Dog owners, any experience with whip worm????

[ScreamingMeemie]

A friend of mine brought her new dog over. She picked him up from the Humane Society and he was supposed to be all checked, treated and neutered. Not so. He was over playing with Jessie in the front yard of our house the other day. He didn't go poop, but they were in pretty close contact. Is this a poop spread problem, or what? Any advice appreciated.

[bamademo]

1. Check this out

WHIP WORMS
The type of worm commonly known as the "whip worm" belongs to the genus TRICHURIUS, and is a common parasite both among humans and animals. This genus is composed of at least 60 separate species that primarily prey upon mammals, with some being more common than others.

Whipworms are named for their whip-like appearance, and are transmitted primarily through the ingestion of larvae and eggs on infected foods such as fruits and vegetables. The larvae, when ingested, migrate into the large intestine and the cecum where they fasten to the intestinal walls and feed upon the host's blood. In addition to eating larvae, the host may also have ingested the eggs of the whipworm, which will hatch in approximately 3 months if not completely expelled from the intestinal tract.

There are many symptoms that will indicate a whipworm infestation. The first of these signs is abdominal inflammation caused by the inflammation of the intestine. In addition to this, a mucus will be passed from the anus due to the increased mucoidal secretions produced by the injured intestines. An infestation will also most likely cause diahrrea, and in severe cases, intestinal adhesion to the abdominal cavity. These parasites are known to cause severe amenia, diahrrea, and dysentery in mammals. In addition to these problems, children with large infestations have been noted to become mentally retarded. As with many worm types, the species T. trichiura and T. vulpis are communicable to humans, so extreme care should be taken while handling infested animals.

Whipworms may be eliminated by the use of medication such as ParaCan

More...http://www.bodyfixer.com/whip.htm

[ScreamingMeemie]

6. Thank you very much. Lots of info there. I had never really heard of

it.

[Blue-Jay]

2. My dog

whips his worm out whenever I have company. He likes guests.

[radwriter0555]

4. I gotta dog like that... His name is Joe.

He does a thing we call "GI JOE", where he lays his lil back legs straight out, so his weinus has FULL contact with the desired rug or couch or blankie, then he pulls his lil self across said surface, with apparently pleasurable results. He smiles.

A lot.

He's a doxie chihuahua mix.

His name is Joe.

[HereSince1628]

3. Trichuris eggs take about 2 weeks to reach a stage that can infect

so you can reduce the risk by cleaning up any dog droppings quickly.

Dog whipworm and human whipworm belong to different species. Human infections with dog whipworm can happen but are not common even though the worm is fairly common.

So while you should take the clean up precautions, don't get overly excited.

BTW some people argue the LACK of exposure to parasites is one of the reasons that US citizens have so many allergic reactions...the theory says we have a "frustrated" immune response, so maybe the exposure of your child will ultimately reduce that risk (I'm looking for a silver lining in this).

[ScreamingMeemie]

5. Thank you for your input. I am going to take a wait and see stance.

Little Pip didn't go in our yard, and all poop was picked up yesterday anyway. Thanks again. Laura