Over the last few weeks, we have discussed pretty much the salient aspects of worm infestation of your companion animals. However, we can kill as many of the worms in the gastro-intestinal tract (GIT) as our specific and potent medication would allow, but all would be useless if we do not control the pet environment relative to the presence of the infecting worms and their eggs. We will now turn our attention to the control and prevention considerations, while making a relevant synopsis of all that was presented over the last few instalments of the PET CARE column.
Irrespective of the type of worms that are being targeted, the pet’s environment must be sanitised several times weekly, and sick animals must be isolated from the healthy ones. Also, adopted animals (especially those whose parents are related) would, in all likelihood, have a weakened immune system.
Hookworms
The puppy contracts Hookworms often during nursing or by direct skin penetration. I have always considered Hookworms to be the most damaging and lethal of worms, not lastly because they are aggressive and can precipitate a bloody diarrhoea by eroding the gut lining.
Relative to control and prevention, allow me to emphasize that puppies should be dewormed on several occasions within the first 12 weeks of life, starting when they are 3 weeks old. Important also is the hygiene in the area where the puppies play and sleep and nurse. The areas where the mother dog lives should be free of contaminants and cleaned regularly – preferably daily. I recommend Jeyes fluid, not the fragrant but relatively less potent household cleaners.
Roundworms
The infection mode is similar to that of Hookworms (see above). These intestinal worms are much larger than Hookworms and therefore use up much of the food given to the mother dog and her puppies during the latter’s early weeks of life. Consequently, the pups do not thrive well – low growth rates, emaciation, distended abdomens. Actually, the caregiver would often see the 1-2-inch-long worms in the stool, given that the larval stages of these worms do a body passage (intestine-penetration of the gut wall-blood stream- lungs-coughed up into the mouth-swallowed-back into the intestines as adult worms-stool).
Roundworms are very common in untreated dogs. Your veterinarian can, in fact, carry a test on the pup’s stool sample, and identify the roundworm eggs.
The control and prevention would be the same as with Hookworms (see above). Also, similarly the pregnant mother dogs should be dewormed twice during the gestation period; and the puppies must be dewormed when they are 3 weeks of age, and 3 weeks later. The vet will advise on the deworming regimen thereafter.
I should mention that the Heartworm prevention medicine could be administered monthly to both the adult dogs and pups, when the latter have attained 3-4 months of age. Your veterinarian will advise on deworming schedule of the adult dogs and juvenile (young adult) pups, as deemed necessary. However, after the initial deworming, at 3-week intervals, the schedule may change to monthly deworming.
The hygiene protocol is the same as Hookworms (see above).
Tapeworms
The method of infection of Tapeworms is quite different from Roundworms and Hookworms. In fact, as I have previously mentioned, Tapeworms are totally different worms – in almost every aspect. Their anatomy is different. For example, they have hooks and sucking cups on their heads. This means that even if one gets rid of the segments, which are attached to the Tapeworm’s head, the head remains intact and attached to the host’s gut wall, and it is difficult to remove them – surely not with the medication that removes Roundworm with relative ease. Each segment of the tapeworm may have both male and female organs – and it is believed that each segment can reproduce on its own; or, if segments touch each other, there can be an indirect reproductive capability.
Moreover, the anthelminthic drugs that work against Roundworms are not effective against Tapeworms. The diagnosis relative to a Tapeworm infestation is more difficult since most infections exhibit not many definitive signs – although emaciation would be the first symptom to be observed. If the infection is heavy enough, and the space, on which the tapeworm can attach itself to the gut wall, becomes limited, the Tapeworms detach themselves, and are then seen squirming on the expelled stool during defecation. Further, the moving worms in the rectum (end part of the intestinal tract) create an itch reaction as they emerge from the anus. The animal is seen scooting on its behind.
Even the stool test (looking for eggs) is different from that of Roundworms. A very different methodology has to be introduced to find the Tapeworm eggs. The caregiver’s vet will know what to do.
Finally, as I had mentioned in a previous column, (Pet Care – August 7, 2022), the intermediary hosts of Tapeworms are fleas. Consequently, the removal of fleas from the pups and adult dogs is imperative in the control and prevention of Tapeworms. Control requires medication to treat the Tapeworms as well as the eradication of a flea burden on the dogs. This is not always easy to accomplish. Let your vet advise you further on these matters.
One may recall that I had mentioned that the eating of Tapeworm-infected carcasses or even live animals having Tapeworms in their gastro-intestinal tracts and having fleas on the bodies would almost surely lead to infection and the perpetuation of Tapeworms in the animal consuming the dead or live Tapeworm-infested prey.
Control requires specific medications to eradicate the Tapeworms. As mentioned last week, Praziquantel is the drug of choice. Preventing access to prey animals and flea control are most important to avoid infection.
Threadworms and Whipworms
Often an infection with these worms do not show any (many) symptoms. A very heavy infection will produce soft/watery stool streaked with blood, especially during hot, humid weather (currently being experienced in Guyana). In severe cases, the animal will develop a fever and shallow breathing. These worms are easily seen, via a microscopic faecal examination.
It is imperative that you isolate sick animals and thoroughly wash and scrub the pet’s living areas in the prevention and control of Threadworms and Whipworms.
