ABOUT WORMS...

Have you been wondering why your dog has diarrhea that does not go away? Or why your dog is getting skinny although he or she has enough food? It might be caused by parasites. I will be talking about the most common parasites my dogs have encountered in my area in Upstate NY right at the Canadian border.

I live in a rural area and every time I had my puppy checked for worms, she had Whipworms and Hookworms. I had to have her dewormed three consecutive times (!!!) because she was going outside in the same spot. Or it might be because other dogs passing by were re-infecting around our house because as soon as we put up a fence, the infestation stopped. Yay! My neighbor's dog had Tapeworms and also had recurrent problems with Hookworms and Whipworms.

Left untreated, it may cause anemia, diarrhea, vomiting, even death. I heard of a puppy that passed away because of untreated parasite infection. I have seen a dog having diarrhea for two years and having it resolved with parasite medication within three days. These three types of worms can be transmitted to humans so it is important to get rid of those unwanted hosts as soon as possible. Make sure you have your new puppy seen by a veterinarian for routine parasite check. Remember to wash your hands as soon as possible after picking up dog poop to avoid catching them. I use latex gloves for that but still wash my hands when I get in the house. I caught Poison Ivy before so in addition I wear long sleeve shirts when I am with the neighbor's dogs.

I will be experimenting on treating the ground with essential oils and Diatomaceous Earth in a neighborhood area known to be infested with parasites; I will keep you posted on my experiment later this Summer. You will find more information about parasites in dogs on the PetCoach.co website.

Image credit: Charly Gutmann on Pixabay