Your Dog and Whipworms

1. Your Dog and Whipworms Whipworms—otherwise known as Trichuris vulpis—are one of a handful of common parasitic worms to infest our dogs. Your pooch gets them when they eat contaminated matter, like food, soil, or flesh. Here, your veterinarian Portland, OR tells you more about these pesky parasites. Symptoms Some whipworm infestations are entirely asymptomatic. But cases that do result in symptoms will usually include bowel inflammation, bloody diarrhea, dehydration, weight loss, and anemia. These symptoms are serious, so take your dog to the vet right away. Treatment Luckily, most whipworm infestations aren’t hard to resolve. Once the presence of the worms is confirmed via a stool sample, a prescription dewormer medication will be given. You’ll administer it at home until the worms in your dog’s system are killed off. These medications also kill the worms’ larvae to prevent further infestation. Prevention Tips While outdoors, keep your dog away from roadkill, garbage, or other material that they shouldn’t eat. And be sure to keep Fido on a year-round quality heartworm preventative, which can kill off various worms including whipworms. Do you want to learn more about parasitic worms? Does your dog need a heartworm preventative? Contact your vet clinic Portland, OR to make an appointment.