Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Intestinal worms in Swiss dogs and timing of deworming treatment
By Sager, H et al.·Published in Parasitology research·2006·Institute of Parasitology·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Coprological study on intestinal helminths in Swiss dogs: temporal aspects of anthelminthic treatment.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A study of 505 dogs in Switzerland found that many had intestinal worms, including Toxocara canis and hookworms. Dogs living in rural areas were more likely to have these infections, especially if they had access to small rodents or carrion. Even after being treated every three months with a combination of medications, over half of the dogs still had worm eggs in their feces at least once during the year. This suggests that regular deworming may not completely eliminate the risk of infection for both dogs and their owners.
People also search for: dog intestinal worms treatment · why does my dog have worms · Toxocara canis in dogs · hookworm symptoms in dogs
Abstract
Coproscopic examination of 505 dogs originating from the western or central part of Switzerland revealed the presence (prevalence data) of the following helminthes: Toxocara canis (7.1%), hookworms (6.9%), Trichuris vulpis (5.5%), Toxascaris leonina (1.3%), Taeniidae (1.3%), Capillaria spp. (0.8%), and Diphyllobothrium latum (0.4%). Potential risk factors for infection were identified by a questionnaire: dogs from rural areas significantly more often had hookworms and taeniid eggs in their feces when compared to urban family dogs. Access to small rodents, offal, and carrion was identified as risk factor for hookworm and Taeniidae, while feeding of fresh and uncooked meat did not result in higher prevalences for these helminths. A group of 111 dogs was treated every 3 months with a combined medication of pyrantel embonate, praziquantel, and febantel, and fecal samples were collected for coproscopy in monthly intervals. Despite treatment, the yearly incidence of T. canis was 32%, while hookworms, T. vulpis, Capillaria spp., and Taeniidae reached incidences ranging from 11 to 22%. Fifty-seven percent of the 111 dogs had helminth eggs in their feces at least once during the 1-year study period. This finding implicates that an infection risk with potential zoonotic pathogens cannot be ruled out for the dog owner despite regular deworming four times a year.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16374614/