Parasites - worms
By the time you bring your puppy home he should have been wormed several times already by his breeder. You may have heard that humans can catch roundworms from puppies and this is true. It is therefore important to worm your puppy regularly and take a few sensible hygiene precautions. Make sure you don’t allow the puppy to lick anyone’s mouth and that small children wash their hands after playing with him. You should also keep little children well away from anywhere that the puppy has used as a toilet.
Tapeworm infections are also common in dogs, and as he gets older, your puppy will need to be treated regularly to keep him free from these. You can buy worming medicines for older puppies that treat these two types of worm in a single dose. In some parts of the country, lungworms are also an issue. They are transmitted via slugs and snails, which puppies may eat deliberately or by accident when licking bowls and toys left outdoors overnight. Your vet will be able to advise you on protecting your dog from this potentially very serious problem.
You may occasionally hear a dog owner stating that there is no need to worm your puppy. They may tell you that they have never wormed their dog and that he has never caught worms. Unfortunately, this is unlikely to be true, and it is impossible to tell whether or not a dog has a mild case of worms without testing his faeces in a laboratory.
Fleas, ticks and mites
External parasites can be troublesome, especially in the summer. It is important to keep your puppy free from fleas, not only because they make him uncomfortable, but because they can also infect him with tapeworms. A puppy that is being bitten by fleas will often scratch a lot and nibble the fur around the base of his tail. You may not see any fleas on him until the infestation is very bad, because fleas tend to bite the dog, then hide in his bedding or in your carpets.
Be very careful if you have a cat and decide to treat your puppy for fleas at home. Certain dog-flea treatments can make a cat very ill indeed. Just sharing a basket with a flea-treated dog can make a cat sick. Talk to your vet before treating your puppy.
Once your puppy is out and about in the countryside, ticks can be a nuisance and in some areas there is a risk of Lyme disease transmission. A swollen tick looks like a large grey pea in your dog’s fur and feels quite firm. Check your puppy for ticks when you get home and use a tick remover to dislodge them. Don’t apply chemicals or heat to the tick to make it let go because this may induce the animal to discharge its stomach contents into your dog, increasing the risk of infection. The sooner you get the tick off, the less likely it is to cause a problem.
Another unpleasant parasite problem is ear mites. These cause the puppy to shake his head repeatedly and his ears will look grubby inside. Aside from the horrible irritation that mites cause, the persistent ear flapping in longer-eared dogs can cause a blood-filled swelling in the ear flap itself. This may require a minor operation to fix and so it is well worth treating as soon as you notice a problem.
There are ‘spot-on’ chemicals that you put on your puppy to kill ticks and fleas, which carry on working for several weeks after application, although reports of resistance to some popular brands are growing. There are also ‘spot-on’ treatments that kill some worm infestations. Your vet will be able to recommend products and you can also find most good brands online.
Tapeworm infections are also common in dogs, and as he gets older, your puppy will need to be treated regularly to keep him free from these. You can buy worming medicines for older puppies that treat these two types of worm in a single dose. In some parts of the country, lungworms are also an issue. They are transmitted via slugs and snails, which puppies may eat deliberately or by accident when licking bowls and toys left outdoors overnight. Your vet will be able to advise you on protecting your dog from this potentially very serious problem.
You may occasionally hear a dog owner stating that there is no need to worm your puppy. They may tell you that they have never wormed their dog and that he has never caught worms. Unfortunately, this is unlikely to be true, and it is impossible to tell whether or not a dog has a mild case of worms without testing his faeces in a laboratory.
Fleas, ticks and mites
External parasites can be troublesome, especially in the summer. It is important to keep your puppy free from fleas, not only because they make him uncomfortable, but because they can also infect him with tapeworms. A puppy that is being bitten by fleas will often scratch a lot and nibble the fur around the base of his tail. You may not see any fleas on him until the infestation is very bad, because fleas tend to bite the dog, then hide in his bedding or in your carpets.
Be very careful if you have a cat and decide to treat your puppy for fleas at home. Certain dog-flea treatments can make a cat very ill indeed. Just sharing a basket with a flea-treated dog can make a cat sick. Talk to your vet before treating your puppy.
Once your puppy is out and about in the countryside, ticks can be a nuisance and in some areas there is a risk of Lyme disease transmission. A swollen tick looks like a large grey pea in your dog’s fur and feels quite firm. Check your puppy for ticks when you get home and use a tick remover to dislodge them. Don’t apply chemicals or heat to the tick to make it let go because this may induce the animal to discharge its stomach contents into your dog, increasing the risk of infection. The sooner you get the tick off, the less likely it is to cause a problem.
Another unpleasant parasite problem is ear mites. These cause the puppy to shake his head repeatedly and his ears will look grubby inside. Aside from the horrible irritation that mites cause, the persistent ear flapping in longer-eared dogs can cause a blood-filled swelling in the ear flap itself. This may require a minor operation to fix and so it is well worth treating as soon as you notice a problem.
There are ‘spot-on’ chemicals that you put on your puppy to kill ticks and fleas, which carry on working for several weeks after application, although reports of resistance to some popular brands are growing. There are also ‘spot-on’ treatments that kill some worm infestations. Your vet will be able to recommend products and you can also find most good brands online.
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