Whipworm, an intestinal parasite that may not be well-known to the public, is ranked as the four major intestinal parasites along with roundworms, tapeworms and hookworms. Compared with the other three, the whipworm looks particularly petite, usually only 3-5 cm long. The head (digestive end) of the whipworm is smaller, while the tail (reproductive end) is thicker. Its shaped like a whip makes it have such an image name.
Whipworms often parasites in the cecum and are a common intestinal parasite. Compared with other intestinal parasites, whipworms have less impact on cats, while dogs are their main targets of infection. Worryingly, this parasite can also infect humans. So, how do whipworms infect pets? The life history of whipworms is full of mystery and danger. Its eggs will be excreted to the external environment with the host's feces. After 2-4 weeks of hatching, these eggs will develop and mature. During this period, if the dog accidentally eats food containing mature whipworm eggs or comes into contact with contaminated soil, it may cause infection. Once infected, these larvae hatch in the small intestine, and some larvae enter local gland tissue. After about a week, these larvae will return to the small intestine again, entering the large intestine with the food. After reaching the cecum or large intestine, the larvae are embedded in the tissue and are permanently parasitized there. After 74-87 days of development, mature whipworms can mated and discharge new eggs to start a new life cycle.
The symptoms of whipworm infection may be diverse. Many dogs do not show any obvious symptoms after being infected with whipworms. However, some dogs may experience hemorrhagic diarrhea, which is manifested as diarrhea accompanied by mucus and fresh blood. In severe cases of infection, it may lead to serious symptoms such as weight loss, dehydration, anemia, and even in extreme cases may lead to death.
For whether a dog is infected with whipworm, we need to use fecal testing to diagnose it. However, since female whipworms lay eggs only during a specific breeding cycle, even if the dog is already infected with whipworms, the whipworm egg test in the feces sample may be negative. Therefore, if the dog has obvious symptoms of whipworm infection, even if the feces test result is negative, it should be highly suspected that it is whipworm infection.
Treatment of whipworm infection is not easy. Since many common broad-spectrum anti-worming drugs are ineffective against whipworms, we must choose specialized anti-worming drugs to fight this parasite. Common main ingredients of therapeutic drugs include: fenbendazole, compound ingredients of phenylthiguanide, pyramidine bishydroxynaphthiate, and pyraziquantel. In addition, Mirbexime is often used to prevent infection of whipworms and some other parasites.
Because the whipworm has a long maturity period, it is often necessary to deworm again 75 days after the initial deworming. Because the two deworming intervals are longer, many pet owners may forget, and sometimes doctors recommend adding once between deworming to better control the number of whipworms.
How to prevent whipworm infection? Since whipworm eggs are very likely to contaminate the soil environment, it becomes very difficult to simply control whipworm infection through environmental disinfection. However, the good news is that it takes 2-4 weeks for the whip eggs to mature and be discharged from the body. This means that cleaning pet feces in time can prevent these immature eggs from maturing and contaminating the environment. It is generally recommended to perform 4 fecal whip egg tests within the first year after the dog is born, and one or two times a year afterwards.