Parasites feed on their hosts, causing serious health problems. Therefore, it is very important to deworm our dog throughout his life.
There are two many classes of parasites that we can divide into two types, the internal parasites (which can live in the intestines and organs) and the external parasites. Let’s see how to detect and prevent them.
Index of contents
- 1 How to worm a dog externally?
- 1.1 Flea and tick preventives:
- 2 How to worm a dog internally?
- 2.1 Types of internal parasites
- 3 How to prevent the spread of parasites?
How to worm a dog externally?
The main external parasites that should concern us are fleas and ticks, both feed on the dog’s blood and can spread serious illnesses.
In addition, they can also leave eggs in our home and cause a really serious flea infection. That is why it is essential to have our dog always warned.
Flea and tick preventives:
- Antiparasitic collar (can be natural or made with chemicals)
- Protective pipettes
- Chewable pills against fleas and ticks
Antiparasitic collars generally protect an average of two to three months against fleas and ticks. Pipettes by contrast have a usual duration of one month just like chewable tablets.
We can combine the collar with the rest of preventives, although it is not necessary since generally any of them is enough to keep a dog protected.
However, if you live in a rural environment or livestock areas, it would be very interesting to use at least two of the mentioned preventives.
How to worm a dog internally?
There are so many types of internal parasites that it is really necessary to previously know what parasite is in order to apply the most appropriate treatment. In other words, there is no standard treatment that prevents everything.
Most intestinal parasites are removed with a pill that we can find in veterinary clinics, which we must administer to our dog every three months.
But other parasites, like the well-known giardias or the heartworm, require prolonged treatments based on antibiotic medication.
Types of internal parasites
We can distinguish many kinds of internal parasites, but these are the most common at general levels:
- Intestinal worms
- Giardias
- Heart worm
Each of these parasites they need a totally different treatment to be able to eliminate them and to keep our dogs groomed. It will always be our trusted vet who provides us with the appropriate medication.
How to prevent the spread of parasites?
All dogs end up catching parasites, some a few times in their lives and others many. Even puppies can get it while still in their mother’s womb.
But to prevent them from constantly spreading, we can put these simple tips into practice:
- Prevent our dog from licking or eating feces from other animals / people
- Bathe it at least once a month with a specific soap for dogs
- Check it at least once a week completely (including ears)
- Conduct veterinary control reviews
- Prevent you from eating spoiled food
- Don’t let him play with dogs with parasites
And if our dog is already infected, wash our hands whenever we touch it to avoid infecting ourselves too.