The term ‘worms in dogs’ is used to describe many different internal parasites which can infect our pets. Owners can buy treatments for worms in dogs from pet shops and veterinary practices and should use them regularly. Worming a dog is a very important part of responsible pet ownership.
In the UK there are two types of worms in dogs which are very common. They are known as roundworms and tapeworms. Unfortunately many puppies are born with a roundworm infection so they are very hard to avoid. This underlines the importance of worming our dogs regularly, especially during puppyhood.

Although many infected dogs will show no outward symptoms of roundworms, compared to other worms in dogs, they can have serious consequences. Adult roundworms live in the dog’s intestine and eats the contents. This means that they eat your dog’s food. In cases of serious infection there can be dozens of roundworms living inside one dog. It isn’t surprising to find a heavily infested dog can be malnourished, lacking in energy and displaying a dull coat.

Inside adult dogs, roundworms may remain dormant in cysts inside the muscles. In times of stress they awaken. Very commonly, pregnancy awakens them and the larvae migrate around the body, infecting the unborn puppies. Treatment for worms in dogs administered to the pregnant bitch cannot rid the unborn puppies of their worms. This explains why treating worms in dogs is such a priority for puppy health care.

Adult worms release eggs which are passed with the dog’s faeces, contaminating soil. Then toehr dogs pick up the eggs from the soil. However, the most common roundworm in the UK, the Toxocara Canis can also infect children when they touch contaminated soil or sand pits. The larvae can migrate through the child’s body, potentially causing permanent eye damage if they end up behind the retina. It is therefore very important to regularly treat worms in dogs.

Technorati Tags: dog health care, worms in dogs

Although they do not usually pose serious problems, worms in dogs always seem to be an issue, especially for puppies. This is because of how their life cycle works. Given that worms in dogs can cause health problems in both dogs and humans, owners have a responsibility to interrupt the cycle and try to keep it broken.

In the UK, the roundworm is the most common worm infestation seen in dogs, because most puppies are born with an infestation. This infestation often causes puppies’ abdomens to become distended and may delay their growth whilst in humans it has the potential to cause blindness.

Like all types of worms in dogs, the life cycle of the dog roundworm (the Toxocara Canis) is not complex and can be controlled with care and patience. At the beginning of the cycle, a female puppy is infected by her mother, either before birth via the placenta or afterwards via her milk. Then, in the infected puppy, some worm larvae will migrate through the intestine wall, into the bloodstream and into muscles where they will form cysts which cannot be destroyed. In the event of pregnancy in later life, the larvae will be reactivated and will move through the blood to infect the puppies.

In young puppies, some of the larvae will not form the above mentioned cysts. Instead, some will remain in the intestine and grow into adults. After feeding on the part-digested contents of the intestine and reaching maturity, the adult worm releases eggs which are passed with the dog’s faeces. In the open air, the eggs are infectious to other dogs and even people. The risk of infection for people does not arise from handling puppies, but from touching soil which has been contaminated by puppies’ faeces.

That is how the cycle works and to break it, owners must treat adult dogs for worms every three months. As they are so prone to worm infection, puppies should be treated every two weeks from the ages of two to twelve weeks and once a month thereafter until they reach six months. However small and rare, worms in dogs can cause problems for human health, so dog owners must take responsibility for picking up after their dogs and encouraging good hand hygiene in the family, in order to break the cycle and reduce the risk.

Technorati Tags: dog health care, worms in dogs

Responsible dog owners should understand the consequences of worms in dogs and the potential harm they can cause to people too. Worms in dogs can cause ill health in both canines and humans: they are internal parasites.

Although worms in dogs do cause damage to their health, there are often no symptoms until the damage is already being done. Although worms in dogs are hard to spot, the symptoms to look out for are general loss of condition, sickness and diarrhoea.There are two types of worms in dogs: roundworms and tapeworms.

Roundworms

Roundworms can appear to be coiled in the shape of a spring, can grow to around 10cm in length and are pale white or beige coloured. You may be able to see them in your pet’s faeces or vomit. Roundworm larvae find their way into the dog’s body when they are ingested and adult worms then develop inside the dog’s body. The eggs are then passed out in faeces, allowing the worm’s life cycle to be completed. The most common form of roundworm, Toxocare Canis, sadly affects the health of people, and notably children. If children eggs through contact with, for example, contaminated soil, the resulting larvae can move through their bodies. Should the larvae reach the eyes, they have the potential to cause serious damage to the eyesight. This is one of the main reasons why dog owners should always pick up after their pet.

Tapeworms

You may be able to see evidence of tapeworms in your dog’s faeces or around his anus: they look like flat segments filled with what look like moving grains of rice but are actually eggs. Dogs become infected with tapeworms when they swallow fleas whilst grooming because fleas carry tapeworm larvae. Inside the dog, tapeworms can grow as long as 5m.

With worms in dogs, as with many conditions, it is true that prevention is better than cure. You should make sure that your dog is wormed every three months. Worming should be carried out even more regularly than that in young puppies. You can buy effective worming medication from both pet shops and the vet’s surgery: your vet will be able to advise you which is best.

Technorati Tags: dog health care, worms in dogs

Apple’s iPhone has been very proud to publicise the fact that it has an ‘app’ for everything. No surprise then that there are now even apps for pet health care. These apps are perfect for pet owners who prefer mobile phones to computers as a way of finding information quickly.

The applications are all created very much with pet owners wanting quick, concise pet health care information in mind. The Pet First Aid app offers very handy snippets of easy to understand information and advice on pet health care. Also, it gives detailed information about how to carry out physical checks on your animal, allowing you to identify problems. There is also a very informative ‘what’s normal’ area which allows pet owners to check to see if they should be concerned about a symptom or behaviour.

An app which works in a similar fashion to the first aid application is the mobile symptom checker. A little bit like a pet version of the NHS direct website, the app lets users search through symptoms by category.

The Vet Records app helps pet owners to keep themselves updated on their animal’s pet health care records. The app allows users to input medical records to keep track of treatment. This app might sound like it is doing the work of the vet, but it could come in handy if the animal has to receive treatment from any other vet, such as if they were on holiday.

The Pet Services finder app is great for pet health care enthusiasts. From dog walkers, to vets, to catteries, this service which is a cross between a search engine and a phone book can find them.

The best of the rest include an Off the Leash application which can point dog owners in the direction of interesting walks where their pets are welcome and the Vet Dictionary which helps put animal health care terms into plain English.

It is certainly true that these new apps are making a big contribution to pet health care by simplifying it and making it easily accessible.

Technorati Tags: cat health care, dog health care, pet health, pet health care

If you have a dog then you probably want the best for your pet. But it’s pretty likely that you are one of the sorts of dog owners who cannot be cruel to be kind and who gives in to the temptation to feed the dog scraps of human food.However, it is important to remember that some foods that humans regularly consume can be poisonous to dogs and might result in a serious dog health care emergency.

A classic example of a type of food that we people regularly enjoy but that is very dangerous to dog health care is chocolate.A lot of people are aware that it isn’t good for dogs, but it is actually very dangerous for dogs to eat. Whilst hallucinations, internal bleeding and seizures all arise from eating chocolate, the worst case scenario could be death. Because even a small chocolate bar could be enough to kill a dog, depending on its size, it really isn’t worth taking the risk.Dogs that have ingested chocolate should be made to be sick as quickly as possible and veterinary advice should be sought.

Most dogs won’t appear too keen to eat raisins or grapes anyway, but the fruits are incredibly dangerous to dog health care. If a dog eats a big enough quantity of grapes or raisins is eaten then a dog will suffer kidney failure and most likely death. Whilst bigger dogs or dogs of particular breeds may be able to eat more grapes or raisins before the toxicity takes effect, it is just not worth taking the risk to dog health care.

Onions and macadamia nuts are also serious threats to dog health care. Shakes, stiffness, hyperthermia and stomach pain are all symptoms of a dog having eaten them.

We don’t often see drunk dogs, but a dog that has been drinking alcohol will behave in a comparable way to a drunken human. Obviously, jus tlike it does to humans, alcohol can leave a dog feeling very poorly. However, if the alcohol is beer there is a further problem. Dog health care is jeopardised by the hops which are used to make the beer. The hops cause malignant hyperthermia which very often leads to death. The amount of hops a dog can tolerate before becoming seriously ill depends on size and breed and greyhounds are particularly susceptible.

Even though most dog owners are familiar with the basic principles of dog health care, it is still very important to follow this advice to take the best care of your pet.

Technorati Tags: dog health, dog health care, pet health, pet health care

Anybody considering bringing home a new puppy should carefully consider where to buy it from. Buying a puppy from the wrong place could leave you dealing with all types of dog health care problems. This is because of the danger of unwittingly buying a puppy who was born in a puppy farm.

Puppy farms do not promote dog health care. In fact, farmed puppies are unlikely to be healthy.They frequently suffer serious physical and psychological ill health. They also frequently demonstrate problem behaviour.

The problems arise from the conditions in which the puppies are kept.Because puppy farms are just breeding facilities with profit as the only concern, the dogs are kept in poor conditions. The dogs have almost no contact with humans and are not able to move around or exercise.

Health wise the dogs suffer too. Mother dogs are malnourished because of the poor quality food they are fed in only the smallest amounts.Female dogs are bred as often as is possible from the age of four months until death or sickness stops them. This frequent breeding leaves both mother and puppies unhealthy.In order to increase profits, puppies are taken away from their mothers too early so that she may then go on have another litter. This, coupled with a lack of contact with humans leads to dog health care problems and behavioural disorders.

Puppies in pet shops are usually the product of puppy farms, so it’s not advisable to buy them.Internet and newspaper adverts are also risky.Therefore, if buying a puppy from an internet or classified advert always insist on seeing the puppies with their siblings and mother as well as the father if possible. If the seller makes excuses about the whereabouts of the mother then they should not be trusted.Farmed puppies might be offered cheaper than the going rate, but the saving is next to nothing when extra future vet bills, behavioural problems and heart break are taken into account. Ask dog owning friends and family for breeder recommendations instead of buying a farmed puppy.

Technorati Tags: dog health, dog health care, pet health, pet health care

If the dog exhibits signs of coughing and sneezing, accompanied by a runny nose and eyes, this will probably be an uncomplicated cold so you need to try not to stress too much. However, if the coughing and sneezing becomes persistent then your pet could be suffering from Parainfluenza. If you believe this, it is critical for dog health care for you to keep the dog separate from any other dogs because the illness is exceptionally contagious. Get him into the vet’s.

One affliction termed Canine Kennel Cough is characterised by a raspy cough with phlegm. This is often much more serious, so if your dog’s symptoms remain a problem for more than a few days with no improvement, consult the vet’s. Another dangerous variation on respiratory infections in dogs is distemper. This is when cold symptoms are coupled with gastro-intestinal symptoms. Dogs should be vaccinated against distemper, as it has a substantial fatality rate. Get your pet to the vet’s if you believe he has Distemper.

Usually, less extreme colds just like a typical common cold in humans will run its course in just a few days. If your dog has experienced cold symptoms for more than ten days with no indication of recovery then you ought to take him to the vet’s where he will be able to receive dog health care. The reason for this is because un-mended colds and viruses which the dog’s own disease fighting capability has been unable to protect against can develop into pneumonia that is much more serious. This is characterised by coughing and difficulty breathing.

Regarding seeking treatment for your dog, typically just young dogs and more senior dogs require professional aid for simple common colds. Adult dogs which are mostly in good health may be looked after at home in comparable ways to how we’d take care of ourselves if we got a cold. Do not attempt to give your pet over the counter cold remedies as there is a danger of overdose. Make certain the dog is kept cozy and dry and limit their time outside for the reason that cold may make breathing harder when their bronchial tubes already are a little bit stuffed up. As with people, dogs will have to keep well hydrated, so give them a bit of lukewarm chicken soup. You can also try out dog health care in the home making your pet more cozy by letting him inhale warm steamy air inside your bathroom following a hot shower for five minutes. This will help to alleviate his congestion.

Don’t forget, if you’re caring for your adult dog in your own home and his symptoms become worse, he ceases eating or his coughing stops him from sleeping then it’s high time to take him to the vet’s.

Technorati Tags: dog health care, pet health care

Countless dog owners who assume they know about dog health care are often taken aback by the variety of healthcare treatment for dogs. It’s a terrible shame that a great many dogs are put to sleep when they get unwell though their affliction may be treatable.

One instance of a relatively uncomplicated dog health care practice is dog blood donation, which is progressively more common in the UK. Unfortunately not enough vets are entirely conscious of the ease of the practice and therefore do not promote it adequately to dog owners.

Another illustration is the usage of pace makers in dogs. It is remarkable to think that a dog’s lifetime could be extended by the exact same kind of medical procedures that enables innumerable humans to survive for a longer time when experiencing conditions which slow their heartbeats and it is testament to the effort that goes into dog health care research behind the scenes.

The usage of pacemakers on our canine friends is reasonably uncommon, due to the tremendous expense, with the treatment being pioneered in the US. A fascinating fact is that no company makes pace makers specifically for dogs, consequently human products are used. This means that to keep costs low about a tenth of pacemakers used on dogs in America are reused from humans who have died.

Fitting a pace maker to a dog which, apart from the heart illness, is in good health can enable them to survive between three and six years longer. You learn something new about dog health care each day!

Technorati Tags: dog health care, pet health, pet health care

Dogs are very curious animals and as omnivores and natural scavengers, can get into and eat just about anything. There are many things outside the home that dogs end up eating, but the same also applies inside the home, and with a number of toxic chemicals lying around, there is a great risk of harm coming to your dog. The following is a list of 4 common household substances that you should make sure to keep out of your dog’s reach. Just by following these simple steps you can make sure your dog health care routine is boosted.

1) Antifreeze: Although not widely known, antifreeze can be a killer for dogs. It’s the sweet smell of the antifreeze that attracts dogs. Inside antifreeze you’ll find ethylene glycol and this is toxic. The symptoms of ingesting a toxic substance are awful, and your dog will end up with kidney failure. You can prevent this painful death by just making sure the product is kept far out of reach. If your dog does end up ingesting some antifreeze, call the vet immediately.

2) Chocolate: Baking chocolate and dark chocolate are very dangerous. While it usually takes a somewhat large amount of chocolate to kill a dog, poisoning and death do occur with smaller amounts ingested. The symptoms you need to be aware of with chocolate poisoning are diarrhoea and vomiting. This can progress to seizures and unusual heart rhythms. Even the slightest suspicion that your dog might have even chocolate means you have to visit the vet to get checked out. Chocolate ingestion is very dangerous for your dog’s health.

3) Bleach: As you might imagine, household bleach is toxic to dogs. Anything containing bleach should be out of sight and out of mind. Bleach-related symptoms include drooling and vomiting. However, one important thing to remember is that vomiting should not be induced s this can make the situation worse. Just by following these tips, you can feel confident that you’re doing all you can to keep on top of your dog health care routine.

4) Mouthwash: Mouthwash can contain boric acid which is highly toxic to dogs. Symptoms of poisoning by mouthwash include vomiting, drooling, seizures, and coma. Once again, any mouthwash ingestion requires a visit to the vet.

If you own a pet then you have to take responsibility for it and this means looking after its health and keeping toxic products out of reach. Pet owners do a lot for their pets in terms of feeding and grooming, but a proper dog health care routine isn’t complete without making sure dangerous products are kept away from the pet. As always, if you think your dog may have eaten something dangerous, contact your veterinarian immediately or take your dog to the closest emergency clinic.

Technorati Tags: animal health, animals, dog health, dog health care, dogs, pet health, Pets

Here are the answers to just a few of the questions most commonly posed by dog owners.

1. What supplies do I need to have on hand before I bring my new puppy home?

Always remember to take a travel crate with you when picking up your puppy. Think of the other puppy essentials such as food and water bowls, and these need to be in place before you bring your puppy home. Your vet, breeder or shelter personnel can tell you which brands of food are the best. Other items you’ll need to get in advance of the new puppy’s arrival are: an adjustable collar, a lead, toys and bedding. Make your first appointment with the vet to get your puppy checked over.

2. I’ve heard about microchipping – what is this?

Microchipping is very popular these days and it is an essential part of dog health care. The vet will place a small device under your pet’s skin near the neck. Then, should your dog ever run off and get picked up by a shelter, they can read the microchip and place it back in your safe hands. Do you need to microchip your dog? If you are always with your dog, then a microchip might not be necessary. Even if you have reservations about microchipping, it is a pain-free process and completely safe so it is definitely worth considering. Even the most closely guarded dogs can get away from their owners.

4. I’m concerned that my dog might have worms – how can I tell for sure?

Knowing more about dog health care means delving deeper into the world of potential health problems, and one such issue can be worms. Some of the most common worms that a dog can potentially have are: heartworms, hookworms, tapeworms, roundworms and whipworms. Many of these worms can be dangerous for your dog and cause internal irritation. Get your vet to check for worms on a regular basis so your dog can stay fit and healthy.

5. Neutering – is it worth it?

It is true that unless you are planning to breed from your pet dog, getting it spayed or neutered is the right route to go down. There are just not enough homes for all of the puppies and kittens born each year; and, as a result, over 4 million dogs and cats are euthanized annually. There are many pets neutered and spayed each day and the majority come out absolutely fine, so it is definitely worth doing – plus, things are so quick these days that your pet could be out in the same day.

In addition to its being an effective pet population control measure, spaying and neutering can also benefit your dog’s health. If you have your dog neutered or spayed before it reaches 6 months of age, then its risk of developing certain types of cancers and infections will be cut in half.

Technorati Tags: dog FAQ, dog health, dog health care, dogs, pet health