Whipworms

Another of the common intestinal parasites are whipworms. These are slightly different from hookworms and roundworms in that they live in the large intestines (particularly the cecum) versus the small intestine. Like the other worms, pets pick up eggs in the environment which travel to the stomach, through the small intestine, and into the large intestine. It can take a long time from ingestion of the egg to maturation of the adult worm (75 days) when it can lay eggs of its own. After eggs are passed into the environment in the feces it takes 2-4 weeks for them to become infective, so early pick up of the feces can help prevent reinfection in affected animals.

The adult worms imbed deep into the intestine wall, so with heavy infestations you can see some major problems including chronic diarrhea, blood in the stool, weight loss, and on occasion a syndrome that mimics Addison's disease. That is why annual stool checks for parasites are important.

If whipworms are found, then your pet should be dewormed. Not all dewormers treat whipworms, so it is important to treat with the right kind of dewormer (typically Panacur). Because the whipworm take so long to mature and the dewormers typically only kill the adult worm and not larval stages, deworming multiple times at 3 weeks and 3 months is recommended. It is also recommended to continue on a heartworm prevention that also prevents whipworms (Interceptor) as the eggs persist in the environement for years and reinfection is always possible.

The one good point about whipworms is that they are not readily transmitted to humans, so you do not have to worry about picking up these parasites yourself. Coming up next are tapeworms.