Intestinal Worms in Dogs – Treatments and Precautions

Every year your pet flinches through the chances of contracting of intestinal worms. Apart from fleas, gastrointestinal worms are the biggest cause of vet visits. These worms play an acute role in disturbing your pet’s health. As the pet does not show any signs of worms initially, veterinarians often tout these parasites as ‘silent killers’.

The worst part about gastrointestinal worms is that they adapt to the internal balance of the pet’s body. Because of this adaptable nature, they don’t raise any health issues initially and are thus very difficult to be detected by a layman eye. They damage the pet’s body at a slow pace and thus become a health threat. They are the primary cause of many diseases in puppies and dogs. 

What are the common types of intestinal worms in dogs? 
A dog’s intestine becomes host of three kinds of worms – roundworms, hookworms and whipworms. Each one of these has a different impact on the pet’s health and need to be managed separately. 

Roundworms: Roundworms are acquired from the environment when the dog eats rodents, varmints and squirrels, which already have roundworms present in them. They do not cause severe health problems to adult dogs but can affect puppies adversely. Puppies need to be taken care of during the first eight weeks to make sure they do not contract roundworms. 

Hookworms: Hookworms can be fatal to puppies and dogs. They are a serious health risk as their infection can lead to the death of the pet. They need to be treated well in advance otherwise, you need to hospitalize your pet and provide supportive care. Intestinal worm treatment like hookworm preventives need to be given at the right time to keep these worms away from puppies and dogs. 

Whipworms: These worms are quite asymptomatic in nature and are thus very difficult to detect. They live in the large intestine of the pet’s body and slowly destroy its lining. They cause several diseases, which includes weight loss, diarrhea and weakness. Since they re-infect the pet at frequent intervals, it becomes important to prevent them or treat them on a periodic basis. 

How to protect your dog from intestinal worms? 
Summers are a thriving period for worms. Humid, warm climate makes them flourish. These are the times, when pet parents need to be cautious and give intestinal worm preventives to their pets. Make sure you make your pet worm-proof, as prevention is always better than cure. 

Steps to follow for worm proofing your pet: 

• As per your vet’s guidance, administer worm preventives to the pet. Give on a periodic manner with time gap as specified by the vet. 
• Keep his environment clean by clearing of poops from the yard. This is important as most of the intestinal worm larvae and eggs are thrown out in the feces. 
• Clean up his bedding, craters and litter box on a regular basis to induce proper hygiene. Take him to vet visits on a periodic basis to keep an eye on his general health and medical condition. 
• Treat your pet with worm preventives all year round to avoid seasonal worm infestations. Intestinal worm treatments in a planned manner will keep worms away from your pet. 

To sum up, intestinal worms can disrupt your pet’s body and leave him exhausted and diseased. They must be treated and prevented to keep your pet healthy. So, follow your vet’s advice, be regular with your pet’s worm prevention plan and just make him worm free!