Parasites can be a pet owner’s nightmare
Intestinal parasites are tiny organisms that can live in your dog’s intestinal lining. They steal nutrients from your dog’s digestive tract and can cause a variety of symptoms that may make your dog sick. They can be challenging to eliminate from your property and may repeatedly re-infect pets or even people if not properly cleaned up.
Parasites pass from infected fecal material into soil and other surfaces. Dogs can become infected with parasites when they walk across these contaminated surfaces or soil and track parasite eggs throughout the yard or house. They ingest eggs while licking their paws to groom themselves causing an infection to start. Many dogs show no symptoms during an active parasite infection, making them silent spreaders of disease in your house.
We’ve outlined the best way to eliminate parasites from your property during an active parasite infection in your dog and prevent them from occurring again.
All dogs should be tested for intestinal parasites twice a year.
A veterinarian can perform a simple fecal test to see if your dog is suffering from intestinal parasites. Also called an Ova and Parasite exam, or O&P, this is a routine procedure where your vet will collect a stool sample from your dog, mix it with a specific chemical, and examine it underneath a microscope to look for the presence of parasites or their eggs. They can then recommend treatment based on their findings.
Many puppies experience an active parasite infection, even if they come from a reputable breeder. Always have new dogs, especially puppies, checked for parasites prior to bringing them home.
A Parasite for Every Season
Parasites are found in infected soil year round. Many parasites, like Tapeworm and Giardia, tend to prefer cool, moist soil conditions found during the rainy season in Spring and Fall while more hardy parasites, like Whipworm and Roundworm, tend to appear in the colder drier months of winter. Parasites can lay dormant in the soil and reappear during peak months. Parasite infections in dogs may come and go if the contamination source, the infected soil, is not properly treated.
