Whilst roundworms will not show symptoms in some dogs, they can have much more serious consequences than other worms in dogs. The adult roundworm lives in the intestines of the dog, feeding on the intestines’ contents. This effectively means that the roundworms eat your dog’s food! In severe cases, there can be several roundworms inside one dog. This explains why dogs with severe infestations are malnourished, have dull coats and lack energy.

Inside adult dogs, roundworms may remain dormant in cysts inside the muscles. They then awaken in times of stress. Often, pregnancy reawakens the larvae and they migrate around the body and infect the unborn puppies. Treatment for worms in dogs administered to the pregnant bitch cannot rid the unborn puppies of their worms. This is why worms in dogs are such a big problem to new born puppies.

Soil becomes contaminated with eggs when they are released with a dog’s faeces. Then toehr dogs pick up the eggs from the soil. However, the most common roundworm in the UK, the Toxocara Canis can also infect children when they touch contaminated soil or sand pits. The larvae can migrate through the child’s body, potentially causing permanent eye damage if they end up behind the retina. Regular treatment for worms in dogs is therefore vital for responsible dog ownership.

Protecting Pets and Humans From Worms in Dogs is a post from: Dog Supply

The roundworm is the most common type of dog worm we see in the UK because most puppies are born infected. In puppies this infestation causes swollen bellies and may delay growth whilst in humans it may rarely cause blindness.

Like all types of worms in dogs, the life cycle of the dog roundworm (the Toxocara Canis) is not complex and can be controlled with care and patience. At the beginning of the cycle, a female puppy is infected by her mother, either before birth via the placenta or afterwards via her milk. In the infected puppy, some of the worm larvae will move out of the intestine and into the blood before forming indestructible cysts in the muscles. In the event of pregnancy in later life, the larvae will be reactivated and will move through the blood to infect the puppies.

In young puppies, not all the worm larvae will form the cysts mentioned above. Rather, some will stay in the intestine and become adults. Once mature, after feeding on the partly digested food in the intestine, the adult worm releases eggs which are passed from the dog with the faeces. In the open air, the eggs are infectious to other dogs and even people. For people it is the touching of contaminated soil rather than the handling of puppies which poses an infection risk.

That is the cycle and in order to interrupt it, dog owners should give worming treatment to adult dogs every three months. Puppies, being much more likely to be infested should be wormed every fortnight from the age of two weeks to twelve months, then monthly until the age of six months. Worms in dogs do pose a danger to public health, so even though the risk is relatively small, picking up after dogs and promoting hand hygiene in the whole family is vital to break the cycle and reduce risk.

Interrupting the Cycle of Worms in Dogs is a post from: Dog Supply

Misconception 1: If I have my dog or cat neutered or spayed, this will make it lazy

Wrong! In terms of cat health care and dog health care, neutering is actually very good and it can calm the animal down and make it a more relaxed pet to be around. People worry that it will make the dog fat and de-motivated. Don’t misconstrue laziness for loyalty though, as dogs and cats tend to prefer to stay close to you when they have been neutered. There is some research being conducted to determine if neutering can shorten an animal’s lifespan, but there is no sufficient evidence at present to suggest this is correct.

Misconception 2: My dog knows when it has been bad, but it doesn’t learn.

How wrong can people be? Dogs are like children and they say you should treat an animal like it is a 2 year old child, which is why some dogs do not understand when they have done something wrong. The best way to tell your dog it has done something wrong is to make sure it gets pointed out. If you don’t do this, how can it ever learn? Try and shift your voice to sound angry rather than getting high-pitched as this relates too closely to happy sounds. Never hit a dog though. Hitting should never form any part of dog health care. The same applies to any mistreating of cats and kittens – this is not good cat health care.

Check with a vet if you are concerned about something not being accurate with your dog health care and cat health care practices. A vet is a good person to talk to as they are adept at dealing with all cat health care and dog health care issues.

Dog Health Care Facts vs Cat Health Care Facts is a post from: Dog Supply