Whipworms and Other Intestinal Parasites
If these parasites go undetected and untreated, your Golden Retriever could become very sick.
©Photo Courtesy of Gavin "Tex" Warren The problem is that many times these various types of dog worms do not always show up in fecal exams. Whether or not your vet is able to detect their presence depends upon what stage the worm is in at the time of the testing. Tapeworms are caused by dogs eating infested fleas, which is another good reason to regularly flea treat your Golden. Dogs can also get tapeworms by eating infested wild game, such as rabbits, that have eaten infected flea larvae. Generally, dogs are not routinely treated for tapeworms unless you see signs that your dog may have them. If you see what appears to be pieces of rice in his stool, or see flakes of the worm stuck around his anal area, or actually find pieces of the tapeworm on your furniture when your Golden gets up, then he will need to be treated for tapeworms. ©Photo Courtesy of Jessica Caporuscio The majority of available over-the-counter wormers do not include medicine for tapeworms. You will need to specifically look for a wormer that kills tapeworm, such as Safe-Guard, or see your vet. Whipworms eggs can survive in soil for many years. Your Golden can get whipworms from walking on them, and then later lick his paws, or from chewing on items that have the eggs on them. The eggs hatch when they are swallowed. Many times you will not notice any evidence of your Golden having whipworms, and sometimes, a fecal exam can miss them. Some possible signs of whipworms are weight loss, or poor weight gain. Also, on and off diarrhea or blood streaked diarrhea.
©Photo Courtesy of Faith Jochems As it is for tapeworms, over-the-counter wormers do not usually cover whipworms either. You need to specifically look for one that states that it kills whipworms. Safe-Guard kills all 4 worms mentioned in this article, but may need to be mail ordered, depending on where you live. I have used this product and was pleased with the results. However, I do not use it on a routine basis. It is a 3-day wormer that is based on your Golden Retriever’s weight. It is powder and needs to either be mixed into your Golden’s food, or put on a treat. Due to the size of Golden Retrievers, there is quite a bit of powder. When I use Safe-Guard, I wet pieces of bread and then spread the wormer on it to feed to my Goldens. The water just helps the powder to stay in place better. ©Photo Courtesy of Ashley Reagan I prefer to use wormers that contain pyrantel pamoate. This ingredient is very safe, but it only kills roundworms and hookworms, which are the 2 most common worms and cause the biggest problems for puppies. Roundworms and hookworms are passed to puppies from their mother during pregnancy and nursing. What most people do not realize, is that nothing can truly prevent this. Wormers only kill the worms in the intestinal tract, and not the larvae. So, even though you worm your Golden monthly, and even do a fecal test before breeding, the pups are still going to be born with worms. This is the reason to start worming puppies for roundworms and hookworms, at the young age of 2 weeks, irregardless of whether or not the mother has “active” worms.
©Photo Courtesy of Kelly Wright Roundworms are long and resemble strands of spaghetti. More often than not, if your pup has roundworms, you will see the worms in his stool. Occasionally, your pup may vomit up roundworms. Generally, when a pup has that “pot-bellied” look, it is from roundworms. Puppies that are heavy infested with this worm can get pneumonia, and sometimes die. The good news is, they are easily treated. It may take several treatments to rid your pup of them, though. My own personal opinion is that hookworms are the most devastating and hardest worms to kill. They are small and invisible to the naked eye. But usually, their symptoms are not! Dark black, bloody diarrhea, poor weight gain and growth, and weakness can all be signs of hookworms. Hookworms consume a lot of blood and can leave your pup anemic, and in some cases, can cause death. Wormers with the ingredient, pyrantel pamoate, effectively kills roundworms and hookworms. It is a safe wormer and will do a good job, as long as you use it correctly. Pups need to be wormed with this every 2 weeks until they are 10 to 12 weeks old. It is liquid and the dose goes by weight, so make sure you weigh your pup before every worming to make sure he is getting enough of this medicine. ©Photo Courtesy of Brad Kennedy An oral syringe works great for measuring the correct dose of the wormer to give to your pup. Most pharmacies will give you one, if they do not sell them, if you tell them what you want it for. Monthly heartworm preventatives will also kill some of these worms, along with heartworms. Do not “mix” wormers, unless you are absolutely certain of what medicines you are using! If you have never done this before, it is best to see your vet and discuss what options you have. I like to wait before starting heartworm preventative until my pups are about 3 to 4 months old. I use pyrantel pamoate every 2 weeks until they are 12 weeks old, and then start them on heartworm medicine the following month.
|
