Parasites: Your Pet's Enemies

Here are 5 tiny parasites that pose a gigantic threat
Heart worms inside the dog's heart, can grow to a length of 14".

What they do:
Restrict blood flow and cause organ damage. Symptoms include coughing. labored breathing, heart failure. Untreated, heart worm disease can kill a dog. Death may occur within 72 hours.

How they spread:
Transmitted by over 70 species of mosquitoes. Virtually all dogs are at risk.

Defending against them:Once a month prevention is recommended, contact your local veterinarian for advice.
Flea eggs, larvae and feces at the base of carpeting. Eggs and feces look like salt and pepper.

What they do:
Fleas cause itching, irritation and extreme discomfort. Can spread tapeworms, cause anemia and flea allergy dermatitis.

How they spread:
A female flea can lay up to 50 eggs a day. Eggs fall off the pet and develop into worm-like larvae, which hide in carpeting, furniture, leaves and other dark places. Larvae feed on fecal matter dropped by adult fleas.

Defending against them:Once a month prevention is recommended, contact your local veterinarian for advice.
Adult roundworms live in the dog's small intestine.

What they do:
Cause diarrhea, vomiting, stunted growth, rough coat, bloated belly.

How they spread:
Almost all puppies get roundworms from their mothers. Dogs can also pick up roundworms from the soil.

Defending against them:Once a month prevention is recommended, contact your local veterinarian for advice.
Enlarged hook worm mouth showing 'teeth'.

What they do:
Attach to the dog's intestinal lining, leaving bleeding internal wounds. Cause blood loss, anemia, and diarrhea. As few as 100 hook worms can kill a puppy.

How they spread:
Eggs pass through the feces of an infected dog into the soil where they are easily swallowed or can penetrate through a dog's feet.

Defending against them:Once a month prevention is recommended, contact your local veterinarian for advice.
Shaped like whips, these parasites live in the large intestine.

What they do:
Cause bloody diarrhea, anemia, dehydration. loss of appetite.

How they spread:
A female whip worm can produce 2,000 eggs a day. Eggs are passed in feces, and can survive for years in the soil. Whip worms are very difficult to eradicate.

Defending against them:Once a month prevention is recommended, contact your local veterinarian for advice.
Web master Note: This information is copyrighted and has been made available by the Inwood Animal Center, Rt 11, Inwood West Virginia, 304-262-PETS. Before starting a new treatment for your pet, please contact your local veterinarian.
Sunday July 20, 2008
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