Should I Worm My Dogs More Often?

[sheena]

OH & I were this morning discussing worms. We are on a farm & the dogs (especially the 5 month old pup) when out walking, consume the odd piece of kangaroo poo, cow poo or chicken poo, or whatever else has pooed in the paddocks during the night The puppy just loves kangaroo poo. Just wondering on opinions as to whether these poos might be harmful to them in regards to giving them worms. I worm them every three months & they certainly don't look wormy...quite the opposite. I suppose to be sure I could have their poos tested at the vets. Does anybody know what this costs per test & what's involved? Thanks in advance

[megan_]

The worms I would worry about are hyatid (sp), because they can transfer to humans and are nasty things which, if left undiagnosed, can lead to death in extreme cases. I *think* they can live in poo.

Edited August 11, 2011 by megan_

[Tassie]

AFAIK hydatid tapeworm requires sheep as the intermediate host, and then dogs become infected (though not sick) through eating offal from infected sheep. You're right - it transfers to humans from the dog, and is a terrible disease. Through a lot of hard work it's been eradicated from Tasmania ( ), and that's the reason that dogs coming into Tasmania (after I think it's more than 2 weeks on the mainland) are required to be wormed with a wormer containing praziquantal. It's also not legal in Tasmania to feed offal to dogs.

You could double check with your vet Sheena, but I'd reckon you're OK with a 3 monthly if the dogs are showing no signs of having any worm problems.

[best4koda]

Hi, yes I'd check with the vet. When we were in Singleton NSW with lots of cattle, kangeroos (plague amounts of the cute buggers) and sheep we were advised to worm for the hydatid regularly so ensure that it doesn't pass on and cause complications for the human host. The local vet should be able to advise. I watched a case on RPA and they are nasty little criters and hard to remove intact from humans as well.

[sheena]

We are not sheep country, only cattle & kangaroos, lots of them. So I will put it past the vet next time we are in.

[Kiara&Heidi]

Hydatids (eggs I think) can live in cow and roo poo. It is recommended that dogs are wormed once a month for hydatids, and not all wormers cover for them - I think it needs to be a wormer with parazinquel.