Tapeworm infection may not cause noticeable illness in your pet, or it may produce digestive upsets, poor appetite, poor hair coat and skin, weight loss and vague signs of abdominal discomfort.

Tapeworm infection is diagnosed by finding the segments in your pet's feces, in its bed or clinging to the hair around the anus. The eggs may not be found on microscopic examination of the feces. When first passed, segments are yellowish to white, about 1/4 inch long, and may expand and contract When dry, the segments resemble cucumber seeds or grains of rice.

Tapeworms are not passed directly from pet to pet, but require an intermediate host in which to develop. Common inter-mediate hosts are fleas and small animals, such as mice, rats, squirrels and rabbits. Fish are the intermediate host for one type of tapeworms

Important Points in Treatment

1. Treatment will destroy the tapeworms already infecting your pet. Re-infection is controlled by eliminating or reducing contact with intermediate hosts in their environment.

2. Control:

• For flea control, use Advantage, Frontline, or Revolution
• Treat the premises, kennels and bedding.
• Do not allow your pet to eat small rodents and/or raw fish.

Notify the Doctor if Any of the Following Occur:

• Tapeworm segments are still seen after the prescribed treatment

• Your pet continues to lose weight

Giardiasis

Giardiasis is an intestinal disease of people, dogs, cats and other animals. It is caused by a microorganism called Giardia, which is swallowed when the animal eats contaminated stool, food or water. Giardia principally infects the upper small intestine. Infected individuals pass the infective cysts in their stool, and the cycle begins again.

Diagnosis may be difficult; therefore, repeated microscopic examinations of multiple stool samples are often needed to find the cysts.

The most common sign of infection is persistent diarrhea, with pale, greasy and occasionally blood-tinged stool. Giardia prevents proper absorption of nutrients, damages the delicate intestinal lining, and interferes with digestion.

Giardia is a relatively common intestinal parasite in people. Good personal hygiene should be practiced in homes where giardiasis has been diagnosed in a pet. Your pet's stool should be cleaned up and properly disposed of. Children should not be allowed to handle the stool.

Important Points in Treatment

1. Laboratory tests are often required to evaluate the patient's response during and after treatment.
2. Sun exposure and drying help eliminate Giardia from your yard.
3. Give all medication you are given as directed. Call the doctor if you cannot give the medication.

• Your pet's diarrhea persists.

• Your pet's general health worsens.

Removal of Microfilariae

1. Give all medication as directed. Call the doctor if you cannot give the medication.

 

Heartworm Disease

Removal of Adult Heartworms

Heartworin disease is becoming more common in many parts of the United States. It is caused by the heartworm, Dirislaria immitis. This parasite lives in the right side of the dog's heart and the nearby large vessels (pulmonary arteries). The female worm produces large numbers of microscopic, immature heartworms that circulate in the blood. These immature worms (microfilariae) are taken up with the blood by a mosquito feeding on an infected dog. After living in the mosquito for 10-14 days, the microfilariae can then infect another dog that the mosquito feeds on. The feeding mosquito deposits infective microfilariae on the skin of another dog, and these enter the body through the mosquito bite wound. The microfilariae eventually travel to the heart where they dev6lop into adult heartworms. The adult heartworms produce new microfilariae within 3 months. It takes at least 190 days from the time the dog is bitten by an infected mosquito until the dog becomes a new source of infective microfilariae.

Most cases of heartwonn are diagnosed by finding the microfilariae in the blood. Sometimes, however, no microfilariae are found in the blood (occult heartworm disease). These cases are diagnosed by a combination of blood tests and chest radiographs (x-rays).

Failure to treat heartworm disease may result in heart failure and/or serious disease I of the liver and kidneys. Untreated heartworm disease is usually fatal.

1. Treatment for heartworms consists of 2 phases: destruction of the adult heartworms, followed by elimination of microfilariae from the blood.

2. Before treatment, a thorough physical examination, including blood tests, chest radiographs (x-rays) and an electrocardiogram, is advised. An underlying liver or kidney disease is usually treated first.

3. Heartworrn disease is very serious, and complications may arise during and after treatment The doctor will discuss the risks involved in your pet's treatment.

4. Give all medication as directed. Call the doctor if you cannot give the medication.

5. Activity - Your pet's activity must be severely restricted for 8 weeks after treatment. Do not allow unrestricted running. Short on-leash walks are the only exercise allowed until both phases of treatment have been completed. Also, prevent your pet from engaging in vigorous or extended barking, routine play or other excitement

6. Diet- Follow the instructions checked.

Feed the normal diet

A special diet is required. Feed as follows:

 

7. Special instructions-

 

Heartworm Disease: Prevention

2. Ivennectin: This drug was recently approved for treatment of heartworm infection. Ivermectin is available in tablet form. Its main adv7antage is that it only needs to be given once monthly. At the approved dose, the drug does not prevent roundworms or other parasites. Because the drug kills microfilariae acquired during the previous 30 days, administration should start within 30 days after the first exposure to mosquitoes and end within 30 days after the last exposure to mosquitoes. (Revolution, Heartgard, Ivomec)

3. In geographic areas where mosquitoes are present throughout the year, dogs must be treated year round to prevent heartworm infection.

1. Heartworm preventives must not be given to dogs harboring microfilariae. Your dog must be blood tested before starting the preventive medication.

2. Weigh your dog monthly during the treatment period. A change in your pet's weight might require a change in dosage.

3. If you give the drug in your pet's food, mix the medication in a small amount of food and give this first If you mix the medication in a whole bowl of food, your pet may not eat everything and you will not know if the proper dose was given.

4. These drugs must be given on the prescribed schedule to be effective. You must not skip doses. Call the doctor if you are having trouble adhering to the prescribed schedule.

Instructions for Neuter