WORMS! The word itself conjures up an unpleasant thought in most of us. But they can actually be life-threatening to your dog. There are two basic types of worms that are of concern: the enteric (or "digestive") worms, and the heartworms.

Enteric Worms

These worms live much of their life cycle in the digestive tract of the dog. They can deprive him of vital nutrients, and in sufficient quantity, can cause intestinal blockage and death. Roundworms are quite common, but can be prevented with a monthly dose of "Program" or "Sentinel." (see also: Fleas) Tapeworms are also common, and quite interesting: they are dependent upon the flea for thier existance! Often, you will see what appear to be moving "rice grains" in the dog's stool; these are worm segments. They crawl up to the tail area, and become dried "flea food." The fleas eat them, then the dog eats the flea. The eggs in the dead flea's stomach hatch in the gut and infest the animal. There are medicaions available from your Vet to kill the adult tapeworm, but flea control is vital to prevent recurrence.

Heartworms

There is presnetly NO area of the United States that is free of heartworms. These worms invade the great vessels, and can cause heart failure, pulmonary embolism, and death. EVERY DOG SHOULD BE TESTED AND TREATED FOR HEARTWORMS. PERIOD! The microfilarae, or "baby worms," are spread by the bite of a mosquito, and a single bite may be sufficient to infect a healthy animal. Once a dog is infected, there are (expensive) treatments available from your Vet that will eliminate the parasite, and they are not without risk. But truly, there should be no need for this, if we all had our dogs on the proper preventative medications - every month - as prescribed by our Vet. We use "Sentinel" for our Labs, as it controls fleas, enteric worms, and heartworms, with one monthly dose. A word of caution: NEVER give "heartworm pills" to your dog unless he has been tested and cleared by his Vet: Administration of these drugs to animals that have active hearworm disease is often FATAL, as the rapidly killed large worms can cause pulmonary embolism.