Worms in dogs: symptoms and treatment. When and how to use anthelmintics for dogs

There are separate dangerous types of helminths for dogs, and their own for humans. This is one of the most common myths among people. In fact, both humans and animals can become infected with the same helminths, and their symptoms will be similar. The only difference is that there are certain types of helminths that require a so-called “intermediate” host to mature. As the latter, some are suitable for representatives of cattle, for others - ticks, mosquitoes and even mollusks, and for others - dogs. If a helminth larva with an indirect life cycle (i.e., in order to mature, it must first enter the body of an “intermediate” host) enters the human body for the first time, the latter is in almost no danger. If the same larva enters his gastrointestinal tract a second time (after maturing in the body of a dog or cattle), the helminths begin to actively grow and multiply. In the first case, you can get rid of helminths using folk remedies. In the second case, drug treatment is most often required, and folk remedies are used as auxiliary tools.

In dogs, everything happens exactly the same. The only difference is that some types of helminths can use them as “intermediate” hosts.

First aid for canine helminthiasis

The TOP 5 folk remedies for our little brothers include: wormwood, cloves, flax seeds, walnuts, tansy. In some cases, you can use onions, garlic and pumpkin seeds.

Here are several proven recipes that can help you cure your pet in the early stages of helminthiasis.

Decoctions

From pomegranate bark. The bark is washed, poured with boiling water (about half a glass per 10 grams of bark) and infused for half an hour. Give the decoction to your pets three times a day.
From fennel and chamomile. Both herbs are taken in the same proportions, poured with boiling water (2 tablespoons will require 350-400 milliliters of boiling water), infused, after which a small amount of honey is added to them. The decoction is used once a day.

Recipes with onions and garlic

Chop the onion (you can use a blender for this), add vodka and leave for seven to ten days. Take the decoction once or twice a day.
Chop eight cloves of garlic (you can use a blender) and mix with boiled milk. Use the infusion once a day. Some recipes advise not to chop the garlic, but to use the whole head.
Peel the onion and chop finely (you can chop it in a blender, but not to a pulp, but to get larger pieces). Boil water (about half a liter), cool and pour it over the onion. Infuse the mixture for ten hours (you can pour it in the evening and leave it overnight). Add a little aloe juice to the tincture, one teaspoon of honey (it is best to choose natural honey), take three times a day.

Recipes with wormwood

Dried wormwood (about two to three tablespoons) is poured with 500 milliliters of boiling water. The broth is infused for two to three hours, after which it must be filtered. Natural honey is added to the strained infusion (no more than two tablespoons, a smaller amount is possible). The infusion is taken three times a day, twenty milliliters (about two tablespoons).

Recipes with walnuts and pumpkin seeds

The green (young) nut is peeled, crushed and poured with a glass of boiling water. You need to infuse the decoction for half an hour. Some recipes also recommend using walnut peels, but old walnuts must be peeled. You need to take the decoction twice a day. For a faster effect, you can drink a laxative after taking the nut tincture (according to the instructions).
Pumpkin seeds can be taken either raw (at least three tablespoons at a time, ideally up to 500 grams per day) or as part of tinctures. For example, mix dry wormwood or tansy leaves with pumpkin seeds in a two to one ratio. If you take pumpkin seeds raw, for a faster effect, it is recommended to drink a laxative immediately after taking them.

Recipes with herbal mixtures

The most effective mixture is based on wormwood, flax seeds and cloves. Herbs are poured with boiling water in equal proportions, after which flax is added to them. The infusion is aged for 24 hours (you can leave it overnight and use it in the morning).
Wormwood can also be used as one of the ingredients of an enema. In serious cases, when worms have penetrated the internal organs and reached the brain, wiping with a solution containing wormwood can be used. However, in this case, such wiping will be only part of a comprehensive drug treatment.

Summary. Traditional recipes, unlike drug treatment, allow you to cope with helminthiasis with virtually no side effects. But they can only be taken in the initial stages, for example, when helminth larvae first entered the body. If the disease progresses, folk remedies only temporarily paralyze the helminths, but neither wormwood nor clove-honey tincture is able to completely destroy them and the deposited larvae. In addition, not all pets are willing to accept strange-smelling infusions, especially those made with vodka, onion or garlic. So be sure to consult a specialist, or better yet, do an analysis to make sure what stage the disease is at and whether it’s time to take emergency measures.

It is necessary and important for owners of shaggy pets to know what deworming is, how to properly care for a dog, what deworming medications for dogs to use if helminths are detected, and how to cure a pet from this dangerous disease. All this will be discussed in this article.

Danger

The behavior of the animal must be constantly monitored, since even a domestic dog can become infected by simply drinking water from a puddle or grabbing a ball from the ground with its teeth.

A sick dog's immunity is sharply reduced, as a result of which it will be vulnerable to many other diseases. The effectiveness of vaccinations decreases sharply, which explains the need for deworming before vaccination. Moreover, worms, living in the internal organs, cause mechanical damage to them and literally feed on the dog. If the disease is not cured in time, great harm to the animal’s health and even death is possible.

Signs

An attentive owner can, without visiting a veterinary clinic, understand that his beloved pet has worms; all he needs to do is watch him.

There are several main signs of infection:

changes in habits and behavior: lethargy, apathy, tendency to dermatosis and eczema;
changes in the gastrointestinal tract: decreased appetite or good appetite due to weight loss, changes in taste preferences, vomiting, diarrhea, constipation;
the presence of blood, mucus, larvae or worms themselves in the stool;
swollen and hard belly, protruding ribs;
developmental and growth retardation;
difficulty swallowing;
itching of the anus (the dog “rides” on the back of the body in an attempt to get rid of it).

Types of worms

Traditionally, it is customary to distinguish three main types of worms:

Round (nematodes): have the shape of a spindle, tapering at the ends. In nature there is a huge variety of species of these helminths (about 1,000,000); some species can reach 8 meters in length. These include: roundworms, pinworms.
Tape, flat (cestodes): They have a ribbon-like, long body at one end of which there is a head. When it enters the animal’s intestines, the head turns out, sticks to the intestinal walls, and the helminth begins to grow, reaching a length of 10 meters. The most famous representatives: pork tapeworm, bovine tapeworm, broad tapeworm.
Flukes (trematodes): These worms are distinguished by the presence of suckers not only in the front part of the body, but also in the middle. Due to the peculiarities of their structure, they can live in many internal organs, and their offspring are innumerable, since new embryos are already developing in each larva. These worms include: liver fluke and cat fluke.

What to do if the dog is already infected

As mentioned above, puppies can get worms from their mother even before birth, and deworming puppies has its own characteristics. In this regard, there is a need to deworm a newly acquired puppy, at least for prevention, even if no symptoms of infection are observed.

In this case, you must follow several rules:

If you plan to deworm your dogs before vaccination, be sure to inform your veterinarian about possible helminths, he will select a remedy for this case.
It is best to carry out deworming between February and March; at this time, deworming of dogs is most effective.
Only an otherwise healthy pet can be treated for fleas; even fleas should be treated before the procedure, otherwise the drug should be prescribed by a doctor.
Depending on the breed, some individuals may not tolerate deworming medications well; check this with your veterinarian.
Be sure to check whether the bitch received prophylaxis before pregnancy; the time of the first dose of medication will depend on this.

Choosing an anthelmintic drug

If you decide to treat your pet yourself, be sure to read the contraindications and dosage of the drug. If precautions are not taken when using deworming tablets for dogs, the pet can be seriously harmed, and if the dose of the medicine is insufficient, the long-awaited positive effect will not occur.

Dogs should be dewormed about 4 times a year, and this activity may be related to the dog’s lifestyle. For example, prophylaxis should be carried out on a bitch 2 times a year after estrus, as well as before and at the end of the summer season.

And remember, it is possible to determine helminth infection by symptoms only when the animal is already heavily infected. Characteristic signs of helminthiasis indicate that internal organs are already affected. In this case, it is best to immediately consult a doctor; you should not select deworming tablets for dogs on your own.

How to carry out the deworming procedure

Deworming is an important part of caring for a pet’s health and must be carried out with full responsibility, because the pet’s condition depends on the owners. Of particular note: these activities are carried out differently in puppies and adult dogs.

Treatment regimen for puppies

The very first time puppies are given medications 2 and 4 weeks after birth, then they are vaccinated on the 42nd day. This scheme for deworming puppies is explained very simply: due to the fact that most often puppies are infected already in the womb, by the time of the first dose, adults have already developed in their body, it is precisely for their destruction that the administration of deworming drugs is aimed.

During the second dose, helminths also grew from the larvae deposited in the puppy’s body; they will die this time, but their larvae will remain. As you might guess, this process is almost impossible to stop, but you can at least partially alleviate the puppy’s illness.

Puppies under 6 months of age are given canine deworming medications approximately once a month, then quarterly. Your veterinarian will help you determine the time of your appointment more accurately. In addition, professionals advise giving dewormers for dogs together with sorbents, as this will reduce the load on the liver from toxins released by dying worms. Most often, Enterosgel is used for this purpose at the rate of 1 tsp. by 10 kg. dog's weight - an hour before feeding for 3 days.

Treatment regimen for adult dogs

When treating adult dogs, first of all, you should pay attention to the animal’s lifestyle. Dogs that are often outdoors or in public places are at high risk of becoming infected. They need to take anthelmintic drugs for dogs every 1-2 months; pet dogs are wormed once a quarter. In any case, this event should be held at least twice a year.

A dog that has given birth to puppies should not be treated while the puppies are drinking its milk.

It is worth using deworming tablets for dogs at intervals of 10 days. This is due to the fact that the medicine does not act on the larvae, and a single dose will have virtually no effect. It is imperative to deworm all animals in the house; the health of both the owners and their children depends on this.

You can also use traditional methods of treating dogs for worms, but only if it is not possible to purchase a special medicine. For the greatest effectiveness of such drugs, they should be used as additional drugs between medications. Independent use of folk remedies alone will not be effective, since they do not kill the larvae and helminths living in the internal organs of the dog.

Unscheduled deworming

There are several cases when it is necessary to carry out unscheduled deworming of pets:

approximately 2 weeks before vaccination;
before mating, so as not to infect the puppies;
if there was contact with infected animals;
the presence of characteristic symptoms, after consulting a veterinarian.

Medications

There are many anthelmintics for dogs, depending on the type of infestation. If it is not possible to take tests and visit a specialist, you can choose a broad-spectrum drug.

Alben

You can choose the drug Alben: they give one tablet per 5 kg. weight with the first morning feeding, or a suspension is prepared from it in a small amount of water. No fasting is required before taking it, and there is no need to give a laxative afterwards. Alben deworming tablets are effective at all stages of worm development.

Drontal

You can also choose Drontal deworming tablets for dogs. They are flavored and shaped like a bone, and are given in the morning during feeding at the rate of 1 tablet per 10 kg. weight. They help well in the prevention of helminthiasis. Roundworms are killed, after which they are easily removed from the intestines. The good thing about the drug is that when taken, the risk of side effects is minimal; it is recommended by veterinarians most often. For puppies it is available in the form of a suspension, Drontal Junior.

Kanikquantel Plus

Kanikquantel Plus is effective against nematodes, trematodes and flat helminths. Can be given to puppies from 3 weeks, contraindicated in females during pregnancy. However, dogs are reluctant to eat the medicine, and in case of an overdose, diarrhea and vomiting may occur. If you follow the instructions, side effects are rare. A nice bonus is value for money.

Milbemax

The drug is highly effective, but also has a number of contraindications: it is not recommended for puppies under 2 weeks of age and animals with impaired functions of internal organs. Available in two dosages: for adult dogs and for puppies and small dogs. When taking the drug, be sure to pay attention to the dog’s health; it is not suitable for sick animals and can cause adverse reactions in them (uneven gait, trembling and weakness).

Advocate

Owners who cannot force their pet to take medication can use Advocate drops on the withers. The packaging should be selected depending on the weight of the animal; it should be applied to healthy areas of the skin. The drug is prohibited for weakened animals and puppies under 7 weeks. After use, a local reaction is possible, but it passes quickly. Caution: the medicine is not effective against flatworms and tapeworms.

Panacur

Broad-spectrum anthelmintic agent. Affects worms at any stage of development. Available in granule form. Before using Panakur, it is necessary to correctly calculate the dosage, which depends on the degree of infection and the weight of the dog. It is advisable to consult a veterinarian. The drug is low-toxic, odorless and tasteless.

How to give deworming medication to a dog

Most often, deworming medicine for dogs is given with food, but if they refuse such food, you can dilute the tablet with water and pour it into the animal’s mouth with a syringe without a needle. In any case, you can learn how to give deworming tablets to a dog from the instructions.

After taking anthelmintic drugs for dogs, intoxication may occur, since all these drugs are toxic. The pet may be poisoned, be weak and lethargic, and may develop diarrhea. In this situation, it is necessary to immediately vomit and give a dose of absorbent. Moreover, dead helminths sometimes curl up into a ball and clog the intestines. If you suspect that this is what happened or your pet feels very unwell, you should immediately consult a doctor.

Prevention of worms in dogs

As mentioned above, the risk of becoming infected with helminths is also quite high in indoor dogs, so special preventive measures are needed to prevent the disease in the dog.

In addition to the obligatory deworming of the bitch before mating, you also need to treat her nipples while she is feeding the puppies, if there is a suspicion that worm eggs may have gotten on them. This will help protect the puppies from infection for as long as possible; in addition, newborn puppies are wormed for the first time after two weeks of life.

The dog must not be allowed to roam freely; it must always be in sight of the owner. Otherwise, the animal may drink water from a puddle, try to eat garbage or feces of other dogs, then it will certainly not be possible to avoid taking deworming tablets for dogs.

Video

Watch the video for useful tips on how to get rid of worms in puppies.

Even those worms that are not transmitted to humans still leave their negative mark. Worm larvae, entering the host’s digestive tract when swallowed, for example, through poorly washed hands, may not go through the full development cycle, but will manage to poison the body with metabolic products. And then you shouldn’t be surprised by frequent colds or symptoms.

Types of worms in dogs

In dogs, there are three groups of worms: nematodes (roundworms), trematodes (flukes), cestodes (tapeworms). They all differ in appearance, structure, location, degree of danger, but have a common negative effect on the animal’s body.

Intestinal helminths

The most common in dogs are toxacara(on the picture). We will not dwell in detail on the cycle of their development; in short, the situation is like this: a larva emerges from a swallowed egg in the intestine, which penetrates through the mucous membrane into the bloodstream, reaches the lungs with the blood flow, from where it enters the mouth with a cough. The second ingested larva in the gastrointestinal tract turns into a sexually mature female or male.

Symptoms of toxacorosis will depend on the degree of damage and the age of the animal: puppies suffer the infestation more severely than adults. They are stunted and often refuse food.

One of the characteristic signs that indirectly indicates the presence of helminths in babies is a swollen belly and discharge on the eyes. In addition, problems with appetite, pallor of the mucous membranes, diarrhea and constipation, and intestinal colic may occur.

The lifespan of one helminth is about six months, after which they leave the animal’s body along with feces.

Early release of worms can also occur as a result of infectious processes or other systemic disorders. A dog with worms is itself a source of infection, becoming infected again and again. That is why helminths can be found so often in her body at different stages of development.

Heartworms

A severe invasion that deserves special attention is dirofilariasis. Worms that live in the heart of dogs are transmitted to humans. Fortunately, in our organisms the worm cannot reach a sexually mature state, but, you see, no one wants to live, even for a short time, with helminths in the blood.

Dirofilariasis is a vector-borne disease, that is, infection occurs through the bite of mosquitoes, which inject helminth larvae (microfilaria) into the animal’s blood. A large number of mature worms can clog the right atrium and blood vessels leading to the heart, which will inevitably lead to the death of the animal.

Characteristic clinical signs include difficulty breathing with a dry, debilitating cough, shortness of breath and signs of heart failure: edema, slow pulse, arrhythmia and others. Non-specific symptoms include the familiar exhaustion, cramps, perverted appetite and general weakness.

Liver helminths

The sick dog is emaciated, the coat is dull and disheveled. In particularly advanced cases, ascites develops - an accumulation of fluid in the abdominal cavity. On palpation, the liver is enlarged and painful, its tuberosity is clearly felt.

Lungworms

In addition, anemia, progressive emaciation, and deterioration of the coat are observed.

Treatment with anthelmintics

Therapy requires a serious approach. Tablets for worms are not prescribed just like that, at random, but after a diagnosis has been made. Usually the laboratory deals with this issue, examining feces for worm eggs. Although there are cases of helminth detection without the help of specialists, when worms come out as a result of excessive overpopulation or for some other reasons. It remains only to determine by appearance who appeared before the eye.

Milbemax is one of those anti-worm tablets that an ordinary person can prescribe to his dog on his own “for all types.” This is relevant before: a weakened immune system may not react correctly to the introduction of a vaccine into the body.

The manufacturer (pharmaceutical company from Slovenia Novartis) took care of decorative breeds. When buying these tablets, pay attention to the label: it should indicate small dogs.

Milbemax for dogs contains a chemical substance that can act not only on mature helminths (nematodes, cestodes), but also on their larvae, which makes this drug almost universal.

Sold only in veterinary pharmacies, the price is low - within 500 rubles. You can download the complete instructions for use.

Other medicines

An equally effective and well-known drug (available in suspension form and in tablets) is Drontal (official Russian website - http://www.drontal.ru/). Drontal (fights nematodes), containing regular pyrantel, has no effect on larvae and kills only intestinal helminths.

There has been a tendency for worms to become addicted to medicinal chemicals, which may be due to many reasons. One of them is incorrect dosage, when the drug is prescribed in a smaller dose. In this case, weak worms die, and stronger ones become resistant to this group of substances, giving birth to even more resistant offspring.

To avoid addiction, it is advisable to use different medications each time, and even better to prevent infection. In any case, even with prophylactic administration of angelmint, medications should be alternated. The alternation should not be based on the brand name, but based on the mechanism of action of the main substance.

Photo of drontal: chewable universal pills. The main active ingredients are prazicantel, pyrantel and febantel.

A single drug that affects a specific worm sometimes turns out to be much more effective than a “general-purpose” one, and which anthelmintic to choose depends on the specific situation. It is wrong to say that one medicine is good and another is not so good.

Side effects

Some owners of small breed dogs complain of the high toxicity of anthelminthic drugs: vomiting, foaming at the mouth, increased nervousness, depression, refusal to eat, and even death. In fact, all this is fiction.

Firstly, a slight malaise in a pet after deworming is a natural reaction that is not necessary, and if it does appear, it goes away within a day.

Secondly, there really are fatal cases, but they are not associated with the drug itself, but with diligent treatment for worms, when the dosage is inappropriately increased or the entire range of existing medications is given at once, just to be sure. The death of young animals also occurs with severe infestation: death occurs not as a result of the toxic effect of the drug, but as a consequence of the absorption into the blood of a huge amount of toxins released by dead worms.

Other side effects include an allergic reaction - an uncommon phenomenon, it depends on the individual characteristics of the body. If the animal is prone to allergies, then angelmintics are combined with antihistamines.

Immunity and worms

The immune response during helminth infections differs from that during infectious diseases: complete immunity to subsequent infection is almost never created against worms. Yes, a certain state of stability may arise, but it is not stable.

By the way, a large number of worms “saturate” the host’s body with their antigens to such an extent that the dog can die from anaphylactic shock.

And again I would like to repeat the immutable truth: adequate feeding, proper maintenance, hardening, daily walks in the fresh air significantly increase the pet’s resistance to infection with helminths, etc.

As a rule, most helminthiasis in domestic animals occurs hidden: a person may not be aware of the disease. But such a proximity will sooner or later lead to a breakdown of the immune system and a gradual depletion of the pet’s strength.

How does infection occur?

Most often, dogs become infected with helminths as a result of being kept in unsanitary conditions or by eating raw, undercooked meat and fish. It is clear that for children living in an apartment and eating high-quality dry food, this scenario is equal to zero.

But the owner still needs to be on guard of the pet’s health, because worm eggs can easily be brought into the house on the sole of a shoe or even on your hands: you never know if you suddenly feel the urge to pet a stray cat or dog on the street.

Prevention

The main method of prevention is aimed at preventing the occurrence of helminthiases and includes periodic deworming and keeping the pet in a clean room.

Veterinarians advise carrying out chemoprophylaxis for worms every three months, although for children who spend most of their time in the apartment, the period between giving medications can be increased to once every six months.

The second important condition is regular wet cleaning of the floor using disinfectants, especially in the hallway, where it is customary to leave shoes, and washing all dog accessories with soap and running water: bowls, rubber toys. Don't forget about periodic washing or cleaning with a vacuum cleaner.

Owners who prefer natural feeding should buy meat and fish that have passed a veterinary and sanitary examination: in specialized stores, at meat markets, but not “hands-on in the back alley.” In addition, you should never give your pet food raw - only after careful heat treatment.

Following these simple rules can protect your small pet from the unwanted introduction of harmful worms into their body.

The widespread belief that stray dogs most often suffer from worms is fundamentally wrong. Without appropriate prevention, the risk of infection in domestic and stray animals is almost equal.

There is also a connection between the animal’s immune system and the possibility of infection. Pets with low immunity are more susceptible to helminthic infestations.

Many people are interested in the question: can a person become infected with worms from an animal? Some varieties of worms get along well in the human body and are most often found in children. This is another reason to take preventive measures.

Infection with helminths can occur in two ways:

Almost all owners of four-legged friends, especially dogs, are interested in the question: is it possible to independently determine whether a pet has worms or not?

In fact, there are a number of signs that allow you to find out, and the symptoms depend on the type of pathogen and the extent of the damage.

The main symptoms of helminth damage are as follows:

The behavior of an animal during helminthic infestations may also change. Tapeworms cause pain - the animal becomes agitated, very often pets feel itching in the anus and try to get rid of it, as if dragging their butts along the ground.

A noticeable decrease in the pet’s activity should alert the owner that the animal may be infected with hookworm or whipworm.

Also in this case, it becomes difficult for the pet to breathe, or, conversely, breathing becomes too frequent. The danger is that with such symptoms it is impossible to save the animal.

For timely detection, we can only recommend regularly seeking diagnostics from a veterinary service.

As for puppies, all the listed symptoms apply to them as well. If your baby's fur has lost its shine, he has stopped being active and gaining weight, you should immediately contact a veterinarian without waiting for more serious symptoms to appear.

What drugs to choose for deworming

Of course, any symptoms of helminthic infestation are a reason to seek medical help. But self-treatment is not recommended, as you may not only fail to achieve positive results, but also worsen your pet’s condition.

For puppies, such drugs are prescribed only taking into account their age, the most common of them are:

Effective anthelmintics suitable for adult dogs include the following:

Prevention of worms in dogs

You should not select a prophylactic agent yourself; it would be better if a professional does it. Medicines are purchased exclusively from specialized pharmacies and pet stores. It is strictly necessary to comply with the terms and conditions of storage.

In addition, it is necessary to exclude the possibility, this will reduce the pet’s ability to eat something from the ground, look into street trash bins, and communicate with homeless relatives.

The pet should not be allowed to communicate with wild animals or come into contact with carrion and feces. You need to be especially vigilant towards dogs, which, due to their natural instincts, roll around in carrion and feces in order to remove their own smell.

When walking, it is better to stay away from places with high humidity and an abundance of insects, including mosquitoes. Preventive measures need to be reinforced by maintaining cleanliness in the home. The floor must be washed daily with detergent, and disinfectants must be used two to three times a week. This is especially important for the place where outdoor shoes are left.

All dog accessories must be washed, and the bed must be washed regularly. Since helminthic eggs can be found in food products, meat and fish should be purchased in stores, and in no case at street markets. It can be frozen before serving, this will reduce the risk of infection. It is recommended that all by-products be subjected to thorough heat treatment. By adhering to simple rules, the owner will protect his beloved pet from helminthic infections.

Infection can occur constantly - in puppies during birth from the mother, in adult dogs when eating raw food, drinking dirty water, communicating with stray animals, worms are transmitted through fleas, soil, water, etc. Many worms are unsafe for humans; in this regard, the issues of treatment and prevention of helminthiasis in dogs are of great importance.

Dog breeders need to know how to remove worms from a dog and be able to correctly administer the medicine (tablet, suspension or drops) on their own, following the recommendations of a veterinarian.

What are the signs of helminthiasis in a dog?

poor weight gain in puppies, despite normal or increased appetite;
enlarged, swollen abdomen;
sometimes the appearance of food perversions (eating earth, stones, etc.);
deterioration of wool quality – dull appearance, loss, etc.;
unstable stool with frequent constipation or diarrhea, there may be an admixture of mucus, blood, sometimes worms are visually visible in the stool;
hiccups, involuntary vomiting, difficulty swallowing food;
cough, persistent conjunctivitis, runny nose, various infections due to decreased immunity;
lethargy, refusal to play, rapid fatigue of the dog;
allergic reactions (dermatitis, skin itching, etc.);
pale, sometimes icteric color of mucous membranes;
the animal often licks itself, rides its butt on the floor due to severe anal itching;
visual observation of worms in vomit or feces.

Detection of several of the above symptoms in an animal is a reason to contact a veterinarian for deworming; in doubtful cases, it is recommended to submit a stool test to the laboratory, preferably three times.

Treatment of worms in dogs should not be delayed for long due to the possible development of severe complications, especially in puppies and small breed pets. In severe and advanced cases, the animal develops anemia, rickets, possible intestinal obstruction, vascular blockage, mechanical damage to the digestive tract, up to intestinal rupture and death.

The drugs should be purchased in specialized departments or veterinary pharmacies, and before use, you should carefully read the instructions for use. For small breeds and puppies, it is preferable not to use a tablet, but to give the pet a suspension using a syringe dispenser. Such drugs include, for example, Dirofen, Prazitel, Prazicide, Drontal Junior and others.

It is better to treat adult and large dogs with tablets; calculating the dose for such a dog will not be difficult. The most common drugs in tablet form are canikquantel plus, febtal combo, prazicide, drontal, azinox plus and others. There are special forms in the form of sugar cubes.

It is very important to give the medicine to your dog correctly. It is advisable to do this on an empty stomach; it is better to take the tablet without food, but you can take it in a piece of meat or sausage. The dose must be correctly calculated based on body weight - too much can be toxic, and an underestimated dose will lead to incomplete death of the worms. The suspension is forcibly poured into the mouth with a dispensing syringe. You can feed the animal after two hours.

No preliminary long fasting or laxative use is required. It is important to ensure that your pet swallows the medicine. Otherwise, the drug must be given again. Modern medications for worms are usually used once. But after 2 or 3 weeks it is better to repeat the treatment to destroy the grown larvae and mature eggs.

In order to reduce intoxication, you can give your pet some sorbent (Polysorb, activated carbon) during and after taking the medicine, as well as a hepatoprotective agent to improve liver function, for example, Karsil, LIV-52 or others.

You should not give a toxic drug to your pet “just in case.” If the dog looks good, but it is not possible to get tested, then it is better to limit yourself to preventive measures (once every six months). When helminths are detected, the approach to each animal should be individual, taking into account the age and condition of the dog’s body.

All animals living in the same household should receive anthelmintic treatment at the same time. Dog owners and their families also need to take an anthelmintic tablet (for example, Vermox) if a helminthic infestation is detected in a pet; for preventive purposes, it is recommended to be treated once a year.

The use of folk remedies to remove worms from dogs is justified in cases where it is not possible to purchase the medicine or there are contraindications for use in the animal or poor tolerability of the drug. Most often, an enema is used from equal parts of milk, garlic gruel and tansy; in addition, there are recipes with pumpkin seeds, ginger and vodka (the main thing here is not to overdo it).

You need to repeat it in a week. The effectiveness of traditional methods will be greater if they are used as intermediate stages between the previous and subsequent courses of anthelmintic treatment with tablets or for the purpose of deworming puppies, since they act mainly on intestinal forms of worms without killing eggs, larvae and individuals located in the internal organs of the animal (heart, lungs, etc.)

The importance of fighting dog helminths is not only to ensure that the pet is beautiful, cheerful and healthy, but also to ensure that the dog breeder’s household does not get sick either. People decide for themselves whether to give medicine at home or contact a specialist. The main thing is that the sooner treatment is started, the better.

In advanced cases, the animal may require veterinary care in a clinic using droppers, injections, etc. Responsibility for domesticated animals rests entirely with people. The key to the health of four-legged friends is timely treatment and prevention.

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