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Parasites
Parasites, present both internally and externally, are accountable for many diseases and disorders found in the animals. Here is some useful information about the types of parasites, causes and treatments of parasitic diseases.
Types of dog parasites
There are many worms or parasites that after inhabiting in the dog's intestine can cause severe diseases. The dog parasites are common in the case of puppies and very young dogs. They can only make the dog feel unwell and are as such not life threatening. Usually, the dog parasites especially the roundworms are transferred from the mother to the puppy at the time of birth or before it.
In the list of parasites, tapeworms are quite common and dogs of all age groups that are contaminated with fleas. The older dogs are also vulnerable to a great range of worms, such as whipworms, roundworms, tapeworms and hookworms.
Internal Parasites
Parasites such as tapeworms, hookworms, roundworms, heartworms and whipworms can enter in the body of your pet. They can take off the vital nutrients from your pets and can cause loss of energy, low appetite, grave anemia and can even cause death. The small dogs and kittens are particularly at strike. The infestation from Parasite can be easily controlled and barred. Take your pet to a nearby veterinarian to diagnose and treat the parasite problem. Some of the internal parasites are-
- Heartworm
- Hookworm
- Tapeworm
- Roundworm
- Whipworm
Stimulated due to bites of mosquito, the heartworm enters in the dogs' blood vessels and heart. The infected may look weak, dull and can have a prolonged cough. To prevent and treat heartworm, there are many medications available in the market. Your vet can suggest the best one for your pet.
Hookworms may cause anemia and further the loss of appetite. It can be transferred from the mother dog to puppy at the time of nursing period or even prior to birth.
Tapeworm can happen due to the swallowing of larvae loaded fleas. You may not identify the infection as there are no many symptoms for it. However, you may notice some pieces looking like rice in the stool of your dog. If you suspect that your dog is infected by tapeworm, you should take the sample of dog's stool. You can take it even at the time of an annual checkup.
Roundworms can cause diarrhea, pneumonia, scrubby growth, vomiting and dehydration. One clear symptom for an infected dog with roundworm is to have a belly like pot shape.
Your infected pet with whipworms can have diarrhea and several other diseases such as, stool mucus and grave bowel redness. It can even cause extreme weight loss to the pet.
External Parasites
External parasites are abounding and can be really very irritating for a pet. They can cause dangerous diseases and skin disorders. Not always, they are evident to the normal eye and are thus present sometimes in good numbers before you become aware. If you notice that your pet is scratching here and there frequently or is having bald spots and irritation on skin, there are chances that your pet is hosting to many parasites, such as ticks, fleas, lice and more. Take your pet immediately to the veterinarian.