Internal
parasites
Hook
worm (Uncinaria)
About 50% of dogs are infected with
hookworm. Eggs develop in the soil
and larvae can burrow through the animal's skin. They mature inside the dog and are passed out to complete
the cycle. Some dogs have
developed a high resistance to hookworm infection and may only show lack of
energy when working.
Signs:
*
Unthriftiness.
*
Anaemia.
*
Coma and death.
Prevention
*
Don't house dogs on dirt floors.
*
Steam-clean kennels and move to clean ground.
*
Keep dogs away from infected areas.
*
Consult your vet for a drenching programme.
Roundworms (Toxocara canis)
The most common worm in dogs. Pups get infected by migrating larvae
in the bitch's tissue. Many of
them will not show signs of infection but the worms will be there.
Signs:
*
Pot belly.
*
Intermittent diarrhoea.
*
Nervousness.
*
Death in severe cases.
Prevention
*
Contact vet for appropriate treatment.
*
Treat pups at 2, 4, and 6 weeks of age.
*
Keep a clean kennel.
*
Keep a clean food storage area.
*
Maintain good hygiene with a whelping bitch.
*
Keep young children away from pups in dirty conditions.
Whipworm
(Trichuris)
Causes inflammation of the caecum.
Signs
*
Weight loss.
*
Diarrhoea.
*
Get worse as worm burden increases.
Prevention
*
Check with vet for correct treatment.
*
Regular dosing every 6 months.
Fleaworm
(Didylidium caninum)
This dog tapeworm grows inside the dog, and
the eggs pass out in the faeces.
The flea then eats the eggs which grow into cysts inside the flea. The dog then eats the flea to complete
the cycle.
Signs
*
General unthrift.
Prevention
*
Check with the vet for a correct diagnosis.
*
Treat the dog by breaking the cycle.
*
Drench the dog every 3 weeks.
*
Treat for fleas.
Hydatids
tapeworms
There are three tapeworms which come under
the common name of "hydatids" tapeworms so it can be confusing. It's important to know their
differences.
True
hydatids (Echinococcus granulosus)
The main concern here is for human health,
and thankfully because of past programmes the incidence of hydatids is very
low. Note though that it is still
there and this parasite must be taken seriously.
If dogs eat the untreated offal of sheep,
goats, pigs, and cattle, they can ingest cysts which are full of immature
tapeworms. On bursting they grow
into small tape worms 3-6mm long in the small intestine of the dog and have
little effect on its health.
When these tapeworms mature their end
sections drop off and are full of highly resistant eggs which can live on
pasture for several months. When
eaten by an intermediate host (sheep, cow, pig, goat or human), these eggs
hatch and develop into slow-growing cysts, usually in the liver and lungs.
The cysts generally don't affect livestock
but in humans can grow to 50mm across and can be life threatening. If a cyst burst inside a person, then
the risk of further infection is very high and recovery low. They face a lifetime of regular surgery
to remove them.
False
hydatids (Taenia hydatigena)
This tapeworm lives in the dog and can grow
up to 5m long. The eggs pass out
the dog on to pasture and if eaten by sheep, goats, cattle, pigs and deer hatch
into larvae which during their migration though the body can damage the
liver. They end up in the
abdominal cavity where a cyst up to 10mm in diameter develops..
Sheep
measles (Taenia ovis)
This tapeworm only moves between sheep and
dogs. Human health is not
involved. Although the tapeworm
can grow to 1m long inside the dog, it doesn't seem to affect its health. It has a typical tapeworm life cycle
from inside the dog, picked up by grazing sheep as the eggs can last a long
time pasture.
The intermediate stage inside the sheep is
where cysts appear in the heart muscle and diaphragm. Infected carcasses have to be trimmed or rejected for
export. The cysts are hard
creamy-white nodules about 5mm across and appear in . In bad cases they will be all through the big muscles too,
looking like an attack of measles.
They are no risk to humans but can put
customers off buying lamb for ever.
Prevention
of all "hydatids" in dogs
*
Register all dogs.
*
Treat them regularly according to veterinary advice.
*
Prevent all dogs from having contact with dead animals.
*
Don't feed any offal from any farm animal to a dog. Offal is maybe cheap dog feed but
the risks of infection are too great.
*
Burn or bury all offal.
*
If you feed sheep or goat meat to dogs, either heat it to 72 degrees
Celcius for at least an hour, or freeze it at minus 10 degrees C for at least 7
days.
*
Provide dog-proof enclosures for killing dog meat.
*
Provide secure housing for dogs.
External
parasites
Fleas
There is an old saying that "fleas are
good for dogs, they remind them that they're dogs!" This is a lie. Fleas don't breed on dogs, they breed
in the dirt and debris of the kennel and surrounding area, where larvae develop
into adult fleas. These then
invade the dog and cause great irritation. Constant scratching can damage the skin and allow secondary
problems such as anaemia and loss of condition to arise.
Fleas breed faster in warmer weather - so
be on guard in summer and autumn.
Modern flea collars work well with protection for up to 4 months. It's a good idea to clean up the
kennels with insecticide too to reduce the population. Follow the label with all insecticides.
Lice
These are common on dogs but don't show
much effect. A really heavy
infection will cause anaemia. Lice
only live on the dog so there is no need to treat the kennel area. Kill the lice on the dog with some of
the modern treatments (see your veterinarian) and that will fix the problem.
Cattle
tick (Haemophysalis longicornis)
This is the only tick found in NZ and can
be a nuisance on cattle and deer if present in large numbers. Dogs will easily pick them up during
work. The tick sucks blood,
becomes engorged and then drops off.
It's not until the animal is heavily infested that it may be of concern.
Don't pull the ticks off the dog as the
head remains in the skin and can cause infection. They can be removed by kerosene but it's best to treat the
dog with a correct insecticide.
Check with your vet.
Ear
mites (Otodectes)
Causes irritation in the dog's ears and may
lead to secondary infections by bacteria and fungi. Consult your vet if your dog is scratching or shaking its
ears which can be very sensitive.
Mange
mites
Demodex and Sarcoptes mites are the cause
of mange in dogs. If the dog is
scratching a lot, is losing hair and there are secondary skin infections
present, then check if mites or consult your vet. These mites burrow down into the skin and there's a chance
that they can infect humans.
So don't delay with treatment, as bad
infections can take a long time to eradicate. DO NOT put the dogs in the sheep swim dip or shower, or use
any sheep pour-on treatment. This
could kill the dog.
Virus
diseases
Distemper
This can be a very nasty disease in dogs
and very distressing for owners as they see their dogs taking fits. Signs include:
*
Fever.
*
Depression and loss of appetite.
*
Running nose and eyes.
*
Coughing.
*
Scouring.
*
Fits, yelping and twitching.
It's caused by a virus, usually widespread
among dogs, and can be picked up from contaminated objects like clothing. It spreads from dog to dog by moisture
from eyes and nose.
Incubation is about 10 days during which
the virus affects many organs such as the gut, lungs and brain. Many dogs (about 50%) develop
sufficient antibodies in a couple of weeks to control the disease and recover
well.
Dogs with no antibody resistance will
die. Bad cases may recover but the
dog may have impaired eyesight for the rest of its days. It is essential to vaccinate when the
dog is 6-8 weeks, 12 weeks and 16 weeks of age. This is usually combined with parvo vaccination. Then an annual booster may be needed if
the dog isn't in contact with other dogs that challenges its immunity. Check with your vet for details.
Parvovirus
A really distressing disease for both dog
and owner. The virus is excreted
in the faeces of infected or carrier dogs and can survive in the environment
for some days. Incubation takes
from 1-5 days but it's not certain how it spreads. These pups become depressed and die.
One form of parvo (Cardiac) affects the
heart muscle of pups under 4 months old, and the other (Enteric) is seen in
dogs of all ages. These dogs vomit
and have a severe foul-smelling diarrhoea. Blood may show in the faeces. The dog will be depressed and run a temperature.
Vaccination against parvo is essential for
all pups and is usually tied in with distemper protection. Consult your vet for details.
Infectious
hepatitis
Not very common but can be
devastating.
*
Vomiting and diarrhoea.
*
Fever
*
Thirst
*
Listless
*
Discharge from eyes and nose.
*
Red mucous membranes.
The virus is spread in all the dog's
excretions and attacks the liver and other vital organs. Prevention is by vaccinating young pups
and is tied in with distemper and parvo protection. Consult your vet for directions.
Other
viruses
There are many other viruses that can
affect dogs and appear as epidemics in districts after introduction by a
carrier dog. So it's a good idea
to isolate a new dog for a while to make sure it's not a carrier. Check what vaccinations a newly
purchase dog has had, and discuss vaccination with your vet against these
potential problems
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