Intestinal parasites are among the most common problems in puppies, and several of them can infect people. The exam expects you to know where each parasite lives, how puppies get it, what its egg looks like, which drug kills it, and how the Companion Animal Parasite Council (CAPC) says to prevent it. This guide follows the current CAPC guidelines for every drug, dose and schedule.
Key facts
Parasites (internal, gastrointestinal) at a glance- Species and system: dogs; small intestine, cecum and colon.
- Main parasites: ascarids (Toxocara canis), hookworms (Ancylostoma caninum), whipworms (Trichuris vulpis), tapeworms (Dipylidium, Taenia, Echinococcus), Strongyloides, Giardia and Cystoisospora.
- Classic presentations: pot-bellied, unthrifty puppy (ascarids); pale puppy with melena (hookworms); large-bowel diarrhea with fresh blood (whipworms); "rice grains" at the anus (tapeworms).
- Diagnosis: centrifugal fecal flotation, plus fecal antigen or PCR; passive flotation is not recommended.
- Prevention: deworm puppies from 2 weeks of age, then year-round monthly broad-spectrum control.
- Zoonotic: Toxocara (visceral, ocular and neural larva migrans), hookworms (cutaneous larva migrans), Echinococcus, Strongyloides, Dipylidium; some Giardia assemblages. Not zoonotic: Trichuris vulpis and canine Cystoisospora.
What's inside
12 sections in the full guide- Key facts
- How the NAVLE tests this
- Cause and pathophysiology
- Clinical signs
- Diagnosis
- Differential diagnoses
- Treatment and management
- Prevention, control and public health
- Prognosis
- Quick review
- Test yourself
- References
The full guide also has 5 tables, 3 figures, 3 self-test questions and 17 references, available to NAVLE members.
Read the full study guide
The full guide is part of every NAVLE plan, with diagnosis and treatment tables, figures, a quick review and self-test questions. Start a free trial to try the question bank, or log in if you are already a member.