Pets Information
Google
 

Wormy Dogs? - Understand Dog Worms Infestation and Their Symptoms


Until a very recent period, dog worms were thought to be of a spontaneous origin, brought about by the influence of heat upon decaying vegetable matter, and it was and still is freely asserted that puppies are born with dog worms inherited from the mother in some mysterious manner while still in uterus. This has been conclusively proven an error and in the minds of all scientists there is no question about dog worms springing from individual eggs and having a complete life history of their own.

The principal worm species with which dog owners have to contend are round worms and tape worms. The first named commonly infest puppies and consequently are most dreaded by breeders. In shape and size these worms resemble common angle worms, but in color are lighter, being almost white or only a pale pink.

In adult dogs these worms, when full grown, are from three to seven inches long. In puppies they are about half that length, and as thick as common white string. Round worms live in the small intestines, sometimes coiled in such masses as to obstruct the passage, and occasionally they wander into the stomach or are passed by the bowels.

It is easy to understand that when one dog in a kennel is infected with worms, millions of eggs will be passed with the feces. These are scattered all over the floors, bedding, feeding and drinking pans. They get on the dog's coat, are licked off and swallowed and in numbers of ways gain entrance to the digestive tracts of other dogs, where they soon hatch out and in ten days are fully developed.

This rapid development account for the popular belief that puppies are born with worms, for breeders who have held post-mortems on puppies scarcely ten days old and have found in their stomachs fully developed round worms could account for their presence in no other way. They overlooked the fact that the prospective mother, confined in a kennel infested with worms, would get these eggs attached to her coat, belly and breasts, and the young, as soon as born, would take these eggs into their stomachs with the first mouthfuls of milk.

Symptoms Of Dog Worms Attack

Dog worms are responsible for so much sickness and so many symptoms that it is practically impossible to mention all of them, but their presence can safely be suspected in all dogs which have not been recently treated for them, as well as in cases where the patient is run down, unthrifty and out of sorts.

Other symptoms are a hot, dry nose, weak, watery eyes, pale lips and gums, foul breath, mean hacking cough and a red, scurfy, pimply or irritated condition of the skin and harsh, dry, staring coat that is constantly being shed.

Wormy dogs sometimes have a depraved appetite and will eat dirt and rubbish. Some days they are ravenously hungry, the next day they will not eat at all; their sleep is disturbed by dreams and intestinal rumbling, the urine is high colored and frequently passed, bowels irregular, stomach easily unsettled, watery mucus is frequently vomited and the mouth is hot, sticky and full of ropy saliva.

Puppies which are full of worms bloat easily and are pot-bellied. After feeding their stomachs distend disproportionately to the amount of food consumed. Their bodies are also subject to scaly eruptions and their bowels to colicky pains; they do not grow as rapidly as healthy puppies should and instead of playing with each other they curl up and sleep hour after hour; they get thinner, weaker and more lifeless from day to day and if they do not waste away or die in fits and convulsions with frothing at the mouth and champing of the jaws, grow up coarse-jointed, rickety and misshapen. Puppies with worms are also liable to paralysis of their rear limbs and on removal of the worms the puppies regain control of the affected parts.

A wormy dog is usually an unhealthy and unhappy dog who leads a miserable life. It could even be deadly, especially so for young puppies. Bring your dog to a veterinarian if you are unsure. Your dog will certainly thank you for that.

About the AuthorMoses Chia is a dog lover and owner ofDogsObedienceTraining.com - The dog training resource site for a happier and healthier dog.

You are welcome to reprint this article if you keep the content and live link intact.


MORE RESOURCES:

A place for the homeless and their pets
Los Angeles Times, CA - 5 hours ago
Many homeless people -- perhaps as many as 10% -- have pets. (The pets above are waiting with their owners, who are homeless, for veterinary care in Ventura ...


Chicago hotel is tops for pets
Chicago Sun-Times, United States - 11 hours ago
The Web site Petside.com recently named the top five pet-friendly hotels, and No. 1 is right here in Chicago. The James Hotel is the head of the pack, ...


Columbus Dispatch

Caring for your pet in hot weather
Coshocton Tribune, OH - 8 hours ago
As much as I dislike conflict, I spoke up and reminded the young woman that the man "obviously" didn't realize how dangerous it is to leave a pet in a car ...
Cautions against leaving pets in cars The-News-Leader
Best care far cheaper than treatment for ailing dog Columbus Dispatch
all 3 news articles


TopNews

Study: Pets Are Becoming Obese Due To Junk Food Diets
TopNews, India - 12 hours ago
A recent British study has found that pets in the country are becoming obese because they are being fed with junk food diets. ...
Junk food is causing pet obesity epidemic Telegraph.co.uk
Pet Obesity On The Rise-Thanks To Junk Food TheMedGuru
Even in recession, pets cared for Tri Valley Herald
guardian.co.uk - Canoe.ca
all 20 news articles


Wall Street Journal Blogs

Doggie Dilemma: When the Baby Edges Out a Beloved Pet
Wall Street Journal Blogs, NY - 6 hours ago
Some new parents we know have gone a step further: They’ve given away their pets because they were too aggressive with the babies, or because the parents ...


Obama's big decision - which dog
San Jose Mercury News,  USA - 21 hours ago
We won't know until then if that dog or any of Republican John McCain's menagerie of 24 pets — from dogs and a cat to turtles and parakeets — will become ...
Poll: John McCain looks like best in show among pet owners Minneapolis Star Tribune
Campaign promises: beat Obama, and adopt me first! OurayNews.com
all 5 news articles


Pender prisioners to train family pets
StarNewsOnline.com, NC - 4 hours ago
While the prison system is building a kennel for the dogs, everything else will be paid for by Monty's Home, a nonprofit group that offers pet education, ...


Keep pets safe during summer's heat
Herald & Review, IL - 55 minutes ago
But when those friends are pets, it's important to remember that they, too, are sensitive to the heat, said Dr. Larry Baker of Northgate Pet Clinic. ...


Food assistance for pets
KOAA, CO - 1 hour ago
A new organization in Colorado Springs is trying to help pet owners who are struggling financially by feeding their animals. The Pikes Peak Pet Pantry ...


Analyst Blog PETS Faces Tough Competition
Zacks.com, IL - 21 minutes ago
PetMed Express (PETS) reported first quarter sales that were $3 million ahead of our forecast, and its earnings per share were $0.02 ahead of our estimate. ...

Pets - Google News

Français Español 日本語 [أربيك] Italiano Deutsch 汉语 漢語 Nederlands 한국어 PortРусско
Ελληνικά Swedish Indo Romanian Polish Norwegian Hindi Finnish Danish Czech Croatian Bulgarian English - Original language website translator

home | site map
Directory Seo Supreme
© 2006