Hookworms can be acquired from the mother's milk, from penetration of the
skin by hookworm larvae in the environment and from eating hookworm
larvae. Some vets think that it may also be transmitted during pregnancy
from mothers to puppies but this is controversial.
One of the problems with hookworms is that they can accidentally infect
humans. This creates a problem called cutaneous larva migrans, which
loosely translates to worms migrating through the skin. Humans pick up the
hookworm larvae from areas contaminated by dog feces and they penetrate
the human's skin just like they would the dog's. Since they don't belong
in the human they don't develop into adults but just migrate around in the
skin, causing sores and inflammation, until they die. This is a good
reason to keep dogs and cats from defecating in playground areas, beaches
and other places where people's skin is likely to come in contact with the
ground.
Fortunately, the monthly heartworm preventatives are also effective at
controlling hookworms and can provide a measure of protection against the
possibility of the cutaneous larva migrans syndrome occurring in the
humans that own dogs and cats on heartworm preventative medications. In
areas in which heartworms are not a problem but hookworms are, it is a
good idea to consider having a pet's stool examined for the presence of
worm eggs once a year and when clinical signs that may indicate
infestation occur.
Roundworms
Roundworms (Toxocara canis and Toxascaris leonina) are
found in the intestine of dogs and are a major hygienic concern because
they are transmissible to people. Because people get infected by ingestion
of dirt contaminated with the feces of infected dogs, roundworm
elimination should be the concern on every responsible pet owner. An
average-sized dog passes 136 grams of feces daily and it is known that a
dog with a "light" roundworm infection may pass 10,000 eggs in
every gram of stool. If 12% of the 80 million dogs in America have
"light" infections, 1,300 metric tons of dog feces containing 13
trillion roundworm eggs are discharged in the streets and lands of America
every day!! In different surveys, 0.3 - 15% of soil samples and 7 - 31% of
house yards or children's sandboxes contained roundworm eggs.
Your plan of attack to eradicate roundworm infection should be: to
eliminate roundworm infection from dogs; to prevent dog defecation in
areas frequented by people, and; to educate your family and friends about
the risks and appropriate control measures.
Concerned pet owners should collect their pets' feces every day and place
them in the garbage or burn it. Flushing the feces down the toilet is
inappropriate because many eggs survive sewage treatment. There is some
fear that roundworms may be passed by a puppy licking the owner. While the
transmission rate through this avenue of infection is probably very, very
low it is still a good idea to observe good hygiene and wash hands and
faces after playing with the puppy. Also, Humans should clean vegetables
grown in the garden before eating them. For most people, these
preventative measures are just normal procedures but it is good to know
there is a reason for all this caution!
Because pups may start passing eggs as early as day 21 of life, the first
treatment must be administered before this age. Since re-infection is
common from the environment as well as in the mother's milk, treatment
must often be repeated every two weeks until the pups are 49 days old. In
practical terms, this means treating pups at 2, 4, 6, and 8 weeks of age.
Bitches should be treated at the same time as the pups since they are most
often the source of the pups infection. All bitches should be presumed to
be carriers of roundworms even if they have had negative fecals prior to
whelping since the worms often persist in her system in a resting stage.
The following list discusses how bitches carry roundworms and infect pups
before they are even born:
Once the initial infection is treated properly it is a good idea to
occasionally check a stool sample for the presence of worms or to consider
prophylactic ally administering de-worming medications if the situation
seems to warrant it. It is hoped that at some point in the future a
vaccine will become available for roundworm control since current control
measures seem to be only marginally effective. For the present however,
routine treatment of pups and bitch, as well as environmental control are
necessary and essential.
Tapeworms
Tapeworms (Taenia pisiformis, Dipylidium canium, Enchinococcus
granulosus, and Echinococcus multilocularis) are found in
the intestine of dogs and are a major hygienic concern because they are
transmissible to people. Dog-rabbit tapeworms (T. pisiformis)
have a life cycle that starts with them living in the small intestines of
wild foxes, coyotes, and wolves where they produce eggs that are shed in
the feces and subsequently contaminate the local environment. Rabbits then
become infected by ingesting these eggs which then form hundreds or even
thousands of "hydatid cysts" in the tissues. When dogs or their
wild cousins eat these rabbits they can be infected with hundreds to
thousands of adults. These adults latch onto the wall of the intestines
and after about a month, start shedding eggs. These eggs are then
immediately infective to other animals, including people. To complicate
matters further, these tapeworm eggs can remain infective in the
environment for several months.
Infected dogs may seem clinically normal while shedding large numbers of
infective eggs. The eggs are generally first seen in your dog's feces or
sticking to the hair around your dog's rear. These specialized muscular
egg cases are actually segments of the worm that are full of eggs and they
look like a small, flattened, grain of white rice that moves. As the egg
case wiggles around it is spreading thousands of tapeworm eggs which are
too small for the naked-eye to see.
Adult tapeworms appear to cause very few clinical problems in dogs.
However, this is the real point of concern since infected people are not
as lucky. Alveolar hydatid disease in humans, caused by Echinococcus
multilocularis, is a very serious infection that usually involves the
liver. Early in the course of the infection, patients may be misdiagnosed
with other liver ailments. Involvement of other tissues, including the
lungs and brain can also occur. Since over 50% of people with alveolar
hydatid disease die, this is considered the most lethal worm infection
that people get. It is therefore important for all dogs and cats in
high-risk areas be screened for tapeworm infection. This is more difficult
than it sounds since infection with Echinococcus eggs can not be
readily differentiated from the more common tapeworms which do not affect
people. Veterinarians finding tapeworm eggs on fecal exams usually closely
examine pets for the rice-like grains known as proglottids which are found
with common tapeworms but not the lethal variety. Occasionally more
dramatic methods are necessary to try to recover worms from suspect pets.
A more convenient blood test is available to diagnose infection in people
and hopefully similar tests will soon become suitable for pets.
The best defense is increased public awareness of this condition. Personal
protection and hygiene are important, especially to those individuals that
may contact feces from potentially-infected pets. Children are
particularly at risk. Mulch that contains feces from dogs, cats, wolves or
foxes should not be used on gardens. Beagles should be discouraged from
consuming rabbits or any other type of wild rodent.
Fortunately for pets, there are medicines that are safe and very effective
for treatment. People are not as lucky and surgery still remains the
preferred treatment.
In conclusion, Echinococcus multilocularis, may cause a mild
problem in pets but if people get infected, the results can be fatal. In
order to minimize the risk of human infection the public must increase its
awareness of the potential complications that are associated with the
parasites.
Whipworms
Surveys consistently identify whipworms (Trichuris vulpis) as one
of the most common parasitic worms of dogs in North America, while only
infrequently being reported in cats or humans. They
Many people do not realize that dogs do not begin to shed whipworm eggs in
their stool until about 3 months after being infected. At that time each
female whipworm may pass from 1000 to 4000 eggs per day into the stool.
Complicating matters further are that female whipworms are long-lived,
surviving for months or years in the intestines. The life cycle therefore
includes a larval stage in the small intestine, an adult stage in the
large intestine, and infective eggs that pass into the feces.
Diagnosis is not always easy since it depends on finding whipworm eggs in
the feces. Remember that animals are infected for 3 months before they
begin to shed eggs and you can appreciate the problem. Once females begin
shedding eggs, they are usually recoverable by direct smears and
centrifugal flotation. They are not as easily found with standard fecal
evaluations. In some instances, the adult worms are actually seen attached
to the lower bowel during endoscopic procedures.
Treatment is also not straightforward because of the peculiar life cycle
of this parasite. Although many medicines are effective in removing adult
worms, the larvae are less reliably cleared. Therefore treatment must
often be repeated in 3 weeks and often, in 3 months as well, when the
larvae have evolved into egg-producing adults. The biggest hindrance to
effective treatment is that animals are often re-exposed to environments
in which whipworm eggs are plentiful, and are thereby re-infected.
It can be difficult to control exposure to whipworm eggs on lawns or soil
but concrete can be effectively disinfected. Proper disposal of
egg-containing dog feces is critical.
Giardia
What
is Giardiasis?
Giardiasis is an intestinal infection caused by a parasitic protozoan
(single celled organism) called Giardia lamblia. These protozoans are
found in the intestines of many animals, including dogs and humans. This
microscopic parasite clings to the surface of the intestine, or floats
free in the mucous lining the intestine. Veterinary research documents
suggest that 5% to 10% of all dogs in North America have giardiasis at any
given time. Surveys also show that about 14% of the adult dog population
and over 30% of dogs under one year of age were infected at some point
during their life, and thus contributed to passing along this intestinal
infection to other dogs. Another Vet research article I found suggests
that 100% of kennel dogs, 50% of pups, and 10% of well-cared for dogs
carry giardia.
Life cycle of
Giardia
Giardia occur in two forms: a motile feeding stage that lives in the
intestine, and a non-motile cyst stage that passes in the feces. The
giardia trophozoite (photo above left) - which is the active stage of the
organism - inhabits the small intestine of the dog. The trophozoite stage
is tear-drop shaped, binucleated, and has four pairs of flagella. It
attaches to the cells of the intestine with its adhesive disc and rapidly
divides to produce a whole population of trophozoites. As they detach they
may be swept down the intestine. If intestinal flow is fast then they may
appear in the feces. However, if they have time, encystment occurs as the
parasite travels to the large intestine. The cyst (photo on right) is
fairly resistant, and can survive for several months outside of a host's
body as long as sufficient moisture is provided. The cyst is oblong in
shape with four nuclei that are sometimes distinctly visible. Mature cysts
are usually found in the feces of infected animals. Other animals become
infected by ingesting the cysts that passed from the body in feces. These
ingested cysts then break open inside the small intestine to release the
motile feeding stage (trophozoite). Giardia increase their numbers by each
organism dividing in half which is called binary fission (photo below).
How
did my dog get Giardia?
Giardia
lives and reproduces in the small intestine of host animals. Giardia
trophozoites, the free living stage of the organism, form infective cysts
that are passed out in the feces. If the cysts are present in a wet
or damp environment they can survive in a viable state for a few weeks to
several months. Giardia infections are transmitted via ingestion of
trophozoites or cysts in contaminated water or food or in the eating of
feces as dogs will do. If a giardia cyst is ingested, the cyst wall is
broken down during the digestive process and the trophozoite stage begins
to colonize the upper small intestine. Transmission also occurs by direct
contact, especially with asymptomatic carriers. More recently, giardiasis
has also been recognized as being able to be sexually transmitted. Giardia
is so prevalent throughout North America because it is highly contagious.
The ingestion of as few as one or more giardia cysts may cause the
disease, as contrasted to most bacterial illnesses where hundreds to
thousands of organisms must be consumed to produce illness.
What harm does
Giardia do to my dog?
Giardia causes its unpleasant effects on the body not by invading the
tissues, but simply by being in the way. It multiplies to the point where
it sort of paves the lining of the intestine and blocks normal digestion (malabsorption).
This causes only partially digested food to get lower in the digestive
tract than it should, causing diarrhea.
(Photo
on Right). Scanning electron micrograph of giardia attached to the inner
surface of the intestine.
What are the
clinical signs associated with infection?
The trophozoites divide to produce a large population, then they begin to
interfere with the absorption of food. Clinical signs range from none in
asymptomatic carriers, to mild recurring diarrhea consisting of soft,
light-colored stools, to acute explosive diarrhea in severe cases. Other
signs associated with giardiasis are weight loss, listlessness, fatigue,
mucus in the stool, and anorexia. These signs are also associated with
other diseases of the intestinal tract, and are not specific to giardiasis.
These signs, together with the beginning of cyst shedding, begin about one
week post-infection. There may be additional signs of large intestinal
irritation, such as straining and even small amounts of blood in the
feces. Usually the blood picture of affected animals is normal, though
occasionally there is a slight increase in the number of white blood cells
and mild anemia. Without treatment, the condition may continue, either
chronically or intermittently, for weeks or months.
Inexpensive
Drug Treatment
Here you will learn just
how the drug companies and vets stick it to the public. Anything that
requires a prescription is jacked up in price, the vet can buy a bottle of
meds for a certain price then sell them at a 100 - 300% mark up per tablet
or dose, he knows that he's got your arm twisted behind your back because
you need him to get your drugs. (just like a drug dealer).
Interestingly enough if
that exact same drug is labeled for different use under a different brand
name it doesn't require a prescription so you cut out the middle man and
the drug is substantially lower in cost. Panacur for canines is a dewormer
that requires a prescription through a vet. SafeGuard is the exact same
ingredient (Fenbendazole 10% suspension) but it is labeled for cattle and
goat use so dosages for canines are not listed on the bottle but they
would be the same as what is found on the Panacur label.
The cost to effectively keep worm infestations out of your dogs may be
entirely too much if you take the dog to a Veterinarian. A Vet will use a
multitude of expensive de-wormers. The cost for the Veterinarian
treatments along with the cost of the office visits will add up to a lot
of money per year.
The easiest and most inexpensive, all-around, de-worming treatment
available is Fenbendazole (Safe-Guard). It is virtually 100% effective
against all four types of canine intestinal worms. If you buy de-worming
medications that are made and packaged specifically for dogs, you will be
paying a fortune for them. After reading this article and seeing how often
you need to treat your Dog for worms. Note: Although Fenbendazole
(Panacur) is labeled as being able to treat Giardia it does not in my
experience and other recent complaints from vets is that it is not
affective against Giardia.
Dewormer
Broad
Spectrum
 |
| Click
on the picture above
Then enter the words below
in the search bar
Safe-Guard 10%
Suspension (Fenbendazole)
|
Instead of buying and using only
dog/puppy dewormers, I use the Safe-Guard 10% suspension horse/cattle dewormer.
use this for Dogs that are at least 2 weeks old. This liquid dewormer
comes in a 1000 ml (cc) bottle and contains 100 mg per ml of the active
ingredient is Fenbendazole, the exact same ingredient that is used by vets
for dogs under the prescription name Panacure. This is much cheaper to buy on a yearly
basis than any other de-worming product. You can purchase this huge bottle
for only $113 from Lambriar Animal Health Care by simply clicking on
the photo to the left of this paragraph. It is about 100 times cheaper
than any other dog/puppy de-wormers made. Also, please note that several
of the commercial dog/puppy de-wormers are only effective against two or
three of the different types of canine intestinal worms; therefore, you
would be forced to buy two or three different kinds of de-wormers, yet the
Safe-Guard 10% suspension horse/cattle dewormer is effective against all
four types.
The recommended dosage of this
exact product and strength for canines is 1 cc per 5 lbs of bodyweight per day for a 3 day period. With a 1000 ml bottle you have enough de-wormer to treat
a kennel full of Dogs on a bi-monthly treatment program for a very long
time. I deworm each litter at 2, 4, and 5 weeks. Adult dogs are
proactively treated for worms on the fifteenth of every other month.
Fenbendazole is always administered for 3-consecutive days rather than
only one day, to be sure your puppies and dogs are 100% worm-free..
I know the bottle recommends a much smaller dosage for livestock and that
is correct for pigs, horses, and cattle but not for dogs. It takes almost
5 times more of this wormer to be effective in dogs than in large
livestock. Every Vet I have ever talked to says the correct dosage is 100
mg of active ingredient per 5 lbs of body weight given for 3 consecutive
days. Follow the dosage listed in the paragraph above if the stuff you buy
is the 10% suspension or 10% paste (same thing in a different form) which
has 100 mg of active ingredient per ml. Fenbendazole (Safe-Guard or
Panacur) is one of the safest de-wormers on the market. Fasting is not
required and it is labeled as safe during pregnancy and lactation.
Personally, I don't recommend you give any kind of medications to a
pregnant bitch unless the life of the bitch is in grave danger; however, I
will give medications to lactating bitches. The difference is the pups are
already born and not in in their developing and forming stages in the
womb. This is a list of the attributes of the Benzimidazole (BZD) type de-wormers
such as Fenbendazole:
PREGNANCY:
Metronidazole is not used in early pregnancy because of potential adverse
effects on the fetus.
NURSING MOTHERS: Metronidazole is excreted
in breast milk. Nursing mothers, because of potential adverse effects on
the newborn, should not use metronidazole.
SIDE EFFECTS: Metronidazole is a valuable
antibiotic and is generally well tolerated with appropriate use. Minor
side effects include nausea, headaches, loss of appetite, a metallic
taste, and rarely a rash. Serious side effects of metronidazole are rare.
Serious side effects include seizures and damage of nerves resulting in
numbness and tingling of extremities (peripheral neuropathy).
Metronidazole should be stopped if these symptoms appear.
Personal
Notes and Facts
of
things most people don't know
but
should be aware of
You
shouldn't have to deal with so many issues after getting out of the puppy
stage.
Few
breeders ever bring this up because it is so disgusting and you might not
want to even know but for the people that don't want to know sometimes
causes a lot of problems for puppy in the long run and a lot of expense at
the vets office.
The poor puppy is always exposed to so many things early on,
parasites from mom's milk that is a never ending cycle of dormant parasite
eggs that cannot be killed only to hatch upon every heat cycle, then an extremely
unsanitary situation where all female dogs lick up the puppies feces and
urine reinfecting herself with parasites and eggs.
Then
young puppies don't care if they are stepping in their own feces, cleanup
is constant. Once the puppies reach 5 weeks they will sample mom's feces
and their own feces (Actually human babies may do this if not monitored
constantly, not something every mother talks about) but the eating of
feces causes the giardia then requires antibiotics. This kills me that I
have to give the puppies antibiotics because it kills off the beneficial
bacteria mom gave them in the milk.
I deworm and treat for the bacterias they get from eating feces, I do
treat but they keep reinfecting themselves as long as they are still
around Mom and their siblings as puppies. This is why every breeder and
pet store (without them going into detail) will insist on having a stool
sample check at the vet because as long as the puppies are around the
other puppies they will continually reinfect themselves therefore it is
impossible that all puppies will be parasite or bacteria free.
Next is the reestablishing of the beneficial bacteria which should also be
done by the new puppy owner, then after all of that comes time for the
puppy series which I am opposed to anymore than just one vaccine for life
because to be immune is all about t-cell memory not anti-body levels, the
science community knows this but this disinformation and the use of titers
testing is only about veterinarians bottom line, if the truth be told and
practiced then patient drop off would be 90% since one vaccine is good for
the life of the dog and frequent vaccinations cause 99% of the pet health
problems creating massive repeat business with life long health problems
for the pet not to mention the 300% mark up of the meds. See the vaccines
page on this website.
But
I leave the vaccine decisions up to my new puppy owners discretion, I like
to inform them then when there is a health issue hopefully something will
click and they can pay attention to the signs of vaccine damage. The
vaccines then also contain antibiotics that might disrupt the beneficial
bacteria so once out of the puppy stage, parasite free, bacteria free and
good intestinal flora plus making it through the puppy series vaccines
without killing him then it is smooth sailing... until the dog is exposed
to vaccines in older age which kill a lot of dogs.
In addition: Occasionally the news might show where someone brought home a
puppy that later became deathly ill, this is only due to either parasites,
bacteria or both but if left untreated can kill the puppy, it's all really
so simple but the lack of this knowledge and simply taking puppy in for
stool check was the cause of the ill puppy and the first thing everybody
says is that the pet store or breeder sold them a sick puppy then
interestingly the News never goes into the disgusting reality of how all
of this occurs and what all new pet owners need to know.
Some
puppies need to keep going back to the vet when they only need to extend
treatment then it is a must to reestablish the beneficial flora. Why
doesn't your vet tell you this? One because he is not a holistic or
homeopathic doctor, two because he is no different than any other medical
doctor trained and supported by the drug companies who's only corporate
agenda is to profit soley from drug sales and to profit as much as
possible even to the detriment of society.
Regular
medical doctors are not concerned about saving lives or treating patients
without the use of drugs even if the alternative is superior. That's why
self education is essential and putting more faith into the true healers
of people and animals such as chiropractic, homeopathic and naturopathic
and after experiencing the varied healing practices you then realize which
is really more harmful, which is least affective and which kills more
people and just exactly who are really the which doctors who have no cure
but a lifetime supply of a drug potion sales and just who does more harm
as a whole, you could start your research with viox as just a tiny example
and 25,000 dead patients later.
