Dogs will forever be the most loyal and loving companion of man. These pets that give lots of unconditional love have made a great difference to people’s way of life. It is therefore not surprising for pet owners to do everything necessary to ensure the health of the pets. Responsible owners not only make sure that the dog is provided with enough food because the pet is also regularly groomed and provided with opportunities to meet its exercise requirements. A dog owner concerned for the health of the pet would take time to bring the pet to the vet for its vaccinations. Unfortunately, dogs, in spite of these measures still get sick.
Dog owners would continuously be troubled with the pet’s worm infestation. The life style of the dog makes these animals more prone to internal parasite infestation. 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. A dog owner can see some types of worm being excreted by the pet. Some types of worms cannot be seen by the naked eye thus a dog owner has to discern the symptoms of worm infestation. Worm infestation commonly causes vomiting, diarrhea, weight loss due to poor appetite. The once energetic dog would be lethargic and noted to develop a scruffy coat and a pot bellied appearance. Treatment is imperative as severe infestation can result to the death of the dog. Treatment is necessary as worms can be transmitted to the dog’s human family.
Different types of worms would need different medication thus a fecal examination or a blood test would be necessary to determine the type of worm that infest the dog. A dog owner can always obtain over the counter medications. These medications would of course eradicate the infestation but to be on the safe side it would be best to consult a vet.
Because dosage of animal medications are commonly based on body weight, errors with the dosage is possible so that instead of killing worms, the treatment would have dangerous effects on the pet. This haphazard treatment may not be too effective as the medication given is not for the type of worm. It would be much better to shell out some bucks for vet’s PF rather than lose the life of the pet.
Still wonder what to do if your dog has worms? Find out more about this and first aid for dogs at Sarah’s Dogs.