Whip Worms: No Signs, No Symptoms.

"Being one of the four most common intestinal parasites in dogs" (Pets and Parasites), the whip worm resides in the cecum (where the small and large intestines meet) and can infect your pet for months before any clinical signs may be seen. As with the round worm and hook worm, the whip worm is found in your pets' stool.

Life Cycle of the Whip Worm

Whip Worm Life Cycle
(Novartis)

There are many similarities between the whip worm versus the round and hook worm. As with the round and hook worm, the whip worm spreads in animal feces and soil. The main way your pet can become infected with this parasite is ingesting or close contact with infected feces and substances containing it. Whip worms can live in the environment up to 5 years; by making sure you clean up your pets' feces, and their surroundings (dog park, local pet stores, etc) are clean, you can prevent your pet from becoming infected.

Whip Worm Egg seen in fecal flotation.
(Pet-Informed-Veterinary) 

Diagnosing Whip Worms in Your Pet
We (vet/vet tech) find the whip worm ova in the stool when we do a fecal flotation. This particular parasite is difficult to find as the female does not reproduce and lay eggs that often, which is why regular fecal checks are important to ensure your pet is at his or her utmost health quality.

Signs Your Pet Has Whip Worms
As stated earlier, a dog can be infected with whip worms for several months before you may see any signs. The most common signs seen in a pet with whip worms are bloody diarrhea, weight loss, dehydration and anemia. If your pet is experiencing any of these symptoms, visit your local veterinarian for a check up.

Adult Whip Worm
(Pixgood.com)

Whip Worms Inside the Intestines
The whip worm, as stated, lives in the cecum. There this parasite feeds on blood and tissue, matures into an adult and moves into the small intestines. The parasite received it's name from the "whip-like" movement that occurs when they maneuver through the intestinal tract.

Treating Whip Worms
As with round and hook worms, whip worms can be treated with an oral de-wormer that your veterinarian will feel is appropriate for your pet. This medication will treat the eggs and adult worms that are currently in your pets' intestines.

Whip Worms and Humans
Human infestation with the dog whip worm are very rare. However it is possible for humans to become infested with the human whip worm, T. trichiura. For more information on this particular parasite, you can visit CDC.gov.

(All About Goldens)

I hope you have enjoyed reading about the whip worm. Don't forget to bring your pet in for regular health and fecal checks to make for a happy (and healthy) pet!

What would you like to read about next? Send me your thoughts and comments via Facebook. Let me know that Tenth Street Times sent you!

Here's to a tail waggin' day!

Noelle

*Information for this blog was obtained from: Pets and Parasites, WebMD, and Pet Education
*Pictures obtained from the websites provided.

The Start to a Healthy Pup

What better place to start then with the FIRST visit, right? Whether you're a pro or a first time owner, the first puppy visit is going to be relatively the same. Vaccinations, fecal floats, heartworm prevention.. oh my! I am going to go through what a routine first puppy visit would contain and what all of the context we throw at you means.

Being a first time owner of a puppy can be overwhelming. When we get you into a room, we ask you a ton of questions; is this the first time he/she has seen a vet? Where did you get her/him? Is he/she eating and drinking okay? I know, I know.. It seems like a lot. When talking to first time owners I try to dial down the questions and start with what I and the doctor recommend for the visit and go from there.

First and foremost, Vaccinations. It seems like a lot of vaccines and a lot of back and forth week after week but I promise once you get over the series of shots your pup will be fully vaccinated and shouldn't have to worry about coming back and getting poked by techs and veterinarians for another year. Here are a list of vaccines that are highly recommended by veterinarians:
Age:                                                Vaccine:        
6 weeks                                          DAPP (Distemper,
                                                       Adenovirus,Parainfluenza,
                                                       and Parvo)    
9 weeks                                          2nd DAPP
12 weeks                                        3rd (and final) DAPP/
                                                       Leptospirosis
                                                       if appropriate
                                                       Rabies 1 year (required
                                                        by law in North Carolina)
16 weeks                                         FINAL Leptospirosis and
                                                        Parvo Booster
                                                        Lyme Vaccination if
                                                        appropriate.

As stated, all of these vaccinations are recommended by veterinarians to help ensure quality health of your puppy.

Vaccinations are not the only thing that your puppy will be getting on this journey. We recommend a fecal flotation. This requires techs to get a small amount of feces and is a simple test we run to test for intestinal parasites such as roundworms, whipworms, hookworms, and coccidia; all of which are common in puppies because of their growing immune system. We will, however, give a basic dewormer to help start the fight against any intestinal "friends" that the puppy doesn't want. If the doctor then finds the parasites mentioned earlier he or she will give you the appropriate medication.
*intestinal parasites will be discussed in depth in a future blog, with pictures!

If you're a pro at this and pretty much know the basics of what/how/where/when etc, etc then this was just to show you an in depth look at what goes on during your visit.

If you know anything about dogs, then you know that heart worms are a major concern especially here in North Carolina. You are probably wondering why I didn't mention heart worms, right? The life cycle of the heart worms takes 6 months for it to become an adult so any testing before this time would give false results. You should get your puppy tested around 7 to 8 months to ensure that your heart worm treatment is working.
*heart worms will be discussed in depth in a future blog, with pictures!

This seems like a lot and to be honest, it is. As always, do not hesitate to ask any and all questions you may have during your visit.

This is Ayden (my dog) as a puppy!

This is Taylor, she came in for her first puppy visit today (10-31-2014)

Call and schedule an appointment today at Tenth Street Animal Hospital, we would love to meet you and your new friend!