One thing that no pet owner wants to think about is the nasty subject of parasites – or even worse, your pet passing on a parasite to your child. Because of their diet and inclination to eat things they find, dogs are a lot more succesptible to picking up parasites such as worms. This is why responsible pet owners give their dogs a worming treatment. A dog’s health and happiness will be severely compromised if he picks up worms and the ramifications of parasites being transmitted to members of the family are extremely unpleasant.

It is uncommon, but it is not unheard of for a dog to transmit a parasite to a member of the family. With proper precautions, this can be avoided.

What are parasites?

Parasites are organisms that live on a ‘host’. They attach themselves to a host either externally (fleas, ticks) or internally (worms) and feed off the host either by intercepting food inside the body or by sucking blood. Parasites can move from host to host, causing illness, weight loss, sight loss and in extreme cases, fatality. In domestic pets such as cats and dogs, worms are the biggest concern.

What are parasitic worms?

Parasitic worms live inside of their host, normally in the digestive or respiratory system. Common parasit worms in dogs include tape worm, ring worm, round worm, whip worm and heart worm. Each are different physically and have differing effects on their host. They are normally picked up through spoiled or uncooked meat, faeces, carcasses or by contact with other animals carrying parasites.

How do you know if your dogs has worms?

• Weight loss
• Dull coat
• Worms in the stool
• ‘Scooting’ or other signs of discomfort around the back passage

Unfortunately, children can pick up parasites. Children can get infected when your pet dog licks their faces and transfers the larvae through the mouth or even in the pores of their skin. Children and dogs are often inseparable and sometimes the contact may be too close.

Fleas can also get into their fingernails and travel all the way around and all throughout their bodies. The worse thing is, sometimes, you can’t find any symptoms that are identifiable to the naked eye.

Look out for signs of itchiness, irritation, weight loss, and general malaise in your children and always ensure that your pet is treated for parasites.

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Kids are affectionate and love to cuddle and play with the family pet. This close contact could be all it takes for a parasite to move from your dog to your son or daughter.

So it’s important to make sure that your dog isn’t carrying anything that can be picked up by your children. Parasites are more common in dogs than humans due to the fact that we live fairly clean lives and cook our meat. Dogs will happily eat something from the floor or bin given half a chance. Normally this isn’t a problem, but when they come into contact with spoiled meat or the faeces of other dogs (which always causes curiosity in dogs) – the risks of parasitic infestation becomes higher.

However, by preventing parasitic infestation in your dog you are not only protecting him, but you are protecting your family too, especially your children.

How do I protect against parasites?

• By giving your dog a worming treatment, especially if he’s a puppy
• By keeping worming treatments up to date
• By being vigilant and knowing the signs of infestation
• By keeping your pet and your home clean
• By giving your dog an anti flea treatment

Protecting against parasites is a part of any responsible pet owners routine. It doesn’t cost a lot and takes hardly any time at all. Most treatments can be mixed in with a dog’s food so he’ll never know that he’s taken his medicine – and the peace of mind from preventing parasites from invading your family is invaluable.

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