Whipworm Eggs As Seen Through a Microscope

Whipworms

Whipworm eggs as seen through a microscope

Whipworms are one of the four main intestinal parasites that infect dogs. Whipworms are very small and reside in the cecum (the part of the large intestine where the small and large intestine meet). The “head: of this worm is very skinny while the reproductive end is more stout giving it a “whip-like” shape. These worms can not be seen with the naked eye so the only way to diagnose whipworms is by performing a fecal flotation. This is where feces is placed in a special solution that makes the eggs of intestinal parasites float. These eggs then adhere to a slide and can be viewed under a microscope. It is important to realize however that whipworms do not lay eggs daily so a negative fecal float may not mean your pet is truly negative for whipworms. For this reason it is often recommended to treat for whipworms even if none are seen when all of the other symptoms match.

Adult whipworm

Whipworms attach to the inside of the large intestine by biting and actually imbedding their “heads inside the tissue that lines it. Eggs are laid inside the large intestine and pass with stool of the infected animal. Once on the outside these eggs take 2-4 weeks to form into embryos that can now infect other animals. This means that usually fresh feces is not the problem when it comes to transmitting whipworms it is contaminated soil. The consumption of these whipworm embryos, usually during grooming infects new hosts. Once the embryo has arrives in the small intestine it hatches releasing a larva. This larva then dives into the glandular tissue and after about 1 week it is carried downstream to its home in the large intestine. It takes between 74-87 days for a whipworm egg matures to the point that it is ready to mate.

Symptoms of a whipworm infection often include diarrhea, which can become bloody or mucousy. This diarrhea often becomes chronic and hard to control. Whipworms are not quite as easy to treat as roundworms or hookworms. Treatment of whipworms consists of giving a dewormer that treats these worms and then repeating it at 3 weeks and again at 3 months following initial dose. The most commonly used dewormers used for whipworms are Panacur and Drontal Plus. Panacur is a product that comes in either a liquid or a powder to be sprinkled over food for 3 days. Drontal is a tablet that is given once. Both products must be repeated at the proper schedule to eliminate the whipworm infection in dogs.

Luckily it is much easier to prevent whipworms by using heartworm preventions such as Interceptor and Advantage Multi. Both of these products prevent whipworms and dogs with a previous history of whipworms are recommended to stay on one of these two preventions. Interceptor is a monthly tablet that prevents heartworm, roundworm, hookworm, and whipworm. Advantage Multi is a once a month topical product that controls all of the parasites covered by Interceptor along with controlling fleas.