The only suggestion that all family’s favorite pet, sleeping in the same bed with masters, peeping into their plates, kissed daily in the nose, can be infected with worms makes many pets’ masters indignant.

However, in spite of the disgust to helminthes the most people do not hurry to make preventive dehelmintizations because of one simple reason – they do not see worms in the animal’s faeces, so they believe honestly this problem does not concern them. But worms are constant companions of all endothermal bodies; and our cats and dogs are not exclusion, they are “happy masters” of numerous kinds of helminthes. So every veterinary considers each animal as potentially infected, that’s why all serious medical interventions in an animal’s life begin from dehelmintization (i.e. vaccination, planned surgery, preparation to coupling and delivery).

All pets’ owners should know: practically every animal has helminthes. Helminthes presence can not be displayed anyhow at adult animals, but helminthes invasion brings cubs to serious consequences (growth and development deceleration, anemia, exhaustion) up to the death.

Dogs and cats are people’s devoted, disinterested and faithful friends. But our love only will not be sufficient to maintain animal’s health. In order to protect our pets from numerous parasites, living in inner organs and bringing huge damage, regular routine dehelmintizations are needed. We want to add for those who still doubt: many helminthes are dangerous for human beings as well. Helminthes eggs can be on the animal’s hair, muzzle, paws, so constant close contact will lead sooner or later to the infection of humans. Of course, when getting to a human body, a parasite will not be able to grow up to a full-fledged mature individual, meanwhile larvae migrating in the blood flow and inner organs can arise acute pain and sufferings. Such helminthiasis as alveococcosis, echinococcosis can result in disability and even in the death. Now we will not examine such cases of humans’ infections as infection by forest berries (infected by excrements of foxes and wolves), or in the sand in the children sandpits (where street cats go lulu), we will talk only about cases when people get infected directly from their own pets.

Even if your pet does not leave home it might not be reason to forget about dehelmintization at all. Helminthes eggs can penetrate into an apartment on masters’ shoes, with grass for cats, larvae can be in raw meat. Many parasites changes one or several intermediate masters (insects, mollusks, Amphibia) until they become mature. So if you are carrying your pets in the country, to a village, to ponds, rivers or lakes, you must take it into account.

Cats and dogs can have round worms and tapeworms.

Round Worms (Nematode)

The length of these helminthes can reach 0.5 mm to18 cm, depending on their kind, but all of them have bodies round in cross-section (that’s why they’ve got their name).

Toxocariasis (Ascaridiasis)

While cats and dogs have their own parasites (cats have Toxocara leonina and Toxocara cati, dogs have Toxocara canis), biology of these ascarids development is almost the same, all of them are dangerous for people!

The infection can be intrauterine (usually on the 42-th day of the pregnancy); it can get through mother’s milk, by parasites’ eggs swallowing. On getting into the body, larvae reach the right half of the heart with the blood flow, and then they are distributed to lungs, are coughed out and are swallowed again. After that larvae stay in the intestines and within 20-21 days they grow up in adult parasites, they start copulating (they are of different sex) and lay eggs, going out with excrements after. Adult helminthes can bring to an intestines occlusion, injure seriously the mucous membrane. Migrating in the blood larvae get to the brain, eyes and others animal’s organs. Recrements of these parasites make great toxic and allergic impact on the body.

Toxocariasis is observed generally at adult dogs, then larvae go out from swallowed eggs, larvae do not migrate in the whole body, but stay in the intestines.

Dirofilariasis is caused by nematodes, parasitizing in auricle, pulmonary artery, right ventricle of heart (Dirofilaria repens and Dirofilaria immitis). Females are viviparous, parasites development goes with participation of intermediate masters (mosquitoes), in their bodies larvae are being changed and become invasive. Infection of animals occurs with mosquitoes, gnats sticks, with their saliva microfillarias get into cats and dogs bodies. With the blood flow they reach their favorite places (heart cavities, aorta, subcutaneous fat). Helminthes dub the master’s body not only toxically and allergically, but they provoke pathologic changes in inner organs. Dirofilariasis is dangerous for human beings as well! Before this disease was considered as an “exotic” one, only people and animals in Africa, Asia and other countries with warm climate had it. However, at present dirofilariasis cases are registered all over the world.

Tapeworms (cestodes and trematodas)

Cestodes

Tapeworms are helminthes with length from 0.1 mm up to 3 meters, their tiny head is provided with special hooks and cupules, helping to hold firmly on the mucous membrane of intestines, numerous segments on maturing are fecundating and then, full of eggs, they tear off and go out with excrements. Cestodes development goes on with participation of principal (dogs, wolves, cats) and intermediate (agricultural domestic animals, human beings) masters. Carnivores are infected only through the food, eating inner organs of infected livestock. We will not describe in details the complicated cycle of cestodes development, but we will state only one of the most popular.

Causative agent of diphullobothriasis is Diphullobothrium latum; it can be 1.5 meters long at cats, and reach up to 10 meters at dogs. These helminthes are parasitizing in the small intestine, impacting mechanically the intestine walls, thus provoking inflammations and occlusion, anemia development. This parasite is dangerous for human beings too!

Dipylidiasis is provoked by cestodes Dipylidim caninum. Adults individuals are 70 cm long, they are parasitizing in small intestine of cats and dogs. Holding on mucous membrane of intestine with special hooks, these parasites damage it seriously. In case of serious helminthes invasion the intestines occlusion becomes possible. This disease can be transmitted to a human being. Fleas are intermediate masters of these parasites, as their larvae eat eggs of dipylidims. Animals get infected on swallowing such a flea.

Trematodas

Life cycle of almost all trematodas goes on with changes of several intermediate masters. One of the most dangerous diseases of animals and people is opisthorchiasis, provoked by cat liver fluke Opisthorchis Felineus. Though those helminthes length is only 8-13 мм, while parasitizing in the cholagogic ducts in liver, in the cholecyst, they bring serious damage to the health. Infection is possible when eating raw, dried or fresh-frozen fish, keeping larvae of opisthorchis (called metacercariae) in muscles.

We have listed here only a few kinds of the most frequent animals’ helminthes that are also dangerous for people in order pets’ owners would think once more about the necessity of such preventive measures as dehelmintization.

The main rule of the prophylaxis of helminthes diseases is cleanliness. It is necessary to take away faeces in a cat’s tray or near a doghouse. Obligatory hands washing after communication with animals must become a habit. You must not feed pets with raw river fish and thermally unprocessed internal organs of killed livestock. You should regularly process pets with means against fleas, being intermediate masters of helminthes. The fight against intestinal worms at your pets must be constant and regular, only in such case you could be sure nothing threatens your pet’s health and there is no danger for you and your kids.

You should go to a veterinary if there is need to treat some neglected helminthes invasion, there under specialists’ surveillance your pet will be set free from parasites. If a pet has many helminthes, they will excrete a huge amount of toxins, when dying, so your pet could need not only anti-helminthes medicines, but some support on a drip.

Of course, it is an extreme case, as it is much easier and simpler to prevent diseases connected with helminthes. At present lots of medicines are available, killing either round worms or tapeworms. Such medicines as Drontal, Caniquantel are not very toxic, they admit even some overdose without any harm for pets, and they can be given to pregnant animals and cubs.

An obligatory dehelmintization is done depending on animals housing conditions and feeding. If a pet is fed by dry pet food, does not leave the home, it is enough to give it two-three times a year some vermifuge. If you take a cat or a dog in the country, let it communicate with other animals, feed it with natural food, it is recommended to make dehelmintization every 3-4 months. Vermifuges must be given two weeks before some vaccination or before a planned coupling. If you have several pets at home it is necessary to give vermifuges to all of them simultaneously, in order to avoid re-infecting.

While choosing a medicine for the prophylaxis of helminthic diseases, you should take into account the pet’s age, its physiological state, acute or chronic diseases. In every case it is better to consult with a veterinary, he or she will help you to choose the best option. Now veterinaries possess a large arsenal of medicines against helminthes: drugs and suspension, drops on withers (Stronghold (Pfizer) – helping from numerous parasites including round worms; Profender (Bayer) – helping from round worms and tapeworms at cats). Thus it becomes possible to make dehelmintization even to very aggressive cats, not allowing putting a drug in the mouth; you have just to squeeze out some drops from a tube on the skin.

You should not try pushing in a dog’s mouth a clove of garlic, hoping that it will turn out all helminthes or pouring some piperazine in the mouth. Leading world manufacturers made a huge work in order the dehelmintization stops being a source of stress for an animal. It is especially actual for cats as they do not tolerate any violation on them and spit out drugs from tasty pieces, if masters try to mask medicines in this way.

Of course, good, high-quality medicines, able to kill helminthes efficiently without negative impact on pets’ health are not cheap. Meanwhile, these expenses can not be compared with your awareness that your pet and your family members are secure from widespread helminthiasis.

Related articles:

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3. Constipations At Cats And Ways To Control Them
4. Cats Urolithiasis
5. Piercing is Dangerous For Health
6. If you have found a sick kitten in the street.