Nobody likes to think that their animal has worms but it is very unwise to ignore the signs. Depending on the age of the animal, and the type and number of worms present, your pet can experience a dull, lifeless coat, swelling of the abdomen, loss of weight, pneumonia and diarrhoea. In addition, certain types of worm are capable of being passed from animals to humans.

It is pretty safe to say that, at some stage during its life, your pet will get worms. Effective wormers such as Drontal are available from all the branches at Gatehouse and these products have been shown to be highly effective against the intestinal worms.

While worming will get rid of any worms, which may be present in your pet's intestine at the time of treatment, it will not prevent re-infection. It is therefore important to worm your dog or cat every three months.

To help prevent worm infection:

    Ask your vet about Drontal

    Worm your pet every three months

    Wash your hands after touching animals

    Dispose of dog faeces responsibly

    Ensure your pet is adequately wormed when travelling in Europe

Worm Facts:

There are dozens of different species of roundworms, hookworms, whipworms and tapeworms, which can infect dogs and cats in the UK. The most common worms are the roundworm and the tapeworm.

Roundworms

Toxocara canis (the dog roundworm) has attracted a great deal of publicity in recent years, due to cases where children have become infected.   It grows to around 180mms in length and lives in the small intestine.    Roundworms can be passed from mother to pups and from one dog to another as well as being acquired from the environment.   Roundworm eggs are very resilient and can potentially survive for several years in the environment (in parks and gardens, for example), acting as a reservoir of infection for other dogs and children alike.

Tapeworm

Tapeworms are the other major group of parasitic worms that can infect our pets. They attach themselves to the wall of the small intestine and can range in size from only a few millimetres in length, up to 5 metres long!

Tapeworms cannot be passed directly from one cat or dog to another, but have to develop in another animal first (a so-called "intermediate host") such as a flea. The pet often swallows larvae when grooming.   Once in the pet's gut, the larvae develop into adult tapeworms. On reaching maturity (in as little as three weeks) they start to shed egg-filled segments, which may be passed with the dog's faeces or separately. These segments may wriggle and move and look a bit like long-grain rice!

 

    Tapeworms can grow up to 5 metres long!

    A female roundworm can produce 84,000 eggs in one day!

    Worm eggs can survive in soil for over 4 years!