We continue to explore the severe effects of parasites on our pets, and today, we will be looking at whip worms as parasites. Whipworms are parasites of the intestine that are 6mm long. They live in the cecum, a pouch that forms in the first part of the large intestine. They cause serious irritation to the intestinal lining. Whipworm infection leads to weight loss, general debilitation, and bloody diarrhea.
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Whipworms normally pass microscopic eggs through their stool, these eggs are often resistant to heat and drying, which makes them able to remain alive for five years. Once these eggs are laid, they mature into an inefective stage, and can then re-infect the dog within 10-60 days. The mature eggs gets swallowed by the dog, hatch, and then mature into adult hod in the lower intestinal tract, this makes the life cycle complete.
Whipworm is scientifically called, Trichuris Vulpis, it is a type of intestinal parasite that has almost unrestricted access to dogs. It takes 74-90 days from the time of parasitic infection to the production of whipworm eggs by female parasites. This duration is important because it impacts how the parasite is treated, and if treatment fails to cover the reproductive cycle of the parasite, it will be difficult for the infection to get cleared.
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The life cycle of whipworms is in three stages; at the first stage, the whipworm gets released from the stool of an infected dog into the environment. For a period of 9-21 days, the eggs mature into an infective stage, maturation process gets impacted by the moisture and temperature of the soil, these eggs can survive well in the environment for years.
The second stage has the eggs ingested into your dog, the larvae hatch from the eggs and attach themselves to the walls of the intestine where they stays for around 2-10 days and keeps developing until they move to a different part of the intestinal tract.
In the third stage, the adult worm stays in the colon area or cecum or colon area of the intestine where it consumes fluids, tissues, blood, and mucosal lining. The female worm can produce over 2,000 eggs in a day, taking about 70-90 days to do so. The immature eggs are released through the dog's feces, and from there, the life cycle continues. If ineffective whipworm eggs are infested from the soil by a dog, it can become infected too.
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Sometimes, a dog that has whipworm may not even show clinical signs at first, but as the number of worms increases, there is a higher chance for inflammation and hemorrhage into the colon and cecum. Some signs that pets show when they are infected with whipworm are; dehydration, anemia, weight loss, electrolyte imbalance, and diarrhea.
Some medications can help with treating whipworm, but it is very frustrating that reinfection can happen over and over, so treatment has to be continued within 3-4 months after symptoms disappear. Even before the infection happens, there are preventive medications that can be taken to avoid the drama. The infection is less common now, and we can attribute this to the available preventive medications and treatment options too.
As a pet owner, make it a habit to pick up feces appropriately, have a covered sandbox, and de-worm your animals consistently. The symptoms of whipworms in dogs could also signify the presence of a more serious health condition, and the help of a veterinarian is required highly.
todaysveterinarypractice.com/parasitology
