WORMING FOR YOUR NEW PUPPY
Your puppy is an important member of your family and one thing you don't want he/ she to get is worms as this could lead to may dangerous diseases that your puppy may get from the outside world.
Your puppy can get worms from a number of different sources such as:
· Drinking contaminated water
· Contact with other infected animals
· Contact with other infected animal's faeces
· From their mother is she was infected whist nursing
· Swallowing fleas carrying the infective stage of tape worm.
· Eating meat that has not been properly cooked
The worms come in a variety of different sources form roundworms which are active in the intestine of a puppy and they often cause a potbellied appearance and poor growth. They may be seen in vomit and also in the stool and a serve infection may lead to death.
Hookworm is another form of worms that your dog can get if it comes into contact with soil that is contaminated with the larvea and it also can be passed on through mother to pup via the milk. This type of worm can kill your puppy if the infection becomes serve and you may see signs of diarrhoea, weight loss, progressive weakness and anaemia.
Tape worm is a type of worm that is also found in the animal small intestine and can be found in puppies who ingest fleas or who hunt and eat wildlife that are infected with tape worm or fleas. Theses can also be found in the puppy's stool or stuck to the puppy's fur around its anus. Whipworm looks just like pieces of thread with one of the ends large and they live in your puppies first section of the large intestine and is not likely to be found in a faecal sample form your puppies so they would need several vet checks before it could be diagnosed.
Lungworm is fast becoming a threat for puppies in the uk so this is an important worm for your puppy to be treated against. This type of worm is fund in lugs and snails. The worm then becomes a problem when your puppy eats one of theses common garden pests. The symptoms for this type of worm include:
Lethargy
exercise intolerance
chronic cough.
Anaemia
Bleeding into the eye
Excessive bleeding from minor wounds
Nose bleeds
Weight loss
Poor appetite
Diarrhoea
Sickness
Seizures
Trembling
There is a variety of different products for tablets to pastes on the market for you to buy but the more reputable ones will come from your veterinary practice. The most common one used in veterinary practices are Panacur and drontal.
Its is best to worm your puppy at 2, 4 and 8 week intervals untill they are 12 weeks of age and then every month untill they are six months of age and then should ideally be continued into adulthood. This can be done by giving your puppy the tablet straight out your hand, by covering it in a piece of meat or your puppies favourite food.
Top tips when worming your puppy
• Worm all animals in the household at the same time.
• Make a note on your calendar or in your diary of when the next treatment is due so you don't forget.
• Keep flea and worming treatments up to date.
• Store wormers safely out of the way of children and animals.
• Wash your hands after handling worming products.
