Knowing how to treat dog worms is very important and is essential to the proper care of your pet. Treatment for worms should begin with heartworms as some medicines and herbal remedies for treating heartworm are also effective for hookworms, roundworms and whipworms. The only untreated worm left would be the tapeworm.

Some of the traditional medicines are Heartgard Plus, Interceptor, and ProHeart. Heartgard Plus has a combination therapy of ivermectin and pyrantel pamoate, two powerful dewormers that are usually used as stand-alone treatments for specific worms.

There is something important to consider for those who want to know how to treat dog worms: not one wormer will kill all worms.

Roundworms can be treated with pyrantel pamoate suspension (or Nemex) or Ivermectin.
Drontal Plus, Vercom Paste, and Panacur kill roundworms, and also kill hookworms and whipworms. Drontal and Vercom kill tapeworms, but Drontal cannot be given to dogs or puppies that weigh less than two pounds or are under three weeks of age. Vercom and Panacur need to be given three days in a row for full effectiveness, then repeated in two to four weeks. A stool sample needs to be taken to ensure the worms are gone.

Natural Treatments

There are certain foods that help such as

Grapefruit seeds are a natural for killing, weakening and repelling parasites. Grind up seeds from fresh grapefruits, oranges, lemons, limes, or any other citrus fruit and add to food.

Cayenne pepper is hated by parasites so adding a half capsule per 50 lbs of body weight to food daily. This can be stepped up to a half capsule per 25 lbs of body weight twice a day for one week for faster results.

Another herbal method for treating dog worms is to grind up a bunch of fresh parsley in a quarter cup of water and cook for three minutes. Strain and freeze in ice cube trays and add 1 teaspoon per 10 lbs of body weight once a day. Keep the rest in the freezer and use as needed.

Additional methods that are nutrition-based treatments

Add finely grated, raw sources of Vitamin A, such as carrots, beet greens, collard greens, pumpkins and sweet potatoes, to your dog’s diet for two to three days and then repeat every six to seven weeks Vitamins and minerals from these nutritional sources are essential to cleansing the digestive tract of roundworms.

Try grinding up pumpkin seeds and add a quarter teaspoon for each 10 - 15 lbs. of body weight daily. Do this for two weeks and then add wheat bran to the dog’s diet; soak the bran in water and add an eighth teaspoon per 10 lbs. of body weight to larger animals and just a pinch for smaller ones.

The most important thing to keep in mind when treating dog worms is to opt for methods that remove the worms safely and effectively, while maintaining your dog’s health. To learn more about natural and herbal remedies that eliminate dog parasites and worms such as Tape Worm, Heartworm and Roundworm, visit: how to treat dog worms

Pat Welch is an editor at herbal-alternative-remedies.com
For information on other natural and herbal treatments for dog worms visit: how to treat dog worms

To learn about herbal remedies for pets visit http://www.herbal-alternative-remedies.com

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Tags: cleanse parasites on dogs, deworming, dog worms, heartworms, parasites, pet health, tape wormscleanse parasites on dogs, deworming, dog worms, heartworms, parasites, pet health, tape worms

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Posted on June 14th, 2008 by itbsuperrich
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When it comes to keeping your canine companion healthy both inside and out, it’s important for owners to know which parasites see your dog as the perfect host.

One of the lesser-known parasites that poses a danger to dogs is the whipworm. Whipworms, like most parasites, are resilient. In egg form, their hard shells allow them to survive outdoors in the soil for years in the time. In many ways, whipworms are like hookworms, but instead of ending in a hook shape, one end of this worm tapers to a narrow, whip-like point.

Unlike hookworms, whipworms can’t enter the body through the skin. The only way for your dog to contract them is by eating the eggs. Whipworms exist throughout North America, and transmission is easy if your dog has any contact with other dogs. The long-lived eggs can show up in the soil, dog toys, discarded bones and water dishes. Once eaten, whipworms then grow to maturity inside your dog’s digestive system.

When they reach maturity, the adult worms fasten themselves to the large intestine and the cecum, a transitional pouch between the large and small intestine. Here, these nasty little parasites slash and puncture the intestinal walls in order to feed. The female starts to lay her eggs, which the dog excretes through the feces.

Symptoms for whipworm resemble those for other worms, such as hookworm. Many dogs can carry a certain number of whipworms without showing distress, but past a certain point, your dog may begin to exhibit signs such as a dull coat, anemia, rapid weight loss, and a loose and bloody stool. He may also begin vomiting up a yellow-green substance. In very severe cases, the worms may begin to puncture the intestinal wall, to the degree that the intestine begins to stick to the body wall. In this case, you might see your dog licking and worrying his right flank.

When you take your dog to the vet, it may take some time to diagnose him with whipworm. Whipworms lay eggs only intermittently, and even when they’re actively releasing eggs, any diarrhea in your dog can make the eggs hard to find. Typically, vets will perform four stool samples over four days before ruling out whipworm.

If your vet finds whipworm eggs, she’ll administer a potent dewormer. But the dewormers are only effective against whipworms in their adult form. As a result, you’ll probably need to re-treat your dog.

There are no simple, foolproof ways of removing whipworm eggs from the soil around your house. However, a contaminated environment can infect your dog over and over again. The best way to combat reinfestation is to make sure your dog’s quarters are sunny and dry, since whipworm eggs require moisture. Try to place him in an area of fresh new gravel, pavement or soil.

About the Author

Nathan Fischer writes for Poodle-oo, a site for small dog clothes and wedding dresses for dogs.

Tags: dog, dogs, parasites, pet care, pet health, whipworm, whipwormsdog, dogs, parasites, pet care, pet health, whipworm, whipworms

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Posted on April 5th, 2008 by itbsuperrich
Filed under: pethealthinsurance.pet-insurance-zone.info | No Comments »