Archive for September, 2010
Heartworm Season in the Recession of 2010
September 12th, 2010 | 
Author: This season’s hot and rainy weather may be nice and refreshing and also good for the grass in the backyard, but the humidity and the stagnant puddles in the streets is an excellent breeding ground for mosquitos. At this time of the year, the population of mosquitos in many states is the greatest in the whole year. This also means that dangerous and fatal diseases transmitted by these parasites are lurking through the door, waiting to strike humans and pets.
These blood-sucking parasites transmittes various diseases during this time of the year, including heartworms. Transmission of the worm is usually by a harmless single mosquito. A heartworm infected canine, such as coyote, fox, wolf or dog, is bitten by a mosquito and the baby heartworm is ingested with the blood meal. The microfilaria, which is the baby heartworm, matures in the mosquito and then injected into your pet as the mosquito bites it. It takes about 6 months for the heartworm baby to mature in the dogs and cats and within this period of time, it will also slowly migrate into the right side of the heart. Here, they can live for many years and grow up to six inches long.
Whipworm In Dogs Symptoms
Whipworm in dogs symptoms range from no sign to diarrhea and loss of weight for moderate infestations and bloody stools or rectal prolapse for severe infestations.
The Whipworm is a variety of the Roundworm family. Whipworms in dogs are more common than Whipworms in cats but cat owners should not be complacent. The worms have different strains for different species of host, but the worms can survive in a host other than their own.
The whip-like shape of the worm gives rise to its name. A mature Whipworm bores into the large intestine, its natural habitat, using the thin tail-like head and feeds off the blood of the host. It is this action that causes most of the irritation damage to the intestine causing … Read the rest of this entry »
Natural Heartworm Prevention
Although there are now various kinds of preventive medicine for heartworms in dogs and cats, it is always a better option to prevent your pet from getting it in a natural way. Most likely April is the time of the year when veterinarians in most areas of North America begin checking dogs and cats for heartworm organism that may have occurred during the last mosquito season.
You may have noticed that your veterinarian will recommend giving pills to prevent heartworms but what the pills are doing is actually administering the cure on a regular basis. No matter how effective these pills can be, this cure for heartworm contains chemical insecticide and therefore it is toxic. The chemicals in the drugs can actually become the source of another disease.
Treatment For Ringworm For Cats And Dogs
Treating Ringworm is a slightly different process from other dog worms and cat worms because Ringworm is actually a fungus (the most common strain on pets being Mircosporum Canis).
Ringworm is highly contagious and has no problem traveling between species. You can infect your pets with Ringworm as easily as they can infect you, or each other. Cats are the most common carriers of Ringworm but dogs also host the fungus. Many of your pets may carry the Ringworm fungus without showing any indication.
Once an outbreak of Ringworm occurs it is important to act quickly to isolate the cat or dog, and confine it to one area. The Ringworm fungus travels by way of spores which will transmit the disease when contact occurs. An animal dropping spores all around the house can infect anything or anyone who’s skin comes into contact with the spores.
Ringworm is fairly easy to treat when… Read the rest of this entry »
Ringworms On Cats And Dogs
Exposing the myth – the first thing we need to bust is the myth that ringworms are worms. Ringworms are actually a skin infection caused by a fungus. It was once thought that a worm was causing the rash, and although this has long since been disproved the name was already entrenched in our language as has stuck.
The most commonly known symptom of Ringworm is a circular spot on the skin, however, many of these fungi do not produce the round spot. Ringworm can grow on skin, your scalp, or your nails. It is more likely to be found on children than adults, but is not restricted to children. The most common pet that will host Ringworm is your cat. Dogs also can carry Ringworm.
Ringworm is highly contagious and … Read the rest of this entry »
Heartworm Prevention
Dogs and cats that have been diagnosed with heartworm disease should undergo heartworm treatment first before going through the prevention. It is a prerequisite to have your pet’s blood tested negative first before prevention program begins. Also dogs and cats that are at least 6 months old should be tested every six months or yearly.
There are many dog heartworm preventives out there on the market but only a few available for cats. In endemic areas, cats should also be given preventive medicine. Some of the preventives that are most common are as following:
Heartworm Treatment
Heartworm treatment in dogs as well as in cats is very dangerous and quite complex. To begin with the treatment you need to make sure that your pet is actually healthy enough. If it has any slightest organ problems, make sure to treat that first before you start treatment. Be aware that severe heartworm diseases will cause treatment to lead to complications and even death.
If your infected pet is a cat, you have the choice to let the adult worms die without any treatment over a period of years. However you will risk the cat to become very ill and even die. Another option is to get rid of the worm right away. This, however, may cause your cat to end up with serious complications from all the worms dying simultaneously.
Heartworms in Dogs and Cats
Heartworms are a blood parasite transmitted by mosquitoes. The mosquitoes transfer baby worms when they bite.
More common for Heartworms in dogs but Heartwoms also infect cats. Called Heartworms because they travel through the body until they reach the heart where they mature and shed microfilaria into the blood stream.
Heartworm is a small worm growing up to 5 or 6 inches long. It is transferred from one host to another by mosquitoes who such up worm larvae from one dog and deposit them in another dog. Once deposited on the new host … Read the rest of this entry »
Dangerous Hookworms
The Hookworm is a more serious case for your dog or cat.
A Hookworm infection can cause severe anaemia. Look for signs such as diarrhoea, weight loss, vomiting, unrest, and a lack of energy. In very young kittens the worms can cause a sudden collapse and death.
The tiny worms are not visible in the stool and can only be identified by a microscopic examination. One of signs that may give away an infection of Hookworms is a dog or cat itching and the appearance of a rash at the site where the larvae enter the skin.
The life cycle of a Hookworm is more complicated …
Tapeworms in Cats and Dogs
Probably the most common of worms found in cats or dogs is the Tapeworm. Especially in areas where there is a high flea population.
The Tapeworm requires the flea as an intermediate host. Cats and dogs ingest infected fleas while grooming giving the worm a free ride into its primary host.
Why is just one Tapeworm dangerous?