I concluded last week’s column by writing that there is a multiplicity of anti-worm medicines on the market – each of the manufacturers purporting to have products which contain chemicals that can kill worms (living inside the companion animal’s body – endoparasites) as well as ectoparasites (ticks, fleas, lice and mites – living outside the body, or just under the pet’s skin. I am sure that they all work well – though perhaps not with optimal efficacy.
Also, I had mentioned that tapeworms (found in the pet’s intestines) need very special treatment. Scientists have found tapeworms in all mammals, (including whales), that have been examined. Often, these worms are found when post-mortems are carried out, not lastly in abattoirs. Also, not all of the animals in which tapeworms were discovered had exhibited any overt signs of ailment due to the infestation.
As an aside, I might mention that, in my younger days, when I was also a field vet, I came across a case of sheep on a farm mysteriously dying, even though they were routinely dewormed by an all-purpose dewormer which at the time was the anthelminthic of choice on farm animals. It turned out that the sheep were grazing on some pastures that were infested with toxic plants (saponea pratensis – I remember this name to this day), and not primarily of a sheep tapeworm burden.
Caregivers increasingly ask me which dewormer is the best for dogs and cats. I usually give the answer that worms living in the intestines of our companion animals constitute not an immediate and serious problem, but a potentially damaging state to the pets’ health. I therefore advise that deworming pets should be placed in the hands of a knowledgeable professional. For example, the dosage rate will vary according to gender, the weight, the condition, the deworming protocol, the age, the species, and the level of general care of the animal to be dewormed.
So often, patients (presented to veterinarians) that are purportedly following the health care regimes will exhibit overgrown toenails that are so long that they are curving back into the pads of the paws. On other occasions, the hair is knotted into balls which are hanging loosely from the skin. I find it hard to believe that an animal exhibiting such signs of deficient care would be dewormed in accordance with an approved cycle/dosage rate.
Under such conditions, one can see why veterinarians (dare I say human doctors as well) are reluctant in believe that:
i) Everything that a caregiver pronounces about their delivery of ‘monthly’ medications to the pet is true;
ii) That the caregiver actually understands the advice given by “Mr. Google”. Caregivers are notorious for giving less or more of the prescribed dosage, and boasting about it.
You may notice that I placed the word “monthly” (in the last sentence) in inverted commas. Why? If the cycle from a Roundworm egg to an adult Roundworm takes three weeks, why are we deworming every month? This latter methodology might just ensure a perpetuation of adult egg-laying Roundworms.
Now, do not get me wrong; there are times when adhering to a three-week cycle is mandatory and times when a four-week cycle may be permitted. To further complicate the matter, one has to understand that the implementation of a three-week or four-week schedule is not cast in stone; it may vary. Again, it is the learned professional, who has been schooled in these matters, who should be making these decisions.
Moreover, it is imperative for me to share this following thought. If the well-advertised veterinary product(s) has(have) three of four components in the tablets/liquid – each purporting to paralyse/kill the various species of parasites inside and outside the companion animal’s body – it must be recognised that each species of parasite has its own life cycle. How can one pill cater for all these differences in terms of efficacy?
Bearing in mind the logic contained in the two previous paragraphs, one may wish to agree that each pathogen (worms, ticks, fleas, lice or mites, etc.) should be attacked specifically, or at least in groups. I am convinced of this latter methodology, and I advise accordingly.
For example, tapeworms, especially because of their obstinacy in remaining alive, must be targeted specifically and with the correct dosage rate. Moreover, the stool of the pets (especially those who have/had fleas – the intermediary hosts for tapeworms) must be incessantly observed for this parasite, which looks like an undigested grain of rice squirming on the surface of freshly deposited faecal matter. In fact, the caregiver need not be surprised if the vet processes the stool and carries out a special test to ascertain the presence of tapeworm eggs under the microscope.
The drug which currently works best against Tapeworms is called “Praziquantel”, and it is often incorporated into the multi-spectrum dewormers. Again, I prefer to use Praziquantel specifically and only in animals with Tapeworms, while – of course – using concomitantly any other proven and tested safe flea killer.
Next week we will continue to provide advice on the use of dewormers and other treatment protocols for various species of worms.
