Why Worming Your Dog Is Important

The two most common types of worms in dogs are roundworms and tapeworms. These attach themselves to your pet's intestines and feed off their blood and the food that is being digested.
If your dog has a severe infestation of either of these, there will sometimes be symptoms of losing weight , vomiting and diarrhoea.

Another sign of worms is that your dog will drag it's bottom along the floor. However, this is not always the case and sometimes there will be another problem with your pet. It is recommended that you consult your veterinary surgeon if this continues after worming your dog.

There are often an infestation in your dog without there being any symptoms, so it is essential that you treat your dog every three months as your pet may be infected but doesn't show any symptoms.

If you have a puppy, worming your dog is highly important from it being two weeks old, every two weeks until it is around three months old. This is because it has been found that 70% of puppies have already been infected at birth and an infestation of worms can be fatal for younger dogs and puppies. Some symptoms of an infestation in puppies can cause pneumonia, coughing, not putting on weight and the appearance of having a “pot-belly”.

If you have a pregnant bitch then you need to treat her from the 40th day of pregnancy up to 2 days before. This will not eliminate the chance of the puppy being infected by worms at birth but it will reduce the chance.

You must remember that not every product is suitable for puppies and dogs during pregnancy so make sure you ask your veterinary surgeon for the best worming tablets to suit your dog. Also if you suspect that your dog has worms, check their bedding as you can sometimes find segments in their bed. They are the size of a grain of rice and are pale coloured.

Not only are worms dangerous for animals, they can cause severe illness if they are passed on to humans. This usually happens if your dog licks your plate or fingers. If you have young children then it is essential that you are regularly worming your dog as they are more vulnerable to infestations.