Worms in dogs: symptoms, treatment, best drugs

Worms, or helminths (Helminths) are worms that can parasitize on various internal organs of a living creature. They suck out nutrients and release toxins in the course of their life. So they destroy the body of the pet from the inside. To prevent this, you need to pay special attention to the prevention of worms.

Helminth infections

Most often, parasites enter the body of any living creature when they lick a dirty surface. Eggs can be found on the street: in the soil, water, feces of any living creatures, food debris (especially in raw meat and fish). All this dirt is just brought to the apartment on the sole of the shoes. Moreover, at higher air temperatures, the larvae develop especially rapidly. It is enough for the dog to pick up his favorite ball from the ground or just sniff the soil or unwashed shoes of the owner - and infection can not be avoided.

In addition, larvae live even inside small insects. For example, ordinary fleas are carriers of tapeworm larvae. Therefore, by swallowing an insect, the dog also risks becoming infected.

A puppy can “pick up” parasites in the womb of an infected mother, as the larvae penetrate the placenta through the bloodstream and infect babies that have not yet been born. And they can also get into the body with milk and bitches. Therefore, the health of puppies must be monitored very carefully.

The main danger - worms multiply instantly

If the pet is badly infected, then it quickly gets tired, does not want to eat, drink and play. The adult body often just feels unwell, but the puppy often lags behind in development and begins to seriously hurt. In especially advanced cases of helminthic invasion, death may occur.

In addition, there are numerous types of helminths. The body can be infected by several of them at once. In our smaller brothers, the most common are tapeworms (cestodes) and round (nematodes) worms. The second worms are transmitted from dog to person.

In addition, parasitic worms often live not only in the gastrointestinal tract. Dogs have heartworms (cause a dangerous disease, dirofilariasis), as well as worms that live under the skin, in the kidneys and liver.

Signs of Worms in a Dog

Symptoms of helminthic invasion are often disguised as signs of other diseases, so it is quite difficult to determine what exactly worries a pet. It is worth considering whether it is time to purchase drugs for the prevention of worms, if you notice the following ailments:

lethargy, drowsiness and general malaise;

pallor of the mucous membranes;

change in the color and structure of the coat (it becomes dull, stiff and excessively shedding);

any disorders of the gastrointestinal tract: diarrhea, constipation, vomiting, hiccups, bloating;

rapid weight loss;

an allergy to the skin, accompanied by itching (outwardly it is similar to ordinary hives), dermatitis;

unusual taste preferences (for example, a pet gnaws concrete);

developmental delay, rickets in puppies;

the presence in the feces of the worms themselves, blood and / or mucus,

itching of the anus (but if, in addition to this, other signs are not observed, then do not sound the alarm: when the dog scratches the butt, this most often indicates contamination of the paraanal glands).

The best worm remedies for dogs

Treatment and prevention of helminth infections in pets are often carried out with the same medicines. Therefore, you do not need to wait for obvious signs of helminthic invasion, but preventive measures should be observed. Do not let the pet pick up on the street everything that is “bad”, and every 3 months give him a special remedy for worms for dogs.

Currently in veterinary pharmacies a wide selection of anthelmintics for animals is presented. The following have proved themselves better than others:

Drontal Plus - tablets manufactured in Germany Bayer (Bayer) containing pyrantel, praziquantel.

Prazicid - yellow suspension, packaged in bottles of 6, 9 or 10 ml. The drug is convenient to give with the supplied syringe. The active substance is pyrantel, praziquantel. Manufacturer - NPF Api-San LLC, Russia.

Caniquantel Plus - tablets with active substances such as praziquantel and fenbendazole. The drug is manufactured by Euracon Pharma, Germany.

Polyverkan - sugar cubes with oxybendazole and niclosamide, which destroy nematodes and cestodes. Manufacturer - Ceva Sante Animale, France.

Milbemax - tablets contain milbemycin oxime and praziquantel. Manufacturer - Novartis Sante Animale, France.

The IN-AP complex is a fairly new Russian-made product that is available as a solution for external use and at the same time destroys not only internal, but also external parasites. Active substances: aversectin C1, fipronil, praziquantel.

Lawyer - drops from helminths, ticks and fleas. The product contains imidacloprid and moxidectin. Manufacturer - Bayer, Germany.