| Until a very recent period, dog
worms were thought to be of a spontaneous origin, brought about by the
influence of heat upon decaying vegetable matter, and it was and still
is freely asserted that puppies are born with dog worms inherited from
the mother in some mysterious manner while still in uterus. This has
been conclusively proven an error and in the minds of all scientists
there is no question about dog worms springing from individual eggs and
having a complete life history of their own. The principal worm
species with which dog owners have to contend are round worms and tape
worms. The first named commonly infest puppies and consequently are
most dreaded by breeders. In shape and size these worms resemble common
angle worms, but in color are lighter, being almost white or only a
pale pink.
In adult dogs these worms, when full grown, are from three to seven
inches long. In puppies they are about half that length, and as thick
as common white string. Round worms live in the small intestines,
sometimes coiled in such masses as to obstruct the passage, and
occasionally they wander into the stomach or are passed by the bowels.
It is easy to understand that when one dog in a kennel is infected
with worms, millions of eggs will be passed with the feces. These are
scattered all over the floors, bedding, feeding and drinking pans. They
get on the dog's coat, are licked off and swallowed and in numbers of
ways gain entrance to the digestive tracts of other dogs, where they
soon hatch out and in ten days are fully developed.
This rapid development account for the popular belief that puppies
are born with worms, for breeders who have held post-mortems on puppies
scarcely ten days old and have found in their stomachs fully developed
round worms could account for their presence in no other way. They
overlooked the fact that the prospective mother, confined in a kennel
infested with worms, would get these eggs attached to her coat, belly
and breasts, and the young, as soon as born, would take these eggs into
their stomachs with the first mouthfuls of milk.
Symptoms Of Dog Worms Attack
Dog worms are responsible for so much sickness and so many symptoms
that it is practically impossible to mention all of them, but their
presence can safely be suspected in all dogs which have not been
recently treated for them, as well as in cases where the patient is run
down, unthrifty and out of sorts.
Other symptoms are a hot, dry nose, weak, watery eyes, pale lips and
gums, foul breath, mean hacking cough and a red, scurfy, pimply or
irritated condition of the skin and harsh, dry, staring coat that is
constantly being shed.
Wormy dogs sometimes have a depraved appetite and will eat dirt and
rubbish. Some days they are ravenously hungry, the next day they will
not eat at all; their sleep is disturbed by dreams and intestinal
rumbling, the urine is high colored and frequently passed, bowels
irregular, stomach easily unsettled, watery mucus is frequently vomited
and the mouth is hot, sticky and full of ropy saliva.
Puppies which are full of worms bloat easily and are pot-bellied.
After feeding their stomachs distend disproportionately to the amount
of food consumed. Their bodies are also subject to scaly eruptions and
their bowels to colicky pains; they do not grow as rapidly as healthy
puppies should and instead of playing with each other they curl up and
sleep hour after hour; they get thinner, weaker and more lifeless from
day to day and if they do not waste away or die in fits and convulsions
with frothing at the mouth and champing of the jaws, grow up
coarse-jointed, rickety and misshapen. Puppies with worms are also
liable to paralysis of their rear limbs and on removal of the worms the
puppies regain control of the affected parts.
A wormy dog is usually an unhealthy and unhappy dog who leads a
miserable life. It could even be deadly, especially so for young
puppies. Bring your dog to a veterinarian if you are unsure. Your dog
will certainly thank you for that.
About the AuthorMoses Chia is a dog lover and owner of
DogsObedienceTraining.com - The dog training resource site for a
happier and healthier dog. |
