Worms those hideous things that may cause untold heartache to your Border Collie puppy or family dog or your family.

When your Border Collie puppy comes home it should have been wormed at least four times already. Your breeder should have given you a worming schedule that sets out when to worm your puppy. We worm our puppies every two weeks from 2 weeks of age.

When you bring a 8 week old puppy home, your puppy should be wormed again every 2 weeks up to the age of 3 months old.

Your Border Collie puppy should be free of worms at the time of receipt, but you need to keep up a regular worming schedule to ensure there is no re-infestation.

We usually re-worm our dogs every 3 months all year round, we base this on the change of seasons, change of parasites etc so you cover all bases.

Signs your Puppy has Worms

Your Border Collie puppy relies on you for its total care so you must become adept at knowing the symptoms of a worm infestation. Common symptoms include:

• Worms or eggs in your pup’s droppings. Check your pup’s droppings for worms regularly but be aware that not all types of worms will show up.

• Worms in the coat or around your puppy’s ears. Tapeworms commonly manifest in this way and look like tiny moving segments.

• Puppy scratching or rubbing its behind on the ground. If your Border Collie puppy is itchy in this area it could be caused by worms.

• Vomit that has worms in it.

• Diarrhea that may be bloody.

• Constant hunger or unexplained loss of weight. Worms steal the food you feed your puppy so it will be in a constant state of hunger, and in severe cases may lose weight.

• A bloated or extended belly.

• Sometimes pale gums may mean that they have worms.

What are Worms?

Around four out of five dogs carry intestinal worms. Worm infestations can make your Border Collie puppy sick and, some types of worms, can transfer to humans putting your family health at risk. So what are the different types of worms and how do they infest your puppy?

Hookworms

Hookworms can reach up to 19 cm long and dogs either ingest them from the ground or they enter through the skin on the paws and legs. A dam that has hookworms can transfer them to their puppies through their milk.

Symptoms of a hookworm infestation include black, sticky diarrhea, lethargy, a bloated tummy, loss of weight, lack of appetite and dehydration.

Roundworms

Roundworms reach up to 19 cm long and they are either ingested, or transferred from the dam’s milk or through the placenta.

Symptoms of roundworm infestation include a dull, lifeless coat, vomiting, coughing, pneumonia, a swollen tummy, and a bowel obstruction. If left untreated your puppy can die.

Whipworms

Whipworms reach up to 7 cm long and are ingested only.

Symptoms of whipworm infestation include pale gums and eyelids, weight loss, smelly diarrhea with blood in it, tummy pain and dehydration. A whipworm infestation can kill puppies if left untreated but is less serious in adult dogs.

Common Flea Tapeworm

Common flea tapeworms reach up to 50 cm long and are ingested from infected fleas.

If your Border Collie puppy is itchy around its rear area it may have a flea tapeworm infestation. These are not a major health risk to your dog.

Hydatid Tapeworms

Hydatid tapeworms grow up to 7 mm long and picked up wherever dogs come into contact with foxes, sheep and kangaroos.

There are no obvious symptoms if your dog is infested with this worm, but it can be fatal if passed onto humans. The hydatid tapeworm can infect humans by ingesting eggs from the dog’s coat.

Controlling Worms in your Puppy’s Environment

To control worms in your Border Collie pup make sure you follow a regular worming regime. Your dog’s environment is also important, so:

• pick up all faeces from your yard and dispose of it

• keep sleeping areas and kennels clean

• always wash your own hands before eating or handling food

• follow a complete worming program

• Each rainy season we usually scatter hydrated lime (builders lime) throughout the entire house yard

It is easy to keep your puppy healthy if you follow these simple guidelines.

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