What’s Eating Your Pointer?

Most Pointer owners have probably run into the all-too-common problem of external parasites like fleas or ticks on their dogs. Many Pointers, especially dogs used for hunting, spend lots of time outdoors, so fleas and ticks might be more common on Pointers than some other dogs. But these pesky parasites might not be the only things using your Pointer as their source of food.

Your Pointer might be suffering from an infestation of other, less obvious parasites. Roundworms, hookworms, tapeworms and heartworms are some of the more common internal parasites that can afflict dogs.

Fortunately, all these parasitic problems can be detected and, if necessary, dealt with by your vet. It’s easy to diagnose a flea or tick infestation because they can be seen on your dog’s skin with the naked eye (one of the advantages of your Pointer’s short coat). It’s a different story with internal parasites, however. Detecting roundworms, hookworms and tapeworms (all of which live in a dog’s intestines) requires what vets call a “fecal examination” – a microscopic examination of your Pointer’s stool, looking for the presence of adult worms or their eggs. Diagnosing heartworms, on the other hand, involves a microscopic evaluation of your dog’s blood, because these insidious parasites live within a dog’s bloodstream, including the pulmonary arteries and inside the chambers of the heart.

The presence of any type of parasite can sap your Pointer’s strength. Fleas and ticks feed on your dog’s blood, while intestinal worms absorb nutrients from your Pointer’s digestive tract. An advanced infestation of heartworms can be life-threatening because of the way it impacts a dog’s cardiopulmonary system.

Parasites can be treated, but as with almost any health condition, prevention is much better than a cure. Remember to take your Pointer to the vet on a regular basis to head off potential problems.