Monday, June 22, 2009

Roundworms!


THESE ARE NOT NOODLES!

These are roundworms.

Three cute little puppies defecated worms one Sunday morning at the clinic. Gross! Right! Though I am used these parasites all the way from parasitology class, I almost puked that morning- concerning that I already had a headache that same day.

Going back, wow! these puppies also have pets of their own. Well, actually they have parasites!!! Roundworms are one of the many parasites that can affect dogs and cats and also humans. Yup, you read it correctly: FYI roundworms can also affect us.

Basics: These roundworms can be trasmitted from dog to dog in different modes.
1. Feco-oral route: ingestion of feces with eggs.
2. Transplacental route: larvae migrate from the mother to the fetus while during pregnancy.
3. Transmammary/transcolostral: larvae migrate from the mother to the young through the milk.
4. Ingestion of transport hosts such as rodents.

Thus, regular deworming or pets is recommended at 3-6 months interval or actually depending on your pet's lifestyle and your veterinarian's recommendations. Pups can be dewormed starting at 3 weeks of age.

So, see to it you that if you have dogs, bring them to your vets.

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