Thursday, August 23, 2012

Dealing with the dog's worm infestation

By Jerry Welsh


Dogs have always been considered as man's best friends. The love bestowed by humans best friends have made a significant difference to people's way of life. The precautionary measures being done by a dog owner to ensure the health of the pet is therefore understandable. Dogs are not only provided with enough nutritious food, regularly groomed and provided with the required opportunities to exercise. A dog owner concerned for the health of the pet would take time to bring the pet to the vet for its vaccinations. In spite of these measures, dogs still do get sick.

Worm infestation is one of the most common concerns of pet owners. Parasite infestation is common in dogs because of their lifestyle. Dog owners are aware that their pets are natural scavengers. Dogs have this obnoxious behavior of eating feces and raiding trash cans to eat rotten food. Would it be any wonder if the pampered and regularly groomed pet would still be infested with worms?

A dog owner can easily avail of treatment for the worm infestation of the pet but recognizing an infestation would not be that easy. Several types of worm can be seen being excreted with the feces. Some types of worms cannot be seen by the naked eye thus a dog owner has to discern the symptoms of worm infestation. A dog keeping worm inside its intestines will vomit, have diarrhea and would normally lose weight because of poor appetite. Aside from having a scruffy coat and a pot belied appearance, the once energetic dog will be lethargic. Treatment is imperative as severe infestation can result to the death of the dog. Additionally, the worms can be transmitted to humans.

Blood test and fecal exam are necessary to administer the right worming medication that will wipe out the infestation. OTC worming medications can be purchased from any pet supply stores. No doubt these medications will have an effect but it would always be safe to consult a vet.

Dosage of these medications usually depends on the body weight of the dog thus haphazard administration can have dangerous effect on the dog instead of eradicating the parasites. Also, you may be giving the pet the wrong medication. It would be much better to shell out some bucks for vet's PF rather than lose the life of the pet.




About the Author:



No comments: