Tips For Treating and Preventing Worms This Winter

Whether you own goats, dogs or horses, worms can be very dangerous.  Educate yourself on ways to protect your animal companions and they will love you for it.

Nobody wants their pet to have worms, unless it’s a pet worm giving birth to more worms. “Worms” is a general term classifying long intestinal parasites.  Pets can contract worms from a number of sources, including bad food, garbage, dirt, feces, fruit and dead animals; all things our furry friends love getting into.

Worms affect more than just the small intestine.  Eventually they will make their way to other parts of the digestive system.  At the same time, they will steal nutrients from pets by lining themselves against the intestinal wall.  Eventually, worms can spread to the kidneys, liver, eyes and more, causing serious health issues and even death.  It’s really important as a responsible animal caretaker to ensure that worms are prevented, and in the unfortunate event of infection, eradicated entirely.

Typically, dogs will ingest the eggs of the worm in various ways. Similarly, young worms can be digested through contaminated food, especially if it is lodged in the center of something that a dog eats whole.  The eggs of many worms including kidney worms can be detected by a veterinary professional that takes samples of canine urine, blood and fecal matter.

There are various methods of treatment you can pursue, some more drastic than others.  Depending on the amount and type of animals you care for, you may want to explore different options.

If you own a kennel or farm, or care for many animal friends, there are products made by Safe-Guard that can be spread out in multiple doses.  Their products were created originally to treat dairy cattle, goats and other livestock.  However, smaller doses can be applied to take care of dogs and other animals.  Safe-Guard successfully controls and kills stomach worms, lungworms and intestinal worms.  Safe-Guard Wormer is an industry standard, but is generally intended for usage on a large group.

For the owner of fewer pets, there is an effective and reliable product called Panacur C.  This should be a go-to standard for pet owners.  It comes in easy to measure granules and an in-depth guide on proper and effective dosing.  After a 6 to 10 day treatment, most worms will be dead and gone.  These potent deworming granules can be used in puppies, adults and pregnant canines alike.  They treat roundworms, hookworms, whipworms and tapeworms.  Be sure to weigh your dog for accurate dosing.

These products and more are available in our online store, one of the nation’s leading pet supply websites.  Check A to Z Vet Supply out today and don’t hesitate to call us with your questions about sales and product information including use and proper storage.  

Magnified Image: Eggs of Kidney Worms Found in Canine Urine