As an English bulldog owner, you may be tempted to scrimp by not regularly sending your bulldog to the vet for a regular deworming session. With so many worms that could infect your bulldog, it’ better to consult a professional since each worm needs different treatments. Dewormer dosages are based on your dog’s weight therefore it is most recommended to have your pet weighed by the vet who will give you dosage instructions together with information about possible side or adverse effects of the product.
Regular deworming of your English bulldog may be more than just getting rid of parasites in its system. Out of all internal parasites, the most serious risk to bulldogs is heartworm. Heartworm generally is caused by an infected mosquito injects the larva into the dog’s circulatory system. After the parasite travels its way to the dog’s heart, it stays in the heart consuming cardiac muscle while growing and reproducing at a very alarming rate. You may not be aware of the number of worm that could possibly infect your dog. Dogs may have up to 200 worms. Once your dog gets infected with any of those 200 worms, symptoms may vary form loss of energy, loss of appetite, to coughing and development of a pot belly and even anemia. In a worst case scenario, the effects of residing parasites could cause a cardiac failure leading to death over a period of a year to two.
The treatment of an infected bulldog is often difficult to manage. It involves an attempt to poison the healthy worm with arsenic compounds without harming the weakened dog. This attempt frequently fails and does not succeed. Blood testing for heartworms does not necessarily indicate the severity of the infection of your pet.
“An ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure.”
Prevention is the unbeatable course of action in contrast to curing the already infected dog. The importance of deworming your bulldog should begin at about six weeks of age and maintained on a prophylactic dose administered monthly. This dangerous and fatal disease is prevalent in America, Australia, Asia and Central Europe.
Other internal parasites
Heartworm is one of the numerous parasites that live in the dog’s intestines. Other canine internal parasites include roundworms, hookworms and tapeworms. Roundworms feed and survive on intestines of dogs. They grow as long as 10 cm o whitish color.
Roughly 705 of puppies will be infected with Toxocare. Toxocare is the most common roundworm either as a fetus or form their mother’s milk after birth. That’s why pregnant dog bitches should be wormed with a suitable product in order to prevent the transmission of worms down to their offspring (or pups in this case). Watch out for signs of parasite infection such as abdominal distention, vomiting, diarrhea and debility. There may not be obvious signs either that your puppy is suffering from these parasites. When you see worms, it is a serious sign of a more severe infection. When you do, seek a veterinarian advice.
Parasitic infections of dogs and humans
Be alarmed when your dog has parasite infection. Dogs are the reservoir for Toxocara canis. Puppies pose the greatest risk of spreading the infection to humans. Humans normally get infected by ingested of embryonated eggs from contaminated sources. It would be wise to keep your home clean especially when you have children. Young children with pica or eating dirt are at more risk as they are prone to put contaminated objects with infectious Toxocara eggs. Humans can also contaminate foods by not washing their hands before eating. Toxocariasis in humans may cause epilepsy or blindness.
Hookworms can be very dangerous to humans and cats. These are common parasites of dogs regardless of age. They are commonly found in warm, humid climates. Hookworms got their names for feeding by hooking onto the intestinal wall of the intestine with hook like teeth. The symptoms of dog hookworm include anemia (in most severe cases), diarrhea, diminished strength and vitality and skin irritation and intense itching. The presence of pale gums, diarrhea or weakness might suggest the need to determine the red blood cell count of your bulldog. Your dog will have a stunted growth with significant weight loss if you let hookworm infest its intestines. Hookworms can easily penetrate skin tissue thus making it possible for people to catch the larvae when walking barefoot on infected soil. Children shouldn’t be allowed to play in areas where dogs defecate.
The dog tapeworm is a common infestation in domestic bulldogs. The adult tapeworm lives in the animal’s intestines with a length of about 50 to 70 cm. The body of the dog tapeworms is composed of many segments. Each segment contains 30 eggs. When the segments reach the tail of the worm, they will then fall off as dog’s feces. The eggs themselves aren’t infectious to mammals. The fleas act as a medium that will ingest the eggs when they land on the stool. No symptoms is seen when humans especially children become infected with tapeworm. Some will have diarrhea, camping, abdominal pain and rarely anal itching.
A yearly fecal test should do the trick to get rid of those nasty dog parasites. Collect a small fresh fecal amount, label the specimen with the time when you collected your dog’s feces. Save your English bulldog’s health and life with regular deworming. Take this initial step on having a parasite-free home where your loved ones and their health isn’t put at risk.
