WORMS (INTESTINAL)

Cats and dogs harbor four main types of intestinal worms; roundworms, bookworms, tapeworms, and whipworms. The southeastern United States is the most worm-prevalent region due to the warm humid climate.

Pinworms, a common problem in children, do not effect cats or dogs. Sometimes parents are told that their children’s pinworm infestation came from the family cat or dog, but this is incorrect. Worms and animals are almost synomyms in our “cultural mind”.    

According to a study some years ago by the Center for Disease Control, 90 to 95 percent of puppies have roundworms regardless of whether or not the mother has worms when she is pregnant. The round worm and the dog (presumably also the cat; perhaps to a lesser extend) may be said to coexist. The larval stages of the worm may lie dormant in the mammary gland and then pass to the puppies in the milk. Since the maturation period is about three weeks, a three-to four-week-old puppy may have a heavy worm burden in some cases. Most puppies (according to the CDC study)clear the worms on their own by puberty. In some cases, however, the worm burden causes illness and even death. This is more common with hook worms than roundworms.

    Hookworms are especially deadly because they attach to the intestinal wall and suck blood. Hookworms may be transmitted to puppies in the same manner as roundworms, and since the maturation periods is also three weeks, a three-to four-week-old puppy may have a worm load of both hookworms and roundworms. Large number of hookworms can easily deplete the blood supply of a small puppy or kitten, causing death. Roundworms, by contrast, primarily complete with the host for nutrients in food, and though they can be serious it usually takes longer to deplete the host compared to a hookworm infestation. The scruffy, pot-bellied puppy is a typical picture of a roundworm infestation. You may see them in stools, and occasionally in vomitus, hookworms are tiny and almost impossible you see with the naked eye.  Adult roundworms about two to three inches long and one-sixteenth inch wide or a little wider, and they are tapered at the ends.

  While I am reticent to give any medicine on a routine basis, this practice has some merit. Many veterinarians recommend routinely deworming puppies at three to four weeks of age to prevent health problems. Since it takes a mature worm to produce eggs that can be found on fecal flotation tests puppies can be develop trouble before worms are detected. In most cases this is unlikely to happen, especially if the mother and puppies are rather healthy and the mother is on good diet. worms, like most “invaders”, are opportunist ; they need a weakened host if they are to occur in great numbers. When puppies or kittens become overloaded, though, they can die rather quickly.
  
If you choose not to give the routine deworming, keep a close eye on the puppies or kittens as they move through the three-to eight-week age bracket, as this age is the most susceptible to worm-related depletion. If you live in the southeastern United States, you might consider giving one dose of pyrantel pamoate (Nemex and Evict are two brand names) at three to four weeks of age. I do not recommend routine dosing after this; rather I suggest that further treatment be based upon a fecal flotation to identify which worms, if any, are present Additionally, I recommend that you have a fecal analysis done on a group specimen at four to six weeks of age and deworm only if necessary.  

   Whipworm generally effect young adult dogs, and they may cause severe intestinal distress. Fecal analysis and deworming is appropriate.  Whipworms occur mostly in the southeastern United States. They have a three-month life cycle rather than three-week cycle of roundworm and hookworms.

You generally see tapeworms segments attached to the hair around the anus. Tapeworms are rather common and rarely cause problems in animals, though their appearance is rather unsightly. When dry they resemble a grain of rice. Or you may see segments on furniture or rugs where your companion has just been resting. Fresh segments are one-fourth to one- half inch long and a little less than one –eight inch wide. They are obviously flat, and they may stretch and retract. When dry they are obviously flat, and they may stretch and retract.

Treatment is only necessary if you see tapeworm segment, and then it is not usually necessary for the animal health as tapeworms rarely cause problems. Modern drugs for tapeworms are relatively safe and effective, though I have heard anecdotal reports of problems in rare cases. There are primarily two types of tapeworms in cats and dogs in United States. Dipylidium caninum is commonly called the “flea tapeworm” because fleas ingest the eggs of this worm. When the host animal then ingest s the flea, the host becomes infested with a tapeworm. Flea control is essential to prevent reinfestation.  The other type of tapeworms are transmitted when carnivores catch and eat wild animals. taenia and Echinococcus are two worm genera that may infest various prey species. The worm larvae generally inhabit the abdomen of the prey animal, and the predator ingests the larva during consumption. Reinfestation is common if the host animal is an active hunter.

To some degree, this may be that there is a place for worms in puppies and kittens, possibly to stimulate the developing immune system.  If an adult animal has persistent or repeated worm infestations, this is a sign of chronic illness and should consider constitutional homeopathic treatment. Any worm appearance other than tapeworms in an animal over two years of age is probably a sign of illness.

While constitutional treatment can be very effective in these cases most worm problems in puppies and kittens do not respond well to homeopathy. For this season, we recommend minimal worm treatment to allow nature to take her course unless the animal is ill from the worms. As the CDC study showed most animals handle the worms need drug therapy. Those that simply cannot shake the worms need nutritional and homeopathic (or other health strengthening methods) treatment to develop the ability to eliminate the worm  burden as health improves.

     About 50 percent of animals respond nicely to the homeopathic remedy Granatum. Tapeworms are an exception to the need for constitutional treatment, possibly since they are of little consequence..  I usually give this in very low potency (3X, 6X, 3C,6C) twice a day for five days. Garlic in the food may also reduce the worm burden. Gentle Dragon, an herbal-intestinal cleansing product, may help in some animals with worms by cleaning the intestinal environment and making it less hospitable to worms. Though the manufacturer makes no claims for worm treatment, the product may diminish the numbers of worms with any type of intestinal worm. Sometimes the worms reappear and drug treatment is necessary if you wish to eliminate the worms.