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It’s always good to stay informed, so for the pet owners who love their pets, here are deworming basics you should know about. A cursory survey of purge-type dewormers reveal these types: granular types for mixing with pet food, chewable tablets flavored or not, pills, and  liquid suspensions.

Most of the common intestinal parasites are worms and one-celled organisms usually found in dogs’ and cats’ intestines. The common worms are roundworms, whipworms, hookworms, and tapeworms. Coccidia and Giardia are common one-celled parasites.

What these intestinal worms do is steal - they live in the intestines, an efficient spot to rob the essential nutrients that should be enjoyed by your pet. This leads to malnutrition and if left unchecked serious intestinal problems, among other things. Respiratory problems are what usually develops in puppies, which are not as strong against intestinal worms compared to older dogs; the pups contract pneumonia and die.

Now for some bad news - humans can get these roundworms, too. Kids in particular are vulnerable. The kids’ major organs are up for grabs to intestinal worms - brain, lungs, liver - and pose a serious threat to those organs. Wait till the worms get to the eyes, where they can cause partial or permanent blindness.

Signs your own pet may be worm-infected

It’s not easy to spot, to an untrained eye, outward symptoms of worm infection. If your dog or cat looks healthy and smug as always, it’s easy to attribute small chances in their appearance to anything but worms. Still, if you should notice excessive coughing, diarrhea, or a change in coat or appetite, you should bring your pet to your vet. Usually, a routine fecal test should be able to see the presence of worms. Just in case, be prepared to store some fresh stool samples from your pet.

Should worms be spotted, your vet will most likely recommended a deworming program for you to administer and follow. Listen to you vet when you are briefed about the current all wormer for dogs that are available today. This treatment is often only given once a month, so there’s no major change if your agenda if you’re a busy person. That’s convenient since some of them require prescriptions from a vet.

Granted there are some good all wormer for dogs in the market today, but there’s nothing that can compare to good old fashioned vigilance on your part and prevention via parasite infection preventives.

Pups and protecting your family from disease transmission

Nursing female dogs and cats - and their litters -  are a major source for the spread of eggs and larvae that can infect other pets and even humans. Puppies, kittens, and pregnant cats or dogs in the house is a warning sign. Contact your vet about a good deworming program for these, so you can reduce the risk of infection to your family. If you have kids and are worried about disease transmission, that’s enough reason to contact your vet and talk seriously about deworming your pet.

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