Parasites & Pests
Hookworms
Hookworms are a very opportunistic intestinal parasite. The adults live in the animal's intestine, securely attached by their mouth to the inner wall of the animal's intestine. There, they constantly suck blood from their host. In a weak or young animal, this can be fatal. Dogs can get them in three ways. While still in the uterus, larval hooks cross the pacenta and enter the embryo's body. While nursing, larval hooks can also pass in the milk to the newborn's body. And as youngsters or adults, free living larval hookworms from the environment and soil can burrow through the skin into the animal. Hookworms are easy to eliminate using wormers prescribed by a veterinarian. Do not try and "guess" which parasite your dog has - a stool check is necessary to prescribe the correct wormer. Wormers are a type of poison and the wrong one can do more damage than good. A diagnosis is made by checking a stool sample with a microscope. Many of today's heartworm preventatives eliminate and control hookworms. Contact your veterinarian if you suspect worms of any kind and all dogs should have a stool sample checked twice a year.
Skin Ailments - Mange
a skin disease in which the dog has a small, microscopic mite actually living within it's skin. Dogs can have several kinds of mange depending on the species of mite.Puppy Mange - Caused by the Demodex mite, the condition usually first appears around the eyes and then may spread to the rest of the body. They are characterized by loss of hair, cracking of the skin and weeping of a pink tinged fluid.Scabies or Scarcoptic Mange - caused by the Sarcoptic mite and can be found in people. It occurs anywhere on the body but the head and chest are most commonly affected. Scabies causes a severe itching sometimes leading to self-mutilation through scratching and chewing.Dandruff - caused by the Cheyletiosis mite and affects dogs, but has been isolated from cats and people. Usually raw areas are on the head and neck.Nose Mites - Pneumonyssus mites live in the nose and sinuses and cause chronic nasal discharge and sneezing.Ear mange/Otodectic Mange - Otodectes or ear mites cause chronic ear infections characterized by extreme itching and reddish brown discharge.Ringworm - is a fungus caused disease affecting the skin of dogs and cats. It does not always cause a circular lesion, however many animals lose all of the hair over most of their bodies. In others, the lesions are moist and bright red. Often the feet and areas between the toes are infected and the entire foot becomes swollen.Heartworms
The mosquito transmits heartworm larvae to the dog who is the host for adult heartworms. The cycle is continuous from mosquito to dog and back to mosquito again when a mosquito bites an infected dog. Once the dog is infected with larve that burrow into the skin, they find their way to the heart through the bloodstream. This takes about 6 months from the time of an infected bite. The adults live in thhe heart and multiply by producing microfilaria which are presennt in the blood and are detedted by a Difil test. This test only detects the microfilaria. If the dog is on preventative, has single sex heartworms or the heartworms are sterile the Difil test is inaccurate. A newer test, the "Occult" is more accurate - 99%. This test should be given to dogs even if they are on preventative. It costs to have the dog tested, but is more expensive if the dog gets adult heartworms. This should be given annually since preventative can be skipped, not injested, or ineffective due to age or exposure to extreme temperatures.Heartworm treatment is expensive and lengthy - usually lasting 6 weeks with a 3 month recovery period. It consists of 2 steps...Microfilaria re eliminated orally by administering a high dose of Ivermectin. After 2 weeks, the adult heartworms are then killed by four intravenous injections of arsenic over a two day period. Although this is risky, there is currently no other way. If the dog has a healthy liver, he probably will survive treatment. There is a critical period following the arsenic treatment on the 7th thru 10th day when the adult heartworms die and decompose in the blood. To help eliminate the chance of clots, the dog is given Ascriptin which thins the blood and allows the heartworms to pass. The first 10 days it is absolutely imperative that the dog has no strenuous activity and only limited activity for 3 weeks after that. At the end of 30 days they will test again to determine if microfilaria are present. If negative, the treatment was successful. Avoid the expense and danger of treatment and put your dog on heartworm preventative for the suggested amount of time for where you live! It may save your dog's life.
Coccidiosis
This parasite lives within the intestines of both dogs and cats causing severe diarrhea that is often bloody. It also has a peculiar smell you'll never forget and the feces look like they have a mucus coating. Young puppies can get the parasite from their mother in the first weeks of life. Older dogs can pick it up from infected feces. It is believed that adults often carry it but show no signs and typically do not pass the infective systs in their stool. However, if stressed, the parasite becomes more active which increases the number of active cysts in the stool. If these cysts are ingested (even by sniffing around infected stools) it can produce diarrhea up to 3 weeks later. Coccidiosis is treated with sulfadimethoxine which eliminates all clincial signs, however, some vets feel it is never completely eliminated and stays in the dog. That is, until the dog is stressed and the cycle repeats.
A very good detailed article about Coccidia is here. and another good article is here.
Bladder Infections
Bladder Infections (cystitis) are very common in dogs. they are usually caused by bacterial organisms that somehow get into the bladder and colonize it. Affected animals strain to urinate and may pass small quantities of urine that contains blood. The urine of the animal is typically more alkaline (as opposed to acid). A dog that never has accidents in the house may start having them because of a bladder infection. Bacteria will grow fast in an alkaline environment. These infections are treated with antibiotics and urinary acidifiers such as Vitamin C or d-I methionine.Bladder infections are more common in females because the uretha is shorter. You can also use cranberry juice and raw meat to help acidify the urine. If your dog doesn't like the taste of cranberry juice, you can get cranberry tablets at the health food store. Also, younger dogs are more likely to be affected than older dogs. Therefore, if you notice your pet straining or urinating more frequently, have them checked immediately.
