Worm prevention in dogs

JUST some of the precautions that can and should be taken to protect your dogs against worms:

• Remove the faces daily from the dog’s environment, burn or wrap securely and place in the rubbish bin.
• Wash the dog thoroughly and groom it regularly to minimise accumulation of worm eggs in the dog’s coat.
• Clip the hair away from the anus of longhaired dogs to minimise contamination of the hair with faeces and worm eggs.
• Avoid crowding too many dogs in one area. Overcrowding results in heavy contamination of the environment with worm eggs, greatly increasing the risk of infection and reinfection.
• Keep your dogs flea-free. Fleas play a part in the tapeworm lifecycle.
• Restrict your hunting drive and eradicate rodents. This will help to prevent hook and round worm infection.
• Roundworm and hookworm eggs can survive for long periods in moist, warm surroundings. In a breeding or boarding establishment, runs with a concrete base that can be thoroughly cleaned and kept as dry as possible will help to prevent infection or reinfection.