Did you know that worming your dog not only protects them, but also you too? It is very easy for infected dogs to leave eggs on their coat when grooming and then we kiss and hug them and end up ingesting the eggs! One worm can be transmitted to children and can cause permanent eye damage.
Lungworm is the least known worms out of those we find in the UK, they’re not prevalent everywhere, but we do frequently see cases here in Eastbourne. Lungworm can cause coughing, breathing issues, lethargy and abnormal clotting (they could get a small cut and it won’t stop bleeding). If not caught in time, it can be fatal. The only way to prevent this is to worm, with an appropriate wormer, every month, all year round.
Other worms to watch out for are roundworms, tapeworms, hookworms and whipworms. What would you see if your dog had these worms?
- It might be as obvious as seeing them in the faeces. Entire roundworms may be present or tapeworm segments (they look like flattened grains of rice)
- A bloated tummy can be in indicator that they have worms, we see this a lot in puppies.
- Vomiting or diarrhoea can also be symptoms of worms being present.
Worming treatment doesn’t have a lasting prevention aspect that like flea treatment does, it just has to be done regularly and it must be monthly to prevent lungworm (by breaking the life cycle).
We are lucky enough to live in such a beautiful area, but even when your dog defaecates on The Downs, please pick it up. Every year livestock gets infected with worms by ingesting grass contaminated with dog faceces with worm eggs in.
Some flea treatment covers some worms also, so always check with us and we can advise you on the best worming regime for your pet.
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