Puppies and worms
Internal parasites, otherwise known as worms, come in many forms and can damage your puppy’s health.
Roundworms are the ones you generally treat your puppy or dog for. These long white worms are common in puppies, adult dogs and humans.
If you find your puppy is licking his or her anal area quite a lot, then take a sample of his faeces for analysis to the veterinary surgeon.
Whipworms are found alive in the large intestine where they feed themselves on blood. Eggs are passed through the faeces and can live in soil for years. If your puppy buries his bones in the infected soil in the garden, the eggs can be picked up again.
Hookworms live in the smaller intestine where they attach themselves and suck blood. Symptoms will be your puppy having bloody diarrhoea. Again, the worms can infect the soil, usually they burrow through your puppies feet. It sounds horrid and like something from a science fiction film but it is true.
The tapeworm lives in the digestive tract, usually from the puppy eating an infected flea. You can see the worms around the puppy’s rectum; they look like bits of rice.
The heartworm lives in the upper heart area and arteries and they damage the vessel walls of a puppy’s body. Poor circulation causes other bodily damage and the puppy may die if left untreated.
Caution: if you see any signs of worms you will need to take a sample of faeces to the veterinary surgeon. Do not handle your puppy without wearing gloves and constantly wash your hands.
