carry roundworm and hookworm, as well as whipworm and tapeworm. Whipworm can cause severe diarrhoea. Tapeworm is a worm often occuring together with fleas and while rarely causing clinical signs, small white tapeworm segments are frequently seen by owners in the faeces. Cats also suffer from these types of worms. Many cases of worms are what we call “subclinical”, meaning that while your pet may not show signs of ill health they are still passing thousands of  worm eggs and larvae into the environment each time they pass faeces.

WHY ARE THERE SO MANY PETS WITH WORMS?

Owners often do not  worm their pets because they feel they are not at risk of “picking up worms” if they do not associate with other animals. However keep in mind that soil in backyards or parks where dogs are walked is often heavily contaminated with worm eggs and larvae. Owners also avoid worming their animals if they are difficult to worm, or if their pet has suffered from nausea or vomiting after being wormed. Other animals carry worms because they have not received the correct worming dose for the animals body weight.

CAN HUMANS CATCH WORMS FROM THEIR PETS?

YES! The risk of human infection with worms is typically associated with the ingestion of eggs or larvae in contaminated soil or via unwashed hands.  Puppies with roundworm pose an especially high risk. The eggs ingested  by a human may hatch into larvae which can migrate through the liver, lungs, heart and brain and even penetrate the eye to cause vision loss.  Hookworm larvae can penetrate human skin causing extreme itchiness and inflammation.  Another potential cause of human disease is the hydatid tapeworm which is widespread in dogs in country areas. Ingested eggs can cause cysts to develop in the liver, brain and other organs, especially in children. Surgical treatment is often required and in some cases this disease may be fatal.

HOW DO I PREVENT WORMS AFFECTING MY PET AND ME?

Obviously intestinal worms are a serious health risk to both pets and their owners hence regular worming is an important preventative measure. Other measures such as cleaning up after dogs on the street and in parks and washing your hands each time you play with your pet are also very important. Adult cats and dogs should be given an intestinal allwormer every 3 months while kittens and puppies need to be wormed more regularly, so check with our vets or nurses . Be sure to use a complete allwormer in adult animals and our nurses can provide information on the many excellent products available including easy chew blocks, tablets and pastes and we can recommend alternative products if nausea has occured previously. If you have trouble worming your pet then the nurses or vets will be happy to perform this task for you. Remember while at the clinic make sure to use our scales to get an accurate weight on your pet to avoid underdosing.

FLEA ALLERGY DERMATITIS

Your pet has a skin condition resulting from an allergy to a flea bite. A single bite can cause scratching, chewing or licking for up to two weeks. To control the itching it is therefore necessary to ensure there are absolutely no fleas in your pet’s environment.

Adult fleas, after their first feed of blood, spend all of their time on the pet. They do not jump from pet to pet. They lay eggs that roll off into the environment and hatch into larvae. The larvae move into the carpet pile and under furniture or into areas of the garden. Complete flea control involves treatment of the environment and all the pets in the household.

FLEA CONTROL

Treatment of the Animals:

There are many flea control products on the market but many are ineffective for flea bite allergy. Supermarket flea collars, flea powders and shampoos do not work! They only kill adult fleas for a few days and often contain chemicals that may be harmful for your pet. Instead we recommend using Frontline, Advantage or Advocate topical spot-ons every 4 weeks. Remember to apply every month of the year, not just in summer. These products will kill adult fleas on contact for the entire period. They also prevent egg and larval stages from developing in the environment. These products are all water safe so normal bathing and swimming is ok, just do not bath for 1-2 days after application. These products are safe to use in young pets also.

Treatment of the house and garden:

Wash your pet’s bedding regularly in hotwater.

Vacuum all carpets regularly.

Flea bombs or sprays may initially be required in heavily infested environments or areas of the garden

 

REMEMBER EVERY CAT AND DOG  IN THE HOUSEHOLD MUST BE TREATED !