DOGS
Man's best friend can also get parasites. Find put more about which parasites can infect your best friend and how you can keep them under control.
KEY PARASITES OF DOGS IN THE UK
TOXOCARA
Roundworm can infect dogs of all ages however, puppies can be infected whilst in the mother's womb, causing heavy infestation and serious clinical disease. In adult dogs, clinical signs rarely occur, therefore it is difficult to tell whether or not your dog is infected without faecal examination.
WHIPWORM
This parasite is most likely to occur in central and southern parts of Europe and in kennels. Heavy infection can lead to bloody, mucus filled diarrhoea and the dog will become ill. Hyponatraemia may also be seen.
HOOKWORM
These are most common in kennelled dogs. Hookworms are capable of penetrating the skin of the dog to make their way to the intestine. This penetration can cause dermatitis and irritation of the skin. When present in high numbers, these parasites can cause anaemia and weight loss in dogs.
TAPEWORM
There are a number of tapeworm species that can infect dogs.
Dipylidium caninum
The most common is Dipylidium caninum whose intermediate host is that of the flea. Segments of the adult tapeworm can be seen crawling out of the dog’s anus, like a white caterpillar. These segments contain tapeworm eggs and the fleas in the environment eat these eggs. These eggs hatch into tiny cysts in the flea. The dog can then ingest these fleas whilst grooming and can get infected with Dipylidium.
Taenia species
These species are more commonly found in cats but can infect dogs. These species have an intermediate host of birds, squirrels, mice, rabbits cattle, pigs, goats and sheep. Dogs that are exercised on farmland grazed by livestock are at increased risk. Dogs get infected with Taenia sp. By ingesting tissues or viscera of infected hosts.
Echinococcus species
Both Echinococcus granulosus and Echinococcus multicularis can infect humans, causing hydatid disease and alveolar echinoccosis, respectively. Both of these infections result in the formation of cysts, most commonly in the liver and if untreated can have potentially fatal consequences.
In the UK, the sheep strain is the most prevalent in Wales and the South West, therefore dogs living in these areas require regular treatment for Echinococcus species.
LUNGWORM
Adult stages of this parasite reside in the arteries of the lungs and the right side of the heart. Symptoms of early infection can vary but include: coughing, anaemia, depression, anorexia, prolonged bleeding from minor injuries. Pnemonia can develop leading to anorexia and weight loss and in severe infections, right sided heart failure and sudden death can occur.
Dogs get infected with lungworm through ingesting the intermediate host of slugs, snails and frogs.
If you suspect your dog is infected, de-worming products for lungworm are only available by prescription and supply from a vet.
HEARTWORM
Heartworm is fortunately not endemic to the UK. However, to prevent the parasite entering the UK, it is important the quarantine procedures are followed in bringing your dog back into the UK (Pet Passport Scheme).
CONTROL
The information detailed below is taken from the European Scientific Counsel of Companion Animal Parasites (ESCCAP) guide on worm control in dogs. You can view the entire guide here
PUPPIES
At 2 weeks of age, puppies should be wormed. Following this, they should receive a dose every 2 weeks until 2 weeks after weaning.
NURSING BITCHES
The bitch should receive a dose with a wormer at the same time as the puppies’ first dose.
ADULTS
In cases of increased risk (such as a kennels or households where there are children) monthly treatment can minimise the risk of patent infections and the excretion of infective parasite stages, as the prepatent period for Toxocara spp. is a little more than four weeks.
As an alternative to repeated treatments, faecal examinations (Worm Egg Counts) can be performed at suitable intervals from monthly to three monthly.
No treatments or diagnostic tests are completely reliable.