With care you can help
in your Dog
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The Nasty little buggers that dogs get called
Roundworms in dogs are in fact round and average around three to
five inches in length. They live in the dog's intestines
and eat the food that travels through its digestive tract.
Roundworms do not hook into the intestinal wall like
hookworms; instead they literally swim with the partially
digested food that they feed on in the dog's intestines.
Roundworms are sometimes called ascarids and will pass
microscopic eggs that are found in the stool of the dog.
Roundworms lay a moderate amount of eggs.
Dogs can get roundworms before they are even born if the
mother dog has roundworms. Even if the mother tests negative
for roundworm the pups may still be infected because the
larvae of roundworms will encyst in the muscle tissues and
the normal tests that test for adult roundworms will not
pick up the larvae. Another way
puppies can get roundworm is
through the infected mother's milk. Roundworm larvae can
infest the mammary glands and pass through the milk into the
The eggs of a roundworm can also be picked up and ingested
by the dog when it swallows contaminated soil. The eggs then
hatch out in the stomach and small intestine and migrate
through several organs as larvae. Then after several weeks
they migrate back to the digestive tract to become adult
roundworms. It is then that they start laying eggs to
reinfect the dog or other hosts. Roundworms can be carried
by any number of species including insects, so keep you dog
away from stool of every kind in order to prevent infection.
If you suspect that you dog may have a case of roundworms
take it to the veterinarian for treatment. There are several
drugs on the market that successfully treat roundworm and
kill the mature roundworms. Because of the life cycle of the
roundworm several treatments over a period of months may be
necessary to totally kill all of the worms in a dog's
Be sure to remove all feces from your yard or dog kennel
regularly. It is very important to do this, along with
cleaning of the area with a bleach solution and then rinsing
the area. Roundworm eggs are very hardy and bleach will not
kill them, it just makes it possible to wash them away by
removing the sticky outer layer of the egg.
Humans can be infected by Roundworm, so be sure to keep your
children away from any area that may have had feces. Be sure
to wash your hands after handling your dog or feces. If your
dog has a case of roundworms then you need to take special
care to dispose of infected feces to prevent reinfection of
the dog or your family.
How to keep your Doggie
in tip top Condition