Canine whipworm

This disease is caused by the parasitism of Trichocystis trichiura in the cecum of dogs. It occurs all over our country. This disease mainly harms puppies and can cause death in severe cases.

Pathogen and its life history

Trichocephala vulgaris is milky white in color. The front part is slender and filamentous, which is the esophagus, accounting for about 2/3 of the total length of the body. The rear part is the body, short and thick. The body length is 45 to 75 mm, the rear part of the female is blunt and straight, and the tail end of the male is curled. The eggs excreted in the feces will develop into infectious eggs in about 3 weeks under suitable conditions. After a dog ingests infective eggs, the larvae hatch in the intestine, burrow into the mucosa of the front of the small intestine, stay for 2 to 10 days, and then enter the cecum to develop into adult worms.

Key points for diagnosis of Trichuris canis

(1) Clinical symptoms: Generally, infection does not show clinical symptoms. In severe infections, acute or chronic enteritis can occur because the head of the parasite burrows deeply into the mucosa. Blood-sucking worms often cause anemia in sick dogs.
(2) Laboratory examination: The saturated salt water flotation method can be used to check for eggs in the feces.
(3) Postmortem autopsy: Canine worms (hundreds to thousands) can be found in the cecum.

Measures for the prevention and control of whipworm in dogs

(1) Deworming: Phenopyrimidine is a specific drug to get rid of whipworm. It is taken orally at 2 mg per kilogram of body weight, or mebendazole per kilogram of body weight. 100 mg orally, twice a day, for 3 to 5 days.
(2) Do a good job in cleaning and hygiene: Take advantage of the insect eggs’ sensitivity to dryness to keep the kennel clean and dry to reduce the chance of infection.