Whip-Worms in Dogs
Whipworms in dogs take their name from the shape of the worm, which is shaped like a whip. The worm has a thin head with a larger, thicker end. Humans can be infected with the same whipworm that is found in dogs but it is much more usual for humans to be infected with a human whipworm, Trichuris trichiura.
Causes;
As with many other kinds of worms, a dog may pick up whipworms, known as Trichuris vulpis, by eating food or drinking water that is contaminated with eggs from the parasite. Once the dog has ingested the eggs, they hatch and it takes around three months for the whipworm larvae to mature into adults. As adults they live in the cecum of the large intestine where the large and small intestine intersect. Whipworms bury their heads in the wall of the intestine and feed on the dog’s blood. The adult worms lay eggs and these eggs are passed along through the dog’s feces. The eggs have to be in the soil in order to mature and this takes about a month. At this point the eggs are capable of being passed along and causing infection in a new host.
Symptoms:
Symptoms of whip-worms in dogs
include the following symptoms;
* diarrhea
* blood in the stool
* weight loss
* dehydration
* anemia
* mucus in the stool
In the case of a light infestation you may not notice many symptoms in your dog at first. However, with more worms your dog will probably have an inflammation of his intestinal wall. There will probably be mucus in his stool. There may be blood in the stool. In extreme cases the intestine may hemorrhage and your dog may be anemic. Diarrhea and weight loss are common symptoms.
Symptoms:
Symptoms of whip-worms in dogs
include the following symptoms;
* diarrhea
* blood in the stool
* weight loss
* dehydration
* anemia
* mucus in the stool
In the case of a light infestation you may not notice many symptoms in your dog at first. However, with more worms your dog will probably have an inflammation of his intestinal wall. There will probably be mucus in his stool. There may be blood in the stool. In extreme cases the intestine may hemorrhage and your dog may be anemic. Diarrhea and weight loss are common symptoms.
Diagnosis:
Compared with other worms, whipworms do not produce many eggs. The female whipworms don't produce their eggs every day. You may not notice any eggs in your dog's feces. However, if you suspect that you dog has worms you should take him/her to your veterinarian. Your Vet can do a fecal exam. In some cases your vet may need to perform more than one fecal exam to find whipworm eggs because there are so few eggs produced.
Treatment:
GO TO YOUR VET AS SOON AS YOU SEE IT!!
There are many wormers used to treat whipworms, although some of the most common wormers used to treat roundworms and other common worms in dogs do not work on whipworms. You can treat whipworms in dogs by using mibemycin oxime, lufeneron, moxidectin, fenbendazole, and other wormers recommended by your veterinarian. If you are in doubt about whether a wormer is effective againt whipworms you should ask your veterinarian.
Prevemtion
Whipworm eggs are very hardy and can remain dormant in the soil for years. They will even resist freezing. If you have reason to believe that an area has been exposed to an infestation of whipworms you should keep your dog out of the area. There is no good way to kill whipworm eggs in the soil. Soil can only be replaced with new soil or paved over. If you have whipworms in your kennel area, the area needs to be completely sanitized. Dog runs and kennels should be picked up daily to prevent dogs from coming in contact with fecal matter that could contain worms.
You can help prevent your dog from having worms by having an annual fecal exam. Most monthly heartworm preventives have dewormers that will kill worms, although not all of them will kill whipworms. Check to see if your heartworm preventive kills whipworms. If it doesn’t, you will need to add a regular wormer to ensure that whipworms are eliminated on a regular basis.
There is the potential for T. vulpis to be passed to humans so you should always take precautions when cleaning areas where whipworms may be found. Wear gloves and wash your hands after handling any fecal matter that may contain whipworms or whipworm eggs.
You can help prevent your dog from having worms by having an annual fecal exam. Most monthly heartworm preventives have dewormers that will kill worms, although not all of them will kill whipworms. Check to see if your heartworm preventive kills whipworms. If it doesn’t, you will need to add a regular wormer to ensure that whipworms are eliminated on a regular basis.
There is the potential for T. vulpis to be passed to humans so you should always take precautions when cleaning areas where whipworms may be found. Wear gloves and wash your hands after handling any fecal matter that may contain whipworms or whipworm eggs.
Related posts:
The unembryonated eggs are passed with the stool . In the soil, the eggs develop into a 2-cell stage , an advanced cleavage stage , and then they embryonate ; eggs become infective in 15 to 30 days. After ingestion (soil-contaminated hands or food), the eggs hatch in the small intestine, and release larvae that mature and establish themselves as adults in the colon . The adult worms (approximately 4 cm in length) live in the cecum and ascending colon. The adult worms are fixed in that location, with the anterior portions threaded into the mucosa. The females begin to oviposit 60 to 70 days after infection. Female worms in the cecum shed between 3,000 and 20,000 eggs per day. The life span of the adults is about 1 year.
Whipworms
Whipworms Surveys consistently identify whipworms (Trichuris vulpis) as one of the most common parasitic worms of dogs in North America, while only infrequently being reported in cats or humans. They live in the lower aspects of the intestines (the cecum and colon) where they latch on to feed. Sometimes they cause no problems at all but they may cause abdominal upset (colic) or diarrhea, often tainted by blood and mucus. When eggs are laid in the intestines, they pass into the feces and become infective within 9-10 days. When consumed by dogs the infective eggs hatch in the intestines and the larvae parasitize the intestines and matures further.
Many people do not realize that dogs do not begin to shed whipworm eggs in their stool until about 3 months after being infected. At that time each female whipworm may pass from 1000 to 4000 eggs per day into the stool. Complicating matters further are that female whipworms are long-lived, surviving for months or years in the intestines. The life cycle therefore includes a larval stage in the small intestine, an adult stage in the large intestine, and infective eggs that pass into the feces.
Diagnosis is not always easy since it depends on finding whipworm eggs in the feces. Remember that animals are infected for 3 months before they begin to shed eggs and you can appreciate the problem. Once females begin shedding eggs, they are usually recoverable by direct smears and centrifugal flotation. They are not as easily found with standard fecal evaluations. In some instances, the adult worms are actually seen attached to the lower bowel during endoscopic procedures.
Treatment is also not straightforward because of the peculiar life cycle of this parasite. Although many medicines are effective in removing adult worms, the larvae are less reliably cleared. Therefore treatment must often be repeated in 3 weeks and often, in 3 months as well, when the larvae have evolved into egg-producing adults. The biggest hindrance to effective treatment is that animals are often re-exposed to environments in which whipworm eggs are plentiful, and are thereby re-infected.
It can be difficult to control exposure to whipworm eggs on lawns or soil but concrete can be effectively disinfected. Proper disposal of egg-containing dog feces is critical.
Inexpensive Treatment;
The cost to effectively keep worm infestations out of your dogs may be entirely too much if you take the dog to a Veterinarian. A Vet will use a multitude of expensive dewormers. The cost for the Veterinarian treatments along with the cost of the office visits will add up to a lot of money per year. Once again, I want to remind everyone that I am not a Veterinarian, but rather a long time Beagle kennel owner. I'll tell you what I use and do, you can use your own judgment whether you want to follow in my footsteps. This article is presented only as a documentation of how I treat canine intestinal worm infestations in the Beagles that I own at a fraction of the cost that a Veterinarian will charge for the expensive worming tests and deworming treatments.
The easiest and most inexpensive, all-around, deworming treatment available is Fenbendazole (Safe-Guard). It is virtually 100% effective against all four types of canine intestinal worms. If you buy deworming medications that are made and packaged specifically for dogs, you will be paying a fortune for them. After reading this article and seeing how often you need to treat your Beagle(s) for worms, I think you may want to follow my lead.
Many people do not realize that dogs do not begin to shed whipworm eggs in their stool until about 3 months after being infected. At that time each female whipworm may pass from 1000 to 4000 eggs per day into the stool. Complicating matters further are that female whipworms are long-lived, surviving for months or years in the intestines. The life cycle therefore includes a larval stage in the small intestine, an adult stage in the large intestine, and infective eggs that pass into the feces.
Diagnosis is not always easy since it depends on finding whipworm eggs in the feces. Remember that animals are infected for 3 months before they begin to shed eggs and you can appreciate the problem. Once females begin shedding eggs, they are usually recoverable by direct smears and centrifugal flotation. They are not as easily found with standard fecal evaluations. In some instances, the adult worms are actually seen attached to the lower bowel during endoscopic procedures.
Treatment is also not straightforward because of the peculiar life cycle of this parasite. Although many medicines are effective in removing adult worms, the larvae are less reliably cleared. Therefore treatment must often be repeated in 3 weeks and often, in 3 months as well, when the larvae have evolved into egg-producing adults. The biggest hindrance to effective treatment is that animals are often re-exposed to environments in which whipworm eggs are plentiful, and are thereby re-infected.
It can be difficult to control exposure to whipworm eggs on lawns or soil but concrete can be effectively disinfected. Proper disposal of egg-containing dog feces is critical.
Inexpensive Treatment;
The cost to effectively keep worm infestations out of your dogs may be entirely too much if you take the dog to a Veterinarian. A Vet will use a multitude of expensive dewormers. The cost for the Veterinarian treatments along with the cost of the office visits will add up to a lot of money per year. Once again, I want to remind everyone that I am not a Veterinarian, but rather a long time Beagle kennel owner. I'll tell you what I use and do, you can use your own judgment whether you want to follow in my footsteps. This article is presented only as a documentation of how I treat canine intestinal worm infestations in the Beagles that I own at a fraction of the cost that a Veterinarian will charge for the expensive worming tests and deworming treatments.
The easiest and most inexpensive, all-around, deworming treatment available is Fenbendazole (Safe-Guard). It is virtually 100% effective against all four types of canine intestinal worms. If you buy deworming medications that are made and packaged specifically for dogs, you will be paying a fortune for them. After reading this article and seeing how often you need to treat your Beagle(s) for worms, I think you may want to follow my lead.
http://www.lambertvetsupply.com/SafeGuard-Suspension-10-1000-ml-Bottle--pr--0160071000
Instead of buying and using only dog/puppy dewormers, I use the Safe-Guard 10% suspension horse/cattle dewormer. I use this for all Beagles that are at least 2 weeks old. This liquid dewormer comes in a 1000 ml bottle and contains 100 mg per ml of the active ingredient which is Fenbendazole. This is much cheaper to buy on a yearly basis than any other deworming product. You can purchase this huge bottle for only $104.95 (accurate price as of 04/20/2008) from Lambert Vet Supply by simply clicking on the photo to the left of this paragraph. It is about 100 times cheaper than any other dog/puppy dewormers made. Also, please note that several of the commercial dog/puppy dewormers are only effective against two or three of the different types of canine intestinal worms; therefore, you would be forced to buy two or three different kinds of dewormers, yet the Safe-Guard 10% suspension horse/cattle dewormer is effective against all four types. (NOTE: Lambert Vet Supply is not a sponsor of BEAGLES UNLIMITED or do P.C. TISSUE~CHARMIN'S CHIHUAHUAS and we do not make a cent by referring them to you. They do have the absolute lowest prices available to help all of us keep our Beagles in great health while we save hundreds of dollars each and every year. Just think about it, no need to buy the very expensive, canine dewormers to proactively keep worms out of all your Beagles.
The recommended dosage of this exact product and strength is 1 ml (which contains 100 mg active ingredient) per 5 lbs of Beagle bodyweight. For example, a 25 lb Beagle would receive 5 ml per day for a 3 day period (total 3-day treatment consists of 15 ml). With a 1000 ml bottle you have enough dewormer to treat a kennel full of Beagles on a bi-monthly treatment program for a very long time. For example, this one bottle of dewormer will treat sixty-six (66) Beagles ( avg. 25lb dogs) for a full three-day treatment. As long as all pups are eating and equally active, I deworm each litter at 2, 4, 6, and 8 weeks. Adult dogs are proactively treated for worms on the fifteenth of every other month. Fenbendazole is always administered for 3-consecutive days rather than only one day, to be sure your puppies and dogs are 100% worm-free. The reason I deworm on the 15th of every other month is because I do a heartworm preventative treatment on the 1st of every month. This way the two medicines are not given at the same time.
The recommended dosage of this exact product and strength is 1 ml (which contains 100 mg active ingredient) per 5 lbs of Beagle bodyweight. For example, a 25 lb Beagle would receive 5 ml per day for a 3 day period (total 3-day treatment consists of 15 ml). With a 1000 ml bottle you have enough dewormer to treat a kennel full of Beagles on a bi-monthly treatment program for a very long time. For example, this one bottle of dewormer will treat sixty-six (66) Beagles ( avg. 25lb dogs) for a full three-day treatment. As long as all pups are eating and equally active, I deworm each litter at 2, 4, 6, and 8 weeks. Adult dogs are proactively treated for worms on the fifteenth of every other month. Fenbendazole is always administered for 3-consecutive days rather than only one day, to be sure your puppies and dogs are 100% worm-free. The reason I deworm on the 15th of every other month is because I do a heartworm preventative treatment on the 1st of every month. This way the two medicines are not given at the same time.
Fenbendazole (Safe-Guard or Panacur)
is one of the safest dewormers on the market. Fasting is not required and it is safe during pregnancy and lactation. This is a list of the attributes of the Benzimidazole (BZD) type dewormers such as Fenbendazole: - Actions: the antiparasitic action of Fenbendazole paste 10% is believed to be due to the inhibition of energy metabolism in the parasite
- Contraindications: no known contraindications observed, even when administered to young, sick, or debilitated animals
- Very wide margin of safety with regards to dose
If you have a kennel of dogs, then buying the Safe-Guard 10% suspension horse/cattle dewormer will definitely save you a lot of money each year. This deworming treatment will stay effective for up to three (3) years if kept refrigerated once opened. Don't wait until you see worms in your dog's feces before treating them, but rather be proactive in deworming your dogs. You should deworm bitches before breeding, during the last week of pregnancy, and each time you deworm your pups. Treat pups with the appropriate dewormers described above at 2, 4, 6, and 8 weeks of age. Also, treat all of your Beagles every other month. An example of a recommended deworming program is as follows: December 15th - 17th, February 15th - 17th, April 15th - 17th, June 15th - 17th, August 15th - 17th, and October 15th - 17th. Once again, the reason I deworm on the 15th through the 17th of every other month is because I treat the dogs with Ivomec as a heartworm preventative on the 1st of every month. Also, don't forget that this deworming treatment with Fenbendazole every other month has the added benefit of ridding and preventing giardiasis in all of your hounds.
If you follow this deworming treatment schedule you will see a significant improvement in your dog's appearance because you will be ridding your hound(s) of intestinal worms before any damage is done. Remember, always keep your kennel(s) disinfected and your backyard clean of feces. Dispose of your dog's feces as often as possible -- preferably daily. You will be happy because your hound(s) body and your family's living environment will be worm-free. If you like to learn more about the worms in your pet go to this website Dr. Dan his website is not working know their are a lot of site to look up on worms if you do your home work as we have here.
- Contraindications: no known contraindications observed, even when administered to young, sick, or debilitated animals
- Very wide margin of safety with regards to dose
If you have a kennel of dogs, then buying the Safe-Guard 10% suspension horse/cattle dewormer will definitely save you a lot of money each year. This deworming treatment will stay effective for up to three (3) years if kept refrigerated once opened. Don't wait until you see worms in your dog's feces before treating them, but rather be proactive in deworming your dogs. You should deworm bitches before breeding, during the last week of pregnancy, and each time you deworm your pups. Treat pups with the appropriate dewormers described above at 2, 4, 6, and 8 weeks of age. Also, treat all of your Beagles every other month. An example of a recommended deworming program is as follows: December 15th - 17th, February 15th - 17th, April 15th - 17th, June 15th - 17th, August 15th - 17th, and October 15th - 17th. Once again, the reason I deworm on the 15th through the 17th of every other month is because I treat the dogs with Ivomec as a heartworm preventative on the 1st of every month. Also, don't forget that this deworming treatment with Fenbendazole every other month has the added benefit of ridding and preventing giardiasis in all of your hounds.
If you follow this deworming treatment schedule you will see a significant improvement in your dog's appearance because you will be ridding your hound(s) of intestinal worms before any damage is done. Remember, always keep your kennel(s) disinfected and your backyard clean of feces. Dispose of your dog's feces as often as possible -- preferably daily. You will be happy because your hound(s) body and your family's living environment will be worm-free. If you like to learn more about the worms in your pet go to this website Dr. Dan his website is not working know their are a lot of site to look up on worms if you do your home work as we have here.