Worms in dogs : Common types of worms that infect dogs.

Worms in dogs has become something normal. There is even a term that says that the worm and dogs like ice cream and cake. For it is very important to know what types of worms that attack dog. Here are described some of the worm normally found in dogs.

Dog intestinal worms

There are five intestinal worms - or parasite - that can affect your dog. They are roundworms, hookworms, tapeworms, whipworms and heartworms.
Not intestinal parasites



One other worms that can infect your dog instead of intestinal parasites. This is a ringworm that, despite its name, actually mushrooms.

Roundworms

This is the most common type of worm that tends to infect your dog. They are generally 2-4 inches long, brown or white and "spaghetti-like" creatures with tapered ends.

If your dog becomes infected with roundworms, may experience vomiting, diarrhea, and shows a generally unhealthy appearance. If it becomes very full, it may pass the whole worms in his stool. These worms can cause intestinal blockage.

Most of the dogs are actually born with microscopically small roundworm larvae in their tissues. These worms migrate to the mother's womb, then right into the growing puppy. Roundworms can also be transferred to nurse a dog through its mother's milk.

Tapeworm

Tapeworm segments are usually 1/4-1/2 inch long. When the tapeworm segments dry they tend to look like a grain of rice or sesame seeds.

Tapeworms live in the small intestine of dogs and steal nutrients from the food your dog consumes.

Dog tapeworm symptoms including abdominal discomfort, nervousness, itching around the anus, vomiting, and weight loss

The only way he could get a dog tapeworms is by eating an infected flea.

When your dog ingests fleas, digested, releasing a small tapeworm. Tapeworms attach themselves to your dog's intestinal wall. Initially, the worm is only the head, throat and segments. The worm then starts a new segment to grow, each having its own digestive and reproductive systems. These worms eat up the nutrients in your dog's food as it passes by in the intestine. Finally, the worm warehouse of the older segment. When dry, they look like tiny grains of rice or sesame seeds.

Each segment contains thousands of worm eggs.

Tapeworms can grow up to 15 feet long and the largest ever found was a tapeworm almost 60 feet long

Hookworms

Dogs Hookworms are parasitic nematode worms that live in the small intestine dogs. They are like earthworms in that they are bilateral - which means that you can cut one in half and worms will be the same on each side.

Hookworm Typical symptoms include itchy feet, rash on legs dog, wheezing and coughing, diarrhea, abdominal cramps, nausea and blood in the stool or black stools.

Both puppies and adult dogs can suffer from anemia and even death - when infected with hookworm. These worms enter through the skin of your dog and then move through the skin to the lungs where they usually cough and then swallowed. Hookworm is different from other intestinal parasites in that they feed on blood of dogs. Puppies are very susceptible to hookworms and can die from hookworm infection.

Hookworm is difficult to diagnose because they usually do not pass in the stool. In most cases, the only way they can be diagnosed by stool tests are performed by your veterinarian.

How so hookworms can affect your dog depends on the overall health and age.

Whipworm

Like hookworms, whipworms bury their heads into the dog and suck their blood. They live in the cecum, the first part of the intestine of the dogs. These worms get their name from their whip-like shape.

A dog's reaction to whipworms are usually relatively mild, although exceptions do occur. Severe infections can cause attacks of diarrhea and bloody stools may be fresh. Young dogs or dogs with chronic infections may suffer from severe weight loss, dehydration from diarrhea, and anemia.

The dog must swallow whipworm eggs to become infected.

A whip worm infestations can cause severe infections which, in turn, causes diarrhea, weight loss and blood loss. This worm is strong and can survive outdoors in soil for many years.

If your dog shows chronic weight loss and feces which apparently covered with substances such as mucus, may have whipworms and will require medication whipworm

It is usually difficult to prove that the dog has whipworms because they produce relatively few eggs. So, even if you see some samples of dog feces, you may not see whipworms.

Is there a strong possibility that your dog may become infected again? In this case, repeated wormings may be necessary.

Rarely causes death of the dog hookworm, but they can be a real nuisance for dogs.

Liver fluke / Heartworms

Heartworms are very dangerous because they can actually kill your dog. In addition, it can be as long as nine months since your dog become infected with heartworms to mature and the threat to the life of your dog. Scary part is that all this time you will not know the dog has become infected. This is why the liver fluke is often called the "invisible killer."

Unfortunately, your dog will show symptoms of heartworm disease liver fluke after becoming an adult and are at the heart and lungs dog. The symptoms of heartworm disease at this stage include a dull coat, weight loss, difficulty breathing, fainting, and abdominal bloating. In the end, the dog will suffer from congestive heart failure.

The only way you can contact the dog heartworms is if bitten by a mosquito that has given the other dogs infected with heartworms. When a mosquito ingests a blood meal from an infected dog, ingests too small, microscopic creatures called microfilariae. When the mosquito next feeds on your dog, microfilariae are deposited on the skin. Sixty to 90 days, then they broke through and entered one of the arteries dogs, they are then transported to the heart of the dog. These microfilariae will then develop into adult heartworms, which, if untreated, it can clog your dog's heart and lungs and cause death.

The only way heartworms can be diagnosed is through a blood test administered by your veterinarian. If you live in warm, wet like the south, or areas where mosquitoes are prevalent, you should have your veterinarian give your dog these blood tests as part of its routine inspection, yearly. In this way, if already infected with heartworms your veterinarian can begin treatment before it is too late.

Dogs infected with adult heartworms can still be saved through a series of injections that your vet will give at a rate of two per day for two days.

Ringworms

Ringworms not an intestinal parasite, but a fungal infection that can have an effect on your dog's appearance and health.

One clear sign of ringworm is a small area of ​​fur on your dog. This area will also have pustules and scaly skin. The dog will scratch the itching that causes ringworm. If the area is not treated, it will grow larger over time. Dog legs, head and tail of the most common areas for ringworm lesions.

If your dog ringworm contact will usually take it from its surroundings - cages, animal burrows, or from other infected animal.

If you believe your dog may have ringworm, take it to the vet. He can diagnose the disease and then advise you as an anti-fungal pills or topical medications would be best to rid your dog of this disorder.

Preventing worm infestations

The best way to prevent your dog from contacting each type of worm is to take the annual exams. While you're there, you can ask your vet to recommend a broad spectrum of preventive products. The latest of these products will protect your dog against heartworms, roundworms, whipworms, and even lice.

Be sure to keep your dog flea free because only through fleas that your dog can contact tapeworm.

Try not to expose your dog to a wild animal or wildlife, because they often carry fleas and other parasites. Also, it's a good idea to keep your dog away from the dog park is not well maintained, as this can be a source of parasite

Keep your dog from eating animal carcasses, such as birds, mice and rabbits. It can bring a dead adult worms which then grow into adult worms after your dog ingests them.

Do not let your dog eat the feces of either your own or from other dogs or animals.

Check your dog's anus and feces regularly and look for signs of tapeworms. As indicated above, a small segment of the tapeworm, broad and flat and resemble grains of rice.

Finally, the veterinarian has examined specimens of dog waste when it has an annual inspection.

As you can see, there are a number of parasites that can infect your dog. This makes a double imperative that you take your dog in for a routine check-up because this is the only way to ensure it remains parasite free.

Feet and Cats Nails

Generally, all the cats will keep and care for his nails well, that is by climbing and clawing or scratching her nails on garukkan objects such as tree trunks, posts and home furnishings.

Habits of cat who likes to climb and scratch or claw nails are not only useful to help sharpen his nails, but this habit is also considered as another form of cat communication. The reason, namely that the former nail or claw scratches from these cats leave scent glands on the cat's leg and this can serve as a clear indication that the earlier a cat has visited or been in that place.

And for you cat owners, you should probably provide a climbing poles in the house with the intent to prevent your pet to climb or scratch nails or sharp claws on the curtains (curtains windows of your house) and furnishing your home.

EXOTIC PET HOSPITAL; GRAPHIC ANIMAL SURGERIES

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EXOTIC ANIMAL HOSPITAL examines bird and exotic small animal health conditions and treatments, care, maintenence, habitat, and living conditions. There is a lot of information about correct methods of Exotic Pet care in this program. Stay tuned for more to come...


Source from Youtube.com 

Causes of Diarrhea in Dogs and Cats

Diarrhea is one of the digestive tract disorder the most common pet owners. Diarrhea itself is not a disease but a symptom that accompanies a disease or disorder in the body. Normally, adult dogs defecate once a day if fed one to two times a day. Changes in the form of increased frequency of defecation, stool volume and consistency from soft to liquid and can be accompanied with the presence or absence of stool discoloration is a common symptom of diarrhea. Although diarrhea easily recognizable, but to find the cause and treatment is quite complex because many factors influence the existence of the digestive tract function.

Factors that could cause diarrhea in dogs include:

1. Diet

Diarrhea caused by dietary factors may include the sudden replacement of food, overeating (the portion of food too much), food intolerance, the presence of foreign objects that can not be digested such as grass and unclean food sources such as from garbage.

Replacement food abruptly can cause disruption to normal flora balance in the intestinal tract so that food replacement should be done gradually by mixing the old food with just enough food within 1 week for normal intestinal flora to adapt.

Dogs may also experience intolerance to a particular substance or element content of foods is also influenced by differences in individual sensitivity. One of them that often occurs mainly in children where dogs are lactose intolerance can not digest lactose milk for lactase enzyme deficiency. The result is accumulation of lactose in the intestine and lead to excessive fermentation microbes that impact on osmotic diarrhea. Handling can be done is to give milk with low lactose content. In addition, dogs may also experience intolerance to spicy foods (lots of flavor) and are usually found in oily foods home.

Dogs who eat less than the net like the trash can cause diarrhea are also sometimes accompanied by symptoms of vomiting. This is because the possibility of bacteria or toxins in the food waste that can irritate the gastrointestinal mucosa.

Habits of dog bite hard objects or fibrous texture that is not including more food because of their behavior is indeed "like" it. Even a dog that is misbehaving in the stomach and feel generally uncomfortable urge to eat something that is fibrous like no other grass is one way of allocating the stress incurred by such discomfort. But the grass is irritating and can not be digested, so the impact a dog can vomit and the effect that further irritate the digestive tract can cause diarrhea.

2. Intestinal Parasites

Intestinal parasitic worms such as whipworms in dogs (flatworms), hookworms (hookworm), roundworms (worms gilig). Diarrhea that occurs due to the obstruction and mechanical injury by the infestation of worms in the mucosal epithelium of intestine and sometimes accompanied by blood. In a severe infestation of worms in the long run can also cause anemia, decrease in body weight, dull hair, decreased immune system, even perforations (holes) of the intestinal wall. For that dogs should be given regular worming every 3 months for prevention.



3. Bacterial infections and protozoa

Protozoa cause damage to intestinal epithelial cells because the intracellular and proliferate them are often attacked, especially in young dogs are giardia and coccidia. While the causes diarrhea by bacteria such as E. coli, salmonella and campylobacter. The specialty of bacteria in addition to causing damage to intestinal epithelial cells resulting in malabsorption, also can cause septicemia (the circulation of pathogenic bacteria in the blood vessels) and can result in enterotoxin as a result of metabolic waste. In general, bacterial and protozoan infections can occur through contaminated food besides that it also be zoonotic (contagious to humans).

4. Viral infections

The most frequently encountered and is usually fatal in children who have not vaccinated dogs are parvovirus and coronavirus. Infection by this virus causes acute bloody diarrhea accompanied by vomiting and severe dehydration. Unlike other infections, the virus is contagious (highly infectious) morbidity rate (virulence) and mortality (death) high, especially in young dogs. Prevention is by vaccination which could begin entering the age when puppies 6-8 weeks.

5. Drugs and toxins

Certain drugs can cause side effects of diarrhea, such as NSAIDs (non steroidal anti-inflammatory agents) such as aspirin, anthelmentik (de-worming), anticancer drugs and several types of antibiotics depends on individual sensitivity. For the toxin is generally not only cause diarrhea but also vomiting, even for toxin type organophospate (insecticide) can be accompanied by neurological symptoms (seizures).

6. Pancreatitis

Pancreatic inflammation can cause the production of digestive enzymes, so that ingesta in the intestine can not be digested properly. This condition affects not only the movement of ingesta normal motility but also the development of intestinal microflora. Consequently overgrowth can occur (excessive growth of microflora) that trigger diarrhea. Symptoms include abdominal pain, steatorrhea (fatty stools), decreased body weight as well as generally happens is chronic diarrhea and was not accompanied by blood or mucus (phlegm).

7. Gastrointestinal obstruction

Gastrointestinal tract obstruction can be caused by foreign bodies and narrowing of the gastrointestinal tract itself is caused by various factors such as torsio (rotation), gastrointestinal tract, intussuceptio (folded portion of the intestine into another portion of the intestine), abcess, intestinal tumors, as well as attachment channel for example by because of trauma. Symptoms other than diarrhea can also be accompanied by vomiting, anorexia (decreased appetite), depression and abdominal pain.

For intestinal tumors usually occur in areas often terminal colon and rectum and is generally found in older dogs. The tumor itself has a variety of types, but the most vicious among adenocarcinoma, and lymphosarcoma. Symptoms along with the development of tumors, namely chronic diarrhea, weight loss, low appetite, vomiting and black stools (due to blood mixed with gastric HCl in the gastrointestinal tract).

8. Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)

The occurrence of IBD or better known as the inflammation in the gastrointestinal tract suspected by the role of various factors such as nutrients, bacteria, genetic and immune system that causes a reaction resulting in disruption hypersensitif permeability and lesion (wound) mucosal tissue and eventually have an impact on the occurrence of chronic diarrhea.

In addition to the causes, you also need to recognize the duration of diarrhea in dogs that can be divided into 2 categories, namely diarrhea are acute and chronic. Acute diarrhea usually occur suddenly and lasted a short duration up to 1-2 weeks. Conversely, if there is persistent diarrhea (more than 3 weeks) or have a history of recurrent, it can be categorized as chronic diarrhea.

When your dog experienced a mild acute diarrhea, but his condition remained lively with a good appetite and without any other clinical symptoms of diarrhea that occur then the likelihood is more caused by dietary factors. Nevertheless both acute diarrhea and chronic nature still requires special attention when coupled with other symptoms such as decreased appetite, vomiting, fever, weakness, pale mucosa, diarrhea accompanied by blood or mucus, pain in the abdomen and so forth. In this condition you should immediately consult your animal to a veterinary clinic or a local vet to get immediate treatment and examination of the possibility of a serious illness.