Cats and dogs
 
Insecticide, repellant, and deodorant-kills fleas, lice, and ticks. Temporarily repels gnats, flies, and mosquitoes. For dogs, puppies, cats, and kittens. Pyrethrins in an alcohol base. Quickly flushes out and kills fleas and ticks . Repels gnats, flies and mosquitoes. Includes coat conditioner and fragrances.
 
|
Intestinal Worms
The most common internal intestinal parasite problems in companion animals are intestinal worms (intestinal roundworm, intestinal tapeworm, intestinal hookworm and intestinal whipworm)
and heartworm.
Many dogs and cats can have a mild intestinal parasite infestation and show no symptoms. A healthy animal may fight off an infestation without their guardian ever knowing of it.
Dogs and cats with stressed or weakened immune systems, however, will succumb to a more severe intestinal infestation if left unchecked.
It seems that new pets often arrive with intestinal worms. Most puppies and kittens will have intestinal worms from birth. The worms are passed on from
the mother, and the undeveloped immune systems and gastrointestinal systems of very young animals cannot keep the parasite population in check. Rescued animals
should also be checked for parasite infestations as stress and crowded conditions contribute to the animal’s vulnerability to intestinal worms
Common symptoms of intestinal worms can include:
|
|
- Diarrhea
- Weight loss
- Gastrointestinal disturbances
- Anemia
- Scratching, particularly around the base of the tail
- Vomiting
- Mild to severe coughing
- Eating a great deal without putting on weight
- Bad breath
|
Puppies and kittens with intestinal worms like roundworms may appear to have a pot belly and exhibit slow growth. They can be born with a roundworm infection or become infected
from the mother’s milk. Rodents are also common carriers, so if you have a hunter in the household, it is wise to regularly check for roundworm.
If the roundworm infestation is severe, long, whitish worms may be seen in the stools, but they are more commonly detected through a fecal examination by a
veterinarian that reveals the presence of eggs. The life cycle of these intestinal worms includes a trip through the respiratory system (as microscopic larvae),
they are then swallowed and complete their development in the intestinal tract. Hookworms are more common in dogs than cats.
As with roundworms, puppies and kittens can be infested in utero or from the mother’s milk. Intestinal Hookworms attach to the wall of the intestine and suck blood.
It the infestation is severe the animal will develop anemia. Older dogs with a weakened immune system are also susceptible to intestinal worms and may show signs such as
poor weight maintenance, poor stamina, progressive weakness, and possibly bloody diarrhea.
It is important that older animals visit their veterinarian for regular checkups as not all decline in activity can be written off to “old age.” Intestinal Whipworms are also more
common in dogs than cats. There are an online pharmacy to contact at any time you detect any health problem in your pet:
1-800-PetMeds ,
and get their services and Vets' advice immediately.
Intestinal Whipworms are difficult to detect as they are seldom seen in the stool and they produce relatively few eggs, so a single fecal exam may not reveal the problem.
The most common signs of intestinal worm as intestinal whipworm are chronic weight loss and stools that seem to have a mucous covering–particularly on the last bit of stool passed.
Whipworm infestation has also been known to manifest the same symptoms as Addison’s Disease. If a dog shows the signs and symptoms of Addison’s
Disease such as a waxing and waning weakness with inability to conserve salt-ultimately resulting in dehydration, and the tests for Addison’s come
up negative, then de-worming for intestinal worm like in this case the whipworm may be in order.
If you are seeing small intestinal worms in your dog or cats’ stools, fur or bedding, then you are likely seeing real intestinal worms called tapeworms.
Tapeworms look like flattened grains of rice-usually found on your companion’s bedding and/or the fur around his anus, or sometimes in the stools.
They often do not show up during a fecal exam by a veterinarian, so watching your pet’s bedding and fur are the best ways to detect them. Intestinal worms such as Tapeworms come with flea
infestations as they are carried by fleas. Before treating intestinal worms such as tapeworm, you must first eradicate any fleas in the environment (home/yard) or they will become
re-infested. (see The Natural Approach to Flea Control). Consuming rodents with tapeworm or fleas may also cause infestation, so again if your
companion likes to hunt–regularly check for tapeworm.
If you suspect your companion may have intestinal worms , it is very important to have a stool analysis performed by a veterinarian to determine the type of worm for
which treatment is needed.
Prevention and Treatment.
A healthy animal with a strong immune system eating a high-quality, raw food diet is not only less susceptible to intestinal worms and parasites of all kinds, she also
will be more able to eliminate any infestation that does occur without intervention. Cleaning litter boxes regularly or “scooping” the yard on a regular basis
is also important.
In treating puppies and kittens I generally recommend using prescription intestinal de-wormers.
The newer prescription intestinal worm medications available to veterinarians are very effective and relatively safe and gentle. As intestinal worm medications only kill the worms in the animal’s intestines, a fecal analysis should be done approximately 3 weeks after the initial
de-worming to ensure that no migrating intestinal worms were able to re-infest the animal’s intestines.
Intestinal worms herbal remedies have been used successfully for many years. They are particularly effective for less severe intestinal worms infestations and are safer and gentler than over-the-counter medications. There are no rigorous tests of the natural intestinal de-worming remedies available since there is no money to be made there,
but these remedies have been used for many years for humans and animals infested with intestinal worms.
|
|
|