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Signs of parasites can vary depending on the type of parasite involved, the number of worms and the age and health status of the pet. Signs can vary from none to any of the following: constipation, diarrhea, flatulence (passing gas), lethargy, pale gums, poor growth rate in puppies and kittens, a potbellied appearance, scooting on the rear end, vomiting, weakness and weight loss.

What parasites commonly infect dogs and cats?

Hookworms
These small worms attach to the intestinal walls and ingest blood. Heavy infections can cause severe blood loss, anemia and pale gums. Pets can pick this parasite up from soil contaminated by hookworm eggs or larvae. Eggs ingested during grooming or licking develop into adult worms in the digestive tract, where they produce eggs that are passed out with the feces. When feces are left on the ground, the eggs contaminate the soil to potentially infect more pets and people. Hookworm larvae can penetrate the skin, so walking barefoot across the yard or playing in contaminated sandboxes or dirt can put children and adults at risk of infection.

Roundworms
Roundworms are one of the most common parasites found in the digestive tract in dogs and cats. Roundworms interfere with absorption and digestion of nutrients. Puppies can be born with roundworms, and puppies and kittens can become infected while nursing so it is very important to start deworming pups and kittens at a young age. This parasite’s eggs are passed out with the feces and can contaminate the soil, so your pet could become reinfected.

Whipworms
Dogs can pick up this parasite, which is 1- to 2-inches long, by walking or playing in soil contaminated by whipworm eggs. Eggs ingested during grooming or licking develop into adult worms in the large intestine. Adult worms produce eggs that are passed out with the feces and can contaminate the soil. This parasite is rare in cats.

Tapeworms
These large, segmented worms may cause your pet to scoot on his rear end, and you may see segments of the worm in the feces or around your pet’s anal area. The immature stage of certain tapeworms can be carried inside fleas. So if your dog or cat has fleas and chews or bites, fleas can be ingested, leading to infection with tapeworms.

Can any of these parasites be transmitted to humans?
Both hookworms and roundworms are zoonotic, meaning they could be transmitted to humans. Hookworm larvae can penetrate human skin, causing redness and itching. Roundworms are even more dangerous because the larvae can migrate through organs such as the eyes, brain and liver, causing significant damage.

_*How can I prevent intestinal parasites from infecting my pet?*__
All puppies and kittens should have a fecal examination and be treated for roundworms and hookworms even if the results are negative. This is because eggs can be shed intermittently (and therefore may not show up on the day the stool is examined) and because puppies and kittens can be infected very early in life.

Adult dogs and cats should have their stool examined every year (or, for some pets, every six months) or any time they have diarrhea or gastrointestinal signs.

Since eggs of some parasites are passed in feces and can contaminate the soil for years, it’s important to clean up after your pooch. Daily removal of feces from your yard can decrease contamination of the soil, as well as the chances a pet or human will pick up parasites.

Some parasites, like roundworms, can infect dogs and cats that kill and eat mice and other small prey (if the prey animal is infected). Preventing your dog or cat from hunting can help reduce his exposure to some of these parasites.

Some heartworm preventives also target hookworm, roundworm, tapeworm and whipworm infections, so while you’re preventing your dog or cat from getting heartworms, you can also protect him from getting some of the other worms that may be in his environment.

This blog was written by McQueen Animal Hospital, an animal clinic (vet hospital/vet clinic) in Brampton committed to providing only the highest level of veterinary care to our beloved pets.

Lyme disease is one of a number of frustratingly common tick-borne diseases that are regarded by both veterinarians and human physicians as stubborn, insidious, and just plain problematic in a number of ways.

An infection caused by the Borrelia burgdorferi bacterium, Lyme disease is transmitted through the bite of an infected tick and can affect many species, including dogs and humans.

Ticks of the Ixodes species (called black legged ticks or deer ticks) are known to transmit Lyme disease when they attach to a host and feed. Since, the tick must be attached for at least 24-48 hours to transmit Lyme disease, frequent inspection for ticks (and quick removal) can reduce the risk of disease transmission.

Symptoms and Identification
Clinical signs may not appear for several months after a dog is infected with Lyme disease. In fact, many dogs fail to display any obvious clinical signs at all. When signs of infection are noted, they may include the following:

Lethargy (manifested as tiredness or exercise intolerance)
Fever
Painful joints
Loss of appetite
Signs may seem to resolve on their own only to reappear later. Lyme disease has also been linked to long-term complications involving the joints, kidneys, heart, and nervous system.
Lyme disease is usually diagnosed based on a medical history that includes the possibility of tick exposure, suspicious clinical signs, and results of diagnostic testing.

Several tests can identify the Borrelia burgdorferi organism in blood or tissues. Many veterinarians test for Lyme disease using an in-hospital SNAP test. SNAP tests are a group of quick, convenient, blood tests that can be performed at your veterinarian’s office. There are various SNAP tests for different purposes:

SNAP Heartworm RT Test: screens for heartworm infection
SNAP 3Dx Test: simultaneously screens for heartworm disease, Lyme disease, and ehrlichiosis (another tick-borne disease that can affect dogs)
SNAP 4Dx Test: simultaneously screens for heartworm disease, Lyme disease, ehrlichiosis, and anaplasmosis (also a tick-borne disease that can cause illness in dogs)
SNAP testing is very accurate and is a good way to identify dogs that may be infected with one or more of these diseases. SNAP testing is also very convenient because it uses a very small amount of blood and takes only a few minutes to perform. However, sending blood to an outside laboratory for testing can be every bit as reliable as an in-hospital SNAP test.

In some cases, additional testing may be done to follow up on a positive test result or look for other evidence of illness related to heartworm disease or one of the tick-borne infections. Testing may involve sending additional blood samples to a laboratory for further analysis or performing other diagnostic tests to obtain more information about a dog’s condition.

Affected Breeds
All breeds of dogs are equally susceptible to this infectious disease.

Treatment
Treatment of Lyme disease generally consists of administration of antibiotics and (if necessary) other medications to temporarily help control joint pain and other clinical signs. Relapses are not uncommon, so pet owners are advised to monitor their dogs carefully for signs of illness.

Prevention
Tick-borne diseases such as Lyme disease pose a risk to dogs in many areas of the country. Because clinical signs are not always apparent, periodic testing is a good way to identify dogs that have been infected. Even dogs that receive year-round tick prevention products and don’t spend a lot of time outside are at risk for exposure to tick-borne diseases. Testing helps identify dogs that need treatment for one of these infections or an adjustment in the type of tick control being used.

Tick-borne diseases like Lyme disease, ehrlichiosis, Rocky Mountain spotted fever and anaplasmosis (among others) may or may not be prevalent in your area. However, travel habits of owners and their dogs, and changing patterns of tick migration may drive veterinarians to recommend testing for tick-borne diseases.

Several vaccines are available to help prevent lyme disease caused by Borrelia burgdorferi. An initial vaccination is followed by a booster vaccine two to four weeks later (in accordance with label recommendations) and annual boosters, as long as the risk for disease exposure remains.

The Lyme vaccine is not necessarily recommended for all dogs. Ask your veterinarian about the risk of Lyme disease where you live and whether the Lyme vaccine is recommended for your dog.

There are currently no vaccines to protect dogs from other tick-borne diseases, such as ehrlichiosis and anaplasmosis. Appropriate tick-control methods combined with periodic testing may be the best ways to help protect dogs from these diseases. Being “tick savvy” can also help protect dogs from Lyme disease exposure. Here are some tips:

• Check dogs (and humans) frequently for ticks. They should be removed promptly.
• Use a reliable method of tick control.
• If possible, avoid tall grass or wooded areas where ticks are likely to hide.
• If owners routinely take dogs camping or walking in wooded/park areas, they should apprise their veterinarians of this possible means of exposure.

This blog was written by McQueen Animal Hospital, an animal clinic (vet hospital/vet clinic) in Brampton committed to providing only the highest level of veterinary care to our beloved pets.

Ehrlichiosis is a disease caused by bacteria of the Ehrlichia family. Several species of the Ehrlichia bacteria are known to exist, some of which can infect humans. Ehrlichiosis (whether it occurs in dogs or humans) is transmitted through the bite of a tick, most typically the brown dog tick.

How It’s Spread
Three tick species are known to spread the organism that causes Ehrlichiosis. The brown dog tick (Rhipicephalus sanguineus)(See image beside), found throughout the United States and Canada, is the primary culprit, but the American dog tick (Dermacentor variabilis) and the lone star tick (Amblyomma americanum) (New Specie in Canada), can also transmit the bacteria that cause disease. You might think lone star ticks would be limited to the Lone Star State (Texas, of course), but they are found up from the southeastern U.S. and Texas through the Mid-Atlantic Seaboard all the way to New England, and since last year, it’s being identified as a new specie in Canada.
American dog ticks reside east of the Rockies, mainly in areas such as grassy fields, walkways and trails. They can survive for two or more years without a host.

Symptoms and Identification
Ehrlichiosis causes three distinct clinical phases of illness: acute, subclinical, and chronic.

In the acute phase, clinical signs occur about one to three weeks after an infected tick bites a dog.Symptoms associated with this phase can include lethargy (tiredness), fever, appetite loss, and enlarged lymph nodes. In some cases, clinical signs can resolve without treatment. However, if the infection is not treated, it progresses to the subclinical phase.

In the subclinical phase, the dog may appear completely normal because clinical signs are not observed. This phase may last many months or even years, but eventually the bacteria can reactivate and start to cause illness again.

In the chronic phase, the dog may again show vague signs such as fever, lethargy, and appetite loss.However, as the Ehrlichia organism affects the blood cells and bone marrow, clinical signs may include bleeding problems and anemia (an inadequate number of red blood cells). At this point, the bacteria may also affect the brain, causing seizures and poor coordination.

Other clinical signs associated with Ehrlichiosis can include joint pain and swelling as well as autoimmune disease in which the dog produces antibodies that damage its own cells. If Ehrlichiosis causes severe complications, death can result.

It can take as little as three to six hours for ticks to transmit the bacterial invaders. Once the bacteria enter the blood cells, they thrive, multiply and spread throughout the body. The disease is diagnosed based on a history of tick exposure, presence of signs, a platelet count and a positive blood test result for the bacteria that cause the disease: Ehrlichia canis (the primary cause in dogs), Ehrlichia ewingii (seen in dogs and humans) and Ehrlichia chaffeensis (the primary cause in humans). Ehrlichiosis isn’t always easy to diagnose, because it can take time for antibodies to develop, but response to treatment with antibiotics can be a clue that your veterinarian has found the cause of your dog’s signs.

Many veterinarians diagnose ehrlichiosis using a SNAP test either when they suspect the disease or as a simple annual screening. SNAP tests are a group of quick, convenient, blood tests that can be performed at your veterinarian’s office. The available SNAP tests include:

The SNAP Heartworm RT Test screens for Heartworm infection.
The SNAP 3Dx Test simultaneously screens for heartworm disease, Lyme disease, and Ehrlichiosis.
The SNAP 4Dx (We have available this test at our clinic). This test can diagnose four diseases at the same time: Heartworm disease, Lyme disease, Ehrlichiosis, and Anaplasmosis (which is another disease that is transmitted to dogs through a tick bite).

In some cases, veterinarians will recommend additional testing to follow up a SNAP test result or to look for other evidence of illness related to heartworm disease or one of the tick-borne infections. This testing may involve sending additional blood samples to a laboratory for further analysis or performing other diagnostic tests to gain more information about a patient’s condition.

Prevention
There is currently no vaccine against Ehrlichiosis. Appropriate tick-control methods combined with routine periodic testing is the best way to help protect those dogs inevitably exposed to ticks, and frequently checking your dog for ticks and safely removing them is an important daily routine, particularly during tick season.

This blog was written by McQueen Animal Hospital, an animal clinic (vet hospital/vet clinic) in Brampton committed to providing only the highest level of veterinary care to our beloved pets.