Many people think of worms as that pink thing that slithers on the ground but that’s not all! Worms are also a kind of parasite. But one of the three most common kinds of worms are ringworms, heartworms, and roundworms.
RINGWORMS
Symptoms
- Crusty Skin
- Hair Loss
- Red Skin
- Brittle or broken nail or fur
One of the biggest mistakes that people make with ringworms is thinking that it’s a worm. It’s actually a fungus! Ringworms are a zoonotic disease meaning that it can transfer between humans and animals. But what really is a ringworm?
Ringworms are a kind of fungus. It creates a ring shaped rash that could become crusty as well as create hair loss in that area.
Ringworm is caused by some kind of contact with fungus. Veterinarians will normally take a skin or hair sample and check it for any fungus. Here are some ways to treat ringworm.
- Tropical Therapy
In other words tropical therapy is basically using creams, ointments, and special shampoo to cure it.
- Oral Medications
Normally it is taken together with tropical therapy. The medicine is taken at least every six weeks, but could take months to fully activate.
Most pet owners do not have to worry about ringworm unless another pet or a human in the house is infected. Here are some ways to prevent Ringworm
- Clean the environment
That is actually it! The best way is to clean the environment. Oh and to wash your dog’s fur/hair at least every two to three months generally speaking.
ROUNDWORMS
Symptoms
- Diarrhea
- Vomiting
- Weight Loss
Roundworms are a kind of parasite that roams freely inside the intestine. Roundworms feed off of partly digested integinal parts and are a kind of gastrointestinal worm. It is also a zoonotic disease, and as I mentioned before it means that it can transfer between humans and animals.
Roundworms are normally transferred through feces but are also commonly transferred through rodents, earthworms, cockroaches, and birds. Dogs are infected by merely sniffing or licking the infected poop.
Here are some ways to prevent roundworm
- Deworm pregnant dogs and puppies
- Rodent control
- Heartworm medications that will stop the shedding of eggs.
Roundworms are simple and easy to treat as well as safe and effective. These medications and treatments will kill the roundworms and possibly prevent future infections.
HEARTWORMS
Heartworms have the symptoms divided into four classes. Symptoms for heartworms can determine the class they are in.
- Class One
Some have no symptoms but, some have mild symptoms
- Class Two
Mild symptoms. Mild coughing, tiredness, or less activity.
- Class Three
More severe symptoms. Continuous coughing or tiredness. Trouble breathing or heart failure. The lung and heart most likely will change shape
- Class Four
Caval Syndrome occurs. The large amounts of worms create a dam hurting the flow of blood coming to the heart. Caval Syndrome is deadly and the only way to cure it is to do a surgery and remove the worms. Even so many dogs still pass away from caval syndrome.
Heartworms are a kind of zoonotic disease caused by mosquitos. Even though heartworms are a kind of zoonotic disease humans are rarely affected by this disease. Heartworms look very much like white angel hair pasta. Please do not think about heartworms as you eat pasta. Please forgive me for the gross relationship between heartworms and pasta.
Heartworms, as I mentioned before, can be removed through surgery though some owners choose to use the medications instead for the time being.
As many doctors say, it’s better to prevent than to cure. This saying is true. So all pets should be checked for heartworms. But many owners also put their pets on preventative medication.
Even though I only covered only three different worms there are still many more. Please continue to learn and research farther and farther into veterinary medicine!!!