With the recent sunshine warming up the Pacific Northwest, the A Dog’s Life staff would like to remind you to keep up with your dogs regular vaccines. Distemper/Parvo and Bordatella are extremely important at this time. The warmth of spring not only brings out the flowers and sun but also bacteria, viruses and parasites. Although we thoroughly clean during and after every pups visit, there is always a chance of picking something up, even from outside of daycare dogs can encounter a contaminated, stagnant body of water or some appetizing animal feces carrying bacteria (it’s more common than you think, every dog has done it at least once!) Not only can each dog pass parasites and diseases onto their pooch friends, but most parasites can be contagious to humans and other animals such as cats, horses and rodents. Many varieties of parasites can even burrow into soil and thrive there, infecting your pup and any other animals/people that come into contact. This is why it is very important to submit a fecal sample to your veterinarian a minimum of every six months, regardless of whether your dog is showing any symptoms or not.

 

Here are some examples of intestinal parasites and what to look for:

Tapeworm- Appearance: small, white, similar to flat grains of rice,

Symptoms: will be seen on top of stool, often do not show up in a fecal flotation, pet may drag its bum.

Rarely life threatening.

Roundworm- Appearance: long, thin, similar to spaghetti noodles.

Symptoms: distended abdomen, diarrhea, vomiting, lethargy. May cause intestinal obstruction.

Mainly life threatening to puppies and kittens.

Can contaminate soil and may infest humans as well as other pets.

Hookworm- Appearance: same as Roundworm, but with teeth on head, larvae are most often seen in feces, small, oval egg with a thin membrane.

Symptoms: lethargy, dark stool or diarrhea, weakness and vomiting.

Can be extremely life threatening and highly contagious to humans and pets in the home.

Whipworm- long, tapered appearance, larvae take 3 months to develop into adults, can be life threatening in severe cases.

Symptoms: chronic diarrhea, anemia and weight loss.

Can contaminate soil and may infest humans.

 

Coccidia- a protozoan* parasite that produces cysts rather than larvae, animal ingests cysts from contaminated water, feces or infected animals (mice, squirrels, etc)

Symptoms: severe diarrhea, abdominal pain, dehydration. Infection can be life threatening in stressed, weak or very young.

Giardia- a protozoan* parasite that is found to have various strains around the world, thrives in clean, cool, outdoor water.

Symptoms: Severe diarrhea, lack of appetite, dehydration, vomiting and weight loss but often
Can be very infectious to humans, dogs, cats and livestock.

 

Campylobacter Jejuni or Campylobacteriosis- a rapidly reproducing bacteria associated with food poisoning, normally transmitted by ingestingcontaminated feces, water, or food.

Symptoms: Diarrhea ranging from mild to severe, vomiting, mimics Parvo and Giaradia symptoms.

 

* Protozoa- single cell organism that can only divide when within its host organism