Football season may be over, but these parasites continue the game all year long. Whipworms is a common intestinal parasite found in this and many areas. Their eggs have a distinct football shape and once they are diagnosed, they can continue to blitz your dog’s environment with eggs.
Your dog can become infected by ingesting eggs from the environment, often during grooming. The eggs are eliminated from the body through their feces. If contaminated feces is not removed quickly, these pesky eggs and leach into the soil and become a chronic problem for your dog or any dog that enters the environment. Whipworm can take 74-90 days to actually become an adult in the body. Once an adult, a female Whipworm can produce more than 2,000 eggs per day. You dog can become very ill from Whipworm infection.
To keep your dog protected from Whipworm, you need a good offense line. Many monthly heartworm preventions now help protect your dog and keep those pesky footballs out of your dog’s playing field. You should have a fecal sample examined by your veterinarian at least every 6 months or whenever your dog is having any diarrhea.
Whipworms are treatable, so don’t call a time out if your dog is diagnosed with Whipworms. Also, you cannot become infected with Whipworms from your dog.
Brittany Jones
Veterinary Assistant, Animal MD Veterinary Clinic
Stress in our feline friends.