Roundworms in dogs: Nasty Sight to Behold

Unlike a tapeworms in dogs where they only generally feed off the dog's nutrients and make the anus irritated, roundworms in dogs on the other hand take it a notch higher. These spaghetti-looking worms can have several negative effects on your dog's health.

Aside from feeding on the dog's food from inside, leading to a pot-bellied look, they also cause diarrhea and vomiting. Sometimes, when the dog is vomiting, the worms end up vomited as well and can be a really nasty sight to behold. If your dog is heavily infected, it may lead to pneumonia. Worse still, is there are too many worms, the intestines may get blocked. And worst of all, humans may get infected too and is considered a serious matter.

What you've read earlier can be vary scary, especially for dog lovers such as yourself. But fear not because this article will give you a few tips to help combat roundworms in dogs.

Symptoms of Roundworms in dogs

Finding out if your dog has roundworms is the first thing you should do. How? Obviously, if your dog throws up a worm, that could be a good indication right there. Also, a fecal check up is a must. Also have your dog de-wormed. It's a good habit to have it done on a regular basis because you may never know what your pet picked up along the way.

Treatment for Roundworms in dogs

If you are positive that your dog has roundworms then you need to know how to get rid of them. There are several de-worming dogs products in the market today. Some may be bought over-the-counter while some need a prescription.

There are basically two ways of de-worming dogs. The first one pumps anesthesia on the worms so that they will let go of their grip on the intestine and will be flushed out of the body together with the stool. Be ready though for a nasty sight.

The second one stems from the fact that all the larvae in migration cannot be killed by any of these products. After the worms are cleared from the intestine, they will be replaced by new worms completing their migration.

A second, and sometimes even a third de-worming might be needed to keep the intestine clear. The follow-up de-worming is generally given several weeks following the first de-worming to allow for migrating worms to arrive in the intestine where they are vulnerable. Do not ever forget the follow up de-worming.