Intestinal parasites unquestionably harm the health of your beloved pet. Intestinal worms can cause severe health problems in your dog, and can even kill it. Aside from that, your dog also becomes a carrier of intestinal worms, which can be passed on to people as well. This is enough reason to pay much attention if your dog has an intestinal parasite problem. It is a bit hard to prevent intestinal parasite problems because the sources are plenty. You cannot possibly control everything that your licks and swallows. Thus, it is very important to know how to eradicate the intestinal parasites when they do come.

There are many different kinds of dog parasites, and each kind can affect your dog differently. However, intestinal parasites are perhaps the most dangerous of all since these dwell on the internal organs. The only way to detect intestinal parasites is by inspecting the waste of your pet through a miscroscope. The worst thing is that there are several different types of intestinal parasites that your dog is in danger of. These are coccidia, hookworms, roundworms, tapeworms, and whipworms. The first kind, coccidia, is not actually a worm, but just as dangerous beause it can cause severe diarrhea that can eventually lead to death. Hookworms are one of the fatal parasite problems a dog can have. This is because hookworms reside in the dog’s intestines and suck blood, thereby causing anemia, continuous bleeding in the intestines, and can also result to death. Roundworms are very common among animals. Roundworms, being around 2-4 inches long, can be vomited or defecated by the dog. An infection of roundworms can be easily detected because they tend to affect a dog’s outward appearance. Roundworms can also be passed on to humans. Tapeworms, unlike hookworms and like roundworms, can be easily seen. Tapeworms can also be released along with a dog’s wastes, and can be seen after a dog defecates or even where the dog sleeps. Tapeworms are not transferrable to human beings. Lastly, whipworms are less common than the other kinds of intestinal worms. However, they can be just as dangerous because they are not visible to the human eye. Because of this, whipworms cannot be easily removed from the dog’s system.

If your dog is showing signs of being infected with intestinal parasites, the most important thing you should do is find out what kind of dog worms are present in its intestinal tract. Worm problems can be solved in different ways, depending on the type of worm that is present. Coccidia can be eradicated with an antimicrobial agent. Hookworm and roundworm infections can be treated by medications such as fenbendazole and pyrantel pamoate. Tapeworms can be removed by praziquantel and epsiprantel, which are antiparasitic agents. Whipworms, on the other hand, can also be fought off with fenbendazole. The important thing to remember is that, not because you got rid of a worm problem means that it won’t come back. It still can, and the best way to prevent that from happening is to give medications every month to keep the infection from coming back.

Bloat, also known as Gastric Dilatation-Volvulus or GDV, is a serious condition that can affect the health of dogs. This is very common and dangerous. Bloat begins with the stomach twisting and eventually trapping air, food, or liquid inside the stomach. This results to swelling of the stomach, which then puts a strain on the abdominal veins and the neighboring organs. Despite being common, however, a lot of dog owners do not know much about bloat in dogs, and that is unfortunate since dog bloat only comes in second after cancer as the top dog health risks that usually results to death. Dog owners should also be warned of fatal dog bloats, which can kill dogs in as little as an hour after developing this particular dog health risk.

According to various reports, bloat can strike any kind of dog, but tends to affect certain breeds more than some. The top dog breeds that are considered to be at high risk of bloat are Dobermans, German Shepherds, and Great Danes.

Bloat in dogs is caused by abnormal air that enters the stomach. Bloat caused by abnormally swallowed food and liquids are also possible. Bloat is also associated with incorrect or unhealthy eating patterns, such as eating too fast or eating in the wrong position. Stress can also bring about bloating. Some bloat cases are also hereditary. Also, dogs with deep chests are said to be at higher risk of bloat.

The symptoms of bloat are varied, and are not much helpful because they usually occur just minutes before it turns into a tragic incident. Be wary of the way that your dog is acting. The most telltale symptom of bloat is unnatural behaviors or abnormal body positioning as indication of discomfort or pain. Also, if your dog seems to have discomfort of any form, and is gagging and trying to vomit without success, chances are that it is suffering from bloat that very moment. A dog with bloat may also shows the signs of anxiety, such as whining, pacing, difficulty to defecate, hiding, and panting, which can all be your earliest warning signal. Dogs who suffer discomfort and pain due to bloating may also tend to check their own stomachs frequently to look for the source of the pain as well. Take cues from your dog, and be the one to check. To check whether your dog is suffering from bloat after detecting any one of these signs, press your ear to your dog’s stomach and listen for digestive sounds, which should be normal. If there are no digestive sounds, your dog might have bloat. This is a very effective way to check bloating. Aside from listening, you can also confirm bloating by looking at your dog’s tummy and feeling it. If it looks bloated, and feels taut, then these signs add to the possibility. You can also check your dog’s gums. If they are dark red, blue, or white, then your dog is already in trouble. Other telltale signs are irregularity in breathing patterns, in heartbeat patterns, sudden weakness, and vomiting of foam.

The best thing that a dog owner should do upon suspecting that his dog has developed dog bloat is to take the pet to a veterinarian. Since dog bloat is a very serious condition, dogs with bloat needs expert medical attention. Make sure that your veterinarian offers 24-hour service because bloat in dogs does not choose time. Also, as part of an emergency procedure, simethicone can help slow down gas and can hold back the effects of bloating for some time until you get your pet to the veterinarian. Bloat, being a serious condition, can never be treated at home or without a vet, unlike other dog health risks.