There is hardly a puppy born that is not already infected with intestinal worms
 - especially roundworms, hookworms, whipworms or tapeworms. Your vet will
also check it for heartworm.

Roundworm
Roundworm causes general ill helath in all dogs but especially in puppies and 
is a very common cause of ilness if left untreated. Puppies need to be wormed
every two weeks from 2-16 weeks and then every three month for the rest 
of its life.  Puppies get infrected by their mother.

Many dogs catch roundworm  by taking in eggs that are on the ground - when
sniffing or eating the faeces of an infected dof or eatin food that has been
dragged acrosss soiled ground. Typical symptons of roundworm are 
constipation or diarrhoea, failure to grow and a swollen belly.

Hookworm
These small worms attach themselves to the wall of the dog's small intestine. 
Puppies with hookworm can die from the loss of blood. If your dog has this
worm, it will show signs of weakness and there will be black specks of blood in 
its faeces. As with the Roundworm, Hookworm eggs are picked up from the 
ground and migrate internally into the blood system.

Whipworm
This worm lives in a dog's lower bowel and creates intense irritation and 
ulceration. Most infected dogs suffer from chronic diarrhoea which is often
bloody, lose with and develop a poor, scruffy coat. The eggs passes in the 
faeces remain viable for many months. As whipworms lay millions of eggs, a 
build up in the environment is inevitable. Specific wormers are necessary and 
veterinary advice as to the type of worming preparation used is essential.

Tapeworm
There are many types of tapeworm that can affect your dog but the most
common are flea tapeworm adn hydatid tapeworm. Flea tapeworm lives in the 
intestine of an untreated dog causing general ill health and lack of energy. It 
is called a flea tapeworm because its eggs live inside the stomach of a flea and
dogs become infected when they chew themselves and swallow the flea.

You may be able to see the worm on your dog's faeces - it may look like 
white string or grains of rice - or you will notice your dog dragging its
backside on the ground. Hydatid tapeworm is most likely to infect working 
dogs that have access to dead livestock. As Hydatid tapeworm can cause severe
disease in people, dogs on farms or that have access to offal or dead livestock 
should be treated frequently.

Heartworm
Your dog can only get heartworm from a mosquito bite. The mosquito injects
heartworm larvae into the dog and thses larvae mature in its heart. Dogs with
heartworm show signs of liver and lung disease and heart failure. They will be 
very tired, won't want to go for walks, will pant a lot and will develop a deep 
sough. They may also develop a large floppy tummy and hardly want to move 
at all. If your dog has heartworm it will need hospitalisation and a series of 
injection over several days. It will also need ongoing medication.

Your dog's heartworm preventative program should begin at 12 weeks and 
continue for life. Dogs over 6 months that have not been treated will need to 
have a blood test to ensure they do not already have the heartworm
before comencing a prevention program.