"Quality Care for Your 4-Legged Friends"
3355 E. Conner St.
Noblesville, IN 46060
(317)773-3283
Common Parasites:
Heartworms
• What do they do? Dirofilaria immitis , or the heartworm, lives in the right side of the dog's heart and nearby blood vessels. The female worm produces large numbers of microscopic, immature heartworms (microfilaria), which circulate in the blood. The adult heartworm takes 3 months to produce microfilaria. These worms then infest all of the dog's heart and if not detected can cause heart failure, serious disease of the liver and kidneys and death.
• How are they transmitted? When a mosquito bites a heartworm-infected dog, it takes up microfilaria with the blood. Then when the mosquito bites another dog, the microfilaria are transmitted through the mosquito bite wound. It takes 190 days from the time the dog is bitten to become a new source of infective microfilaria.
• How do I tell if my dog is infected? A test involving just a few drops of blood can be done here at the veterinary clinic to test for heartworms. All dogs must be tested yearly for heartworms before they can be put on heartworm prevention.
• What type of prevention is available? When a puppy makes his first visit to the veterinarian, he should be put on heartworm prevention. The heartworm prevention tablets available at the veterinary office also treat internal parasites such as hookworm, roundworm and whipworm. These tablets are given once a month and are available as heartworm and flea (along with internal parasite) prevention or just as heartworm (and internal parasite) prevention.
Return to topTapeworms
• What do they do? Tapeworms feed off the food within the small intestine. They can cause intestinal blockage, diarrhea or constipation.
• How are they transmitted? Dogs usually become infected by ingesting fleas or lice that are also infected with the immature worms. They can also become infected by ingesting animals that serve as hosts for tapeworms, such as rabbits, snakes, birds and frogs.
• How do I tell if my dog is infected? The most common signs are “scooting” and passing excessive amounts of gas. Also, small ¼ inch long white, flat things attached to your pet's hair near the rectum or in the feces indicate a tapeworm infestation.
• What types of prevention or treatment are available? Treatment involves giving your dog a deworming medication (which must be repeated in one to two weeks), implementing a complete flea control program to prevent the ingestion of fleas and preventing your pet from eating raw meat or wild animals.
Roundworms
• What do they do? Roundworms bite the wall of the small intestines and feed on blood.
• How are they transmitted? Dogs become infected by walking through an area where an infected dog previously had a bowel movement, which are infested with roundworm eggs. These eggs are sticky and easily stick to the dog's hair. Then when the dog grooms itself, the eggs are swallowed.
In puppies under 5 weeks of age, the larval stage of the roundworm penetrates the small intestine and migrates through the heart and liver until it reaches the lungs. The puppy then coughs up the larva and swallows them. Then they mature into adults in the small intestine. Many of the migrating larvae do not find their way back to the small intestine and become buried in other various body tissues. If this dog is female and then later becomes pregnant, the hormonal changes within her body signals these worms to migrate through the uterus and into the milk glands. The newborn puppies are then infected with the roundworms.
• How do I tell if my dog is infected? Sometimes worms will be seen in the feces; they are white, round, spaghetti-like and measure one to seven inches long. However, worms usually are not seen.
Puppies will sometimes vomit up a worm, showing you that the puppy is infected. Heavily infected puppies can be bloated, have diarrhea, constipation, vomiting or obstruction of the small intestines. Because these worms feed off blood, puppies can die from anemia. Since roundworms migrate to the lungs, large numbers of these worms can cause respiratory problems in young puppies. All puppies should have a fecal examination at 6-8 weeks of age and then four to eight weeks later. The second fecal exam allows the larva time to reach the small intestines and start producing eggs (this is what is detected in the stool).
• What type of treatment is available? Dogs with roundworms are given an oral medication, which kills the worms in the small intestine. Once the puppy is old enough to take heartworm prevention, they will be given a tablet that protects against heartworms, roundworms, hookworms and whipworms.
Hookworms
• What do they do? Adult hookworms attach to the small intestinal wall and feed on the blood of the dog.
• How are they transmitted? A dog can become infected by eating food or drinking water that has been contaminated by the worm or by walking in areas where a previously infected dog has deposited its feces. The eggs of the hookworm are passed out with the feces, where they develop into larva. The larva can then burrow through the skin and footpads of dogs and migrate to the lungs. The dog coughs up the larva and swallows them. They become adults in the small intestine, where they feed and produce eggs.
• How do I tell if my dog is infected? Large numbers of hookworms can cause a bloody red to black diarrhea. Hookworm eggs are identified in the stool through a fecal examination.
• What type of treatment is available? Dogs that are positive for hookworms are given an oral dewormer by the veterinarian. This treatment is repeated in two weeks. To prevent reinfection, clean your yard of feces daily and clean concrete with bleach or sodium borate.
Whipworms
• What do they do? Whipworms infest the large intestine and may hatch and mature there.
• How are they transmitted? Whipworms are most often found in adult dogs, which are infected by grooming themselves or eating food off soil contaminated with eggs. Their life cycle can be completed without ever leaving the dog's colon, unlike roundworms and hookworms.
• How do I tell if my dog is infected? Dogs infected with whipworms can have bloody diarrhea with mucous, although they often do not show any signs. Fecal examinations are very important in the detection of a whipworm infection.
• What type of treatment is available? Whipworms are also treated orally, and infected dogs must have their feces rechecked four weeks and three months after the treatment because it may take up to three months for larva to reach maturity and start producing eggs.
Coccidia
• What do they do? The organisms invade the lining of the small intestine and can cause watery diarrhea that is sometimes bloody.
• How are they transmitted? Coccidia are very small single-celled organisms that are transmitted through contaminated feces.
• How do I tell if my dog is infected? Diarrhea is usually the only symptom seen; a stool sample must be observed under a microscope to detect.
• What type of treatment is available? Oral medication is given daily for two to three weeks to kill the coccidian. This disease is controlled through good sanitary practices.
Ringworm
• What do they do? Ringworm is not really a worm, but a fungus that infects the skin.
• How are they transmitted? It is easily transmitted from one animal to another by close contact or from fungus within the soil. Ringworm is contagious to humans, especially small children.
• How do I tell if my dog is infected? The classic sign is a circular spot where all the hair is gone. The spot rapidly enlarges and the center starts to heal. Other forms of the disease develop into a red irritated area on the skin or areas of hair loss.
• What type of treatment is available? Effective anti-fungul medication is available through the veterinarian to treat your pet.
Ear Mites
• What do they do? Ear mites are tiny, white parasites that live in the ear canals. They burrow in the ear canal and cause reddness and irritation. Severe ear infections may develop as a result of injury to the ear canal by the mites.
• How are they transmitted? They are highly contagious and frequently infest whole litters of puppies and kittens. If more than one dog or cat is present in the home and one is found to be infected, then all should be carefully examined for ear mites.
• How do I tell if my dog is infected? A dark, crusty material is found in the affected ear canal. Head shaking and ear scratching are common signs.
• What type of treatment is available? Effective medication is available through the veterinarian to treat your pet. A thorough cleansing of the ears is required to wash out the dark, crusty material and allow more area for the medication to be applied to. The medication will be applied by the veterinarian, and some will be sent home with you for continued treatment thereafter.
Fleas
• What do they do? Fleas live on the skin of animals and feed on their blood. Their bites cause itching and irritation. Some animals are allergic to flea bites, so the intenstiy of the itch and irritation is even worse.
• How are they transmitted? Because fleas live on the skin, they simply jump between animals and on to furnishings in the environment. They can then jump on and infest animals that come along at a later time.
• How do I tell if my dog is infected? The most common sign of a flea infestation is incessant itching. Also, if you bathe or groom your dog, you may see small red bumps in various locations on the skin.
• How can I prevent it ? A heartworm prevention is available that also includes flea prevention. It causes fleas to be sterile, which prevents reproduction and infestation. If your dog is exposed to fleas while on this product, a flea or two can live on your dog. However, at the end of the life cycle (2-4 weeks), there won't be any more fleas as long as the dog does not continue to be exposed.
• What type of treatment is available? There are all types of flea treatments available on the market that work with varying dependibility. They range from shampoos to prevention to topical treatments and are available at pet stores, online and through your veterinarian. We carry a topical product, which is put on the base of the neck and kills all adult fleas within 24 hours. However, treatment is very difficult because fleas can continue to live in the environment for 1-3 weeks without a suitable host.