Worming is an important part of your pet's health care program. Approximately 80% of Australia's dogs and 75% of Australia's cats carry intestinal worms. This is not surprising when you consider that some worms can produce thousands of eggs per day and some eggs can survive up to 5 years in the ground! We routinely worm dogs and cats.
DOGS
There are 2 broad categories of worms to eliminate and prevent -
1) Heartworm
2) Gastrointestinal worms (stomach and intestinal worms)
1) HEARTWORM DISEASE
What is heartworm disease?
Heartworm disease is caused by a parasitic worm (Dirofilaria immitis) that lives in the arteries of the heart in the dog (the natural host). Over time, these worms grow in the heart and the dog can accumulate many heartworms, which act like a blockage and cause the heart not to function properly. This leads to congestive heart failure, which is a life threatening problem and can be fatal.
How can my dog catch heartworm?
Dogs catch heartworm disease via mosquitoes that have fed on an infected dog. The heartworm larvae (microfilaria) are carried in the mouthparts of mosquitoes and transmitted via a mosquito bite. Your dog does not have to be in direct contact with an infected dog to catch the disease.
How do I prevent heartworm disease?
By far the easiest way to prevent heartworm disease is via an annual injection called Proheart. This can be done at the same time as the annual health check and required booster vaccinations. A heatworm injection can be started at 12 weeks of age in puppies, or at the time of desexing (6 months of age). At any stage, a dog can change from a monthly preventative to a yearly Proheart injection, just talk to our helpful staff.
Is there an effective and safe treatment for dogs that develop heartworm disease?
Unfortunately once the dog has congestive heart failure from heartworm disease, the prognosis is poor. These dogs are very sick and treatment itself is risky because to kill the worms that are living in the heart can cause blockages elsewhere in the body as the dead worms move around the bloodstream. Usually treatment is aimed at controlling the heart failure with diuretic drugs and stabilisation rather than removing the parasites.
2) GASTROINTESTINAL WORMS
Should I be worried about worms in my dog?
Many puppies are born with roundworms present and others are infected with worms through their mother's milk. Not only could this seriously affect the health of your puppy, but it also poses a significant health risk for humans, particularly young children. Puppies love to lick children's faces and hands and worm eggs and larvae can be swallowed by children leading to nasty diseases such as hydatid cysts in the internal organs or even blindness (uncommon). So from a health and hygiene perspective, treating worms regularly is very important.
The main worms seen in dogs are:
Roundworms (Toxocara canis)
Hookworms (Ancylostoma caninum)
Whipworms (Trichuris vulpis)
Hydatid Tapeworms (Echinococcus granulosus)
Common Flea Tapeworm (Dipylidium caninum)
Most worms are transmitted from dog to dog via the faeco-oral route, which means through licking other dogs' bottoms or eating other dogs faeces.
The Hydatid tapeworm can infect your pet via uncooked meat (particularly offal), so it is best to avoid feeding offal to dogs.
What is the best worming regime in dogs?
We recommend that puppies be wormed according to the following regime:
Every 2 weeks until 12 weeks of age
Then monthly until 6 months of age
Then every 3 months for life in adult dogs
In dogs that travel frequently to the country, worming every 6 weeks with an intestinal all-wormer in adult dogs is recommended.
Does it matter what brand of wormer I use?
Gordon Veterinary Hospital trusts the following brands of wormers -
Drontal (chewable tablets for dogs that like liver treats in either 10kg or 35kg doses)
Endoguard (flavoured tablets in all sizes including 5kg, 10kg & 20kg)
Popantel (1 tablet per 40kg)
Canex puppy suspension (useful for puppies less than 2kg)
Are there any topical preparations that will protect my dog from both heartworm and gastrointestinal worms?
Another useful product is topical Advocate, which are little liquid ampoules applied to the back of the neck to prevent heartworm, as well as killing fleas and most intestinal worms. This product is sold at Gordon Vet Hospital.
CATS
What are the common worms found in cats?
Roundworms (Toxocara cati, Toxascaris leonina)
Hookworms (Ancylostoma tubaeforme, Uncinaria stenocephala, Ancylostoma braziliense)
Tapeworms (Dipylidium caninum)
What is the best worming regime in cats?
We recommend that kittens are wormed according to the following regime:
Every 2 weeks until 12 weeks of age
Then monthly until 6 months of age
Then every 3 months for life in adult cats
Does it matter what brand I worm my cat with?
Gordon Veterinary Hospital trusts the following wormers -
Milbemax Cat (worms cats up to 8kg in weight) and is a small flavoured tablet
Profender topical wormer (a little ampoule of fluid applied to the back of the neck) is a great alternative for cats that are difficult to pill and readily available from us.
Is heartworm disease in cats significant?
Heartworm disease in cats residing in Sydney is a rare occurrence. The natural host for heartworm is the dog but when heartworm disease does occur in cats, it is quite often fatal due to their smaller pulmonary artery size. Revolution and Advocate topical preparations cover fleas, some of the intestinal worms and heartworm disease in cats, however, due to the few cases seen in Sydney, we currently do not routinely recommend heartworm prevention in cats. Heartworm disease in cats residing in Sydney is a rare occurrence. The natural host for heartworm is the dog but when heartworm disease does occur in cats, it is quite often fatal due to their smaller pulmonary artery size. Revolution and Advocate topical preparations cover fleas, some of the intestinal worms and heartworm disease in cats, however, due to the few cases seen in Sydney, we currently do not routinely recommend heartworm prevention in cats.