Our expert vet is Vicky Payne. She is a keen beater and a qualified vet specialising in gundogs, as well as the NOBS veterinary advisor. Here she writes about the benefits and drawbacks of alternative medicine
How worms can affect your dogs health
Everyone knows that worming dogs is important, but why does it need to be done, and how often?
Roundworms are passed from bitch to pups, so puppies need treatment every two to four weeks. From two weeks old until they are six months old.
Older dogs can also have roundworms and they shed eggs onto their coats and into the environment. This shedding is very important as, if children become infected, serious disease and blindness can occur.
Tapeworms can be caught from raw meat or from ingesting fleas, depending on the type of tapeworm. More common in adults, an obvious sign of infection is rice-like segments around the dog’s anus.
Hookworms enter the body through the feet as well as orally. They are common in the UK fox population and, although uncommon in dogs, they can be seen where dogs use a grass run or small grass exercise paddock, and so may be more common in gundogs than pets.
Lungworm is caught from slugs and snails and is becoming more prevalent, especially in the south east of England. Wet, warm weather increases infection rates.
Heartworm is spread by biting flies; this is only seen abroad, or in dogs who have travelled abroad. However, climate change may bring it to the south of the UK.
Symptoms
Round and tapeworm infections are likely to cause loss of condition, a poor coat and diarrhoea. Heavy infections in young dogs can cause jaundice, anaemia and even death. Hookworm can also cause sores on the feet. Lungworm causes a chronic cough, which can be mistaken for kennel cough in its early stages.
Prevention and treatment
The most recent veterinary advice is to treat dogs monthly to reduce the risk of shedding roundworm eggs where children could ingest them. However, a kennelled gundog, with limited contact with children, could be managed with a combined treatment every three months. Ensuring faeces are disposed off quickly reduces the risk of passing on disease. Feeding a raw meat diet, especially wild meats such as venison and rabbit, will increase the risk of tapeworms so more frequent treatment may be required. Lungworm and hookworm infections often require different treatments and may not
be covered by your normal multi-wormer.
Many owners are looking for more natural ways to manage their dogs and wish to avoid regular chemical worming.
An alternative to routine worm treatments
is regular faecal egg counts (FECs) done by your vet; if no eggs are seen, no treatment is required. Several herbal remedies are available but should only be used as an aid to maintaining a healthy gut and reducing the risk of parasites – they are unlikely to be able to deal with an infection at doses that are safe for the animal.
It is important to get the right product and routine,
and to get your dogs weighed for accurate dosing. Vet surgeries and good petshops can offer plenty of advice!
