Whipworms: A Menace for Your Dogs and Cats

A case of whipworms is flat out and point blank nasty. Generally speaking, worm in cats and worms in dogs often lead to either immediate health problems or chronic health problems, and the only real preventative measures against this parasitic worm and its intrusion on your best pal’s life is the annual check up.

Dogs and cats who spend a great deal of time outside in enclosed areas are the most at risk for attracting these nasty little worms. Often dogs in particular are phenomenal at re-infesting themselves. If your dog has been treated for any type of parasitic worm, but still roams freely in the area that he uses for his toileting, chances are excellent that he will pick up another case. After all, cold, freezing rain, sleet, snow, desert heat, and drought do not seem to kill off these parasitic worms once they land in the ground via fecal matter.

Originally, dogs and cats pick up their infestation of whipworms from water or food sources loaded with eggs. The eggs can survive in almost any condition, including being churned around in stomach bile. Once they reach the intestinal tract, the eggs settle in for an incubation period and hatch with ferocious tenacity. While sapping your cat or dog of vital nutrients, the whipworm grows up into an adult and then completes her cycle by producing nearly 2000 new eggs every day. Granted, many of them are then defecated into the ground until your pet has a chance to pick them back up again. Thus, one infestation of whipworms presents a major health risk to either a cat or a dog.

Whipworm and heartworm are not the same type of parasitic worm. In fact, the only basic similarity they have with each other, other than being nasty, is that they are both parasitic worms. Heartworm is transferred by mosquitoes, infests the lining of the heart, and causes breathing and heart related problems as the cat or dog’s chest becomes continually compressed. Whipworm is ingested, infests the intestinal tract, causes digestive and digestion related problems, and can continually re-infest the same animal despite treatment. Whipworm also has the rare capability of infesting humans, although humans generally pick up a different type of whipworm.

Cats are not known for whipworm, but if severe diarrhea, lethargy, bloody stools, and a general look of scraggly unkemptness take hold of an otherwise healthy cat, whipworm testing for your feline friend is recommended. Otherwise, cats are usually not tested without prior exposure or specific request. Dogs, on the other hand, are prone to incidents of dog diarrhea, vomiting, and that scraggly and unkempt look due to many different factors. Whipworm testing should be part of the diagnostic process.

Parasitic worms of all kinds are dangerous to a pet’s health. In most cases, treatment options include deworming medication, and treatments for parasitic worms may have to be repeated multiple times before relief from the infestation is found. Whipworm makes animals very uncomfortable, as can the long term consequences of carrying around unchecked whipworm. In some cases, unchecked whipworm may even cause death. We all want our furry friends to be around for as long as possible, and getting them checked for parasitic worms is just part of a healthy routine.

Whipworms are real. Learn how to tell if your pets have whipworms