Your dog can contract a variety of intestinal worms, including roundworms. Here are three things you should know about roundworms.
What are the signs of roundworms?
While other types of worms may not be visible to the naked eye, roundworms are easy to spot. They'll be expelled with your dog's fecal matter. When you're picking up your dog's fecal matter on your walks, take a look at it; if they have roundworms, you'll see objects that look like noodles mixed into the feces.
In addition to these visible worms, you may notice that your dog is rubbing their rear against objects. Their stomach may also look swollen due to the large worms that are living inside their intestines. The roundworms feed on the food your dog eats, so you may notice that your dog is losing weight and becoming malnourished.
How do dogs contract roundworms?
Dogs can get roundworms when they eat something that's contaminated with roundworm larvae. Since infected animals expel the worms with their feces; thus your dog could get infected if they eat feces. Anything that the feces has touched, like dirt or grass, can also become contaminated and pass the worms onto your dog.
To protect your dog, try to keep them from eating feces that they discover in your yard. Dogs may eat feces due to a nutritional deficiency or a lack of food, so make sure to feed your dog a healthy, well-balanced diet. When they're outdoors, keep them on a leash and supervise them; if you see them trying to eat feces, pull them away from it.
How are roundworms treated?
Your veterinarian will first examine your dog to determine the type of worms that they're suffering from. If they determine that your dog has roundworms, they'll use an appropriate anthelmintic (deworming drug). For roundworms, these drugs may include ivermectin, pyrantel pamoate or fenbendazole.
Once the worms are gone, your vet may recommend using a year-round intestinal parasite prevention drug. This drug will decrease the risk of your dog getting roundworms or another intestinal worm in the future, but they'll still need to have their feces tested once or twice a year to be sure that the worms aren't back. If the worms return, another cycle of anthelmintic drugs can be used to get rid of them.
If your dog might be infected with roundworms, take them to a veterinarian like Honolulu Pet Clinic LLC The.
