Toksokaroz - a parasitic disease caused in dogs with round worms - toksokarami. In dogs, jackals, foxes, the specific parasite Toxocara canis causes infection. It is parasitic in the small intestine of carnivores, including humans. Infection is a threat to the owner of the dog. Contacting the animal's fur, it can become infected with toxocarosis.
Content
- Пути заражения и описание возбудителя 1. Ways of infection and description of the pathogen
- Симптомы и признаки заражения 2. Symptoms and signs of infection
- Методы диагностики патологии 3. Methods of diagnosis of pathology
- Терапия заболевания 4. Disease therapy
Ways of infection and description of the pathogen
Dogs can become infected by eating the feces of other animals, which contain eggs of worms, while hunting and eating intermediate tokocar hosts - mice, rats, birds. Infection can occur through the transplacental route and through the milk of a nursing bitch. 
Eggs, falling into the mouth of the dog, are transported to the digestive system, where the full cycle of the development of worms passes. But a small part of the active larvae, on the 8th day of development, penetrates into the intestinal mucosa and with lymph flow enters the adjacent lymph nodes, from them into the liver, heart, and lungs.
The larvae that have fallen into other organs cease to develop and can exist for a long time in an encapsulated state. They are activated in certain conditions, such as during pregnancy. Through the placenta, invasion of the fetus occurs. In the dog's organs, the larvae can be viable for more than 385 days from the moment of infection. Migratory larvae are found in all organs of an infected dog.
Eggs covered with a dense cellular coat can be in the environment for a long time - in water, in soil. Once in the body of an animal, a larva hatches out of an egg, armed with hooks, with the help of which it perforates the walls of blood vessels and tissue of organs. According to epidemiological studies, toxocarosis occurs in 56% of stray dogs. But parasites are also found in pets. They were found in 15-16% of domestic dogs.
Symptoms and signs of infection
The severity of symptoms depends on the age and level of immunity of the dog. With a high degree of infection in the dog, pancreatic ducts, bile ducts, intestinal lumen can become blocked. A large mass of worms can lead to rupture of the walls of organs and cause peritonitis. In the tissues, helminths cause hemorrhages, inflammation and necrosis. Violations are caused by mechanical, toxic, antigenic, trophic activity of the migrating helminth larvae.
Migrating larvae destroy the intestinal mucosa and vascular endothelium. Toxins and waste products of worms cause allergic reactions. They manifest as alopecia, skin dermatosis, eczema. The dog is very itchy and combs the skin to the blood. If the number of worms is small, then the disease is asymptomatic. With a significant number of worms in dogs, the following symptoms occur:
- distortion of food preferences;
- indigestion disorder - impaired defecation, vomiting, toxocar larvae are found in vomitus;
- anemia, general weakness;
- puppies are stunted in growth and development;
- cough, nasal discharge;
- dyspnea;
- increase in the abdomen.
Clinical studies have been conducted, which showed that the group at risk of infection with toxocars are young animals whose age is younger than 1 year. In puppies up to half a year, toxocarosis was detected in 85%, at the age of 9-12 months, the disease was found in 46% of animals. With age, the probability of infection decreases. In dogs older than 3 years, toxocariasis is rare (11%).
Due to the fact that with a high degree of infection, the symptoms of the disease are often masked by other symptoms, differential diagnosis is of great importance for an accurate diagnosis.
Methods for diagnosing pathology
Diagnostic study includes:
- analysis of feces on the eggs of worms;
- enzyme immunoassay;
- blood and urine test.
Sometimes it is necessary to conduct an ultrasound of the abdominal and chest cavity. The results obtained during the examination, allow you to identify the infection and determine the type of helminth.
Disease therapy
For the treatment of toxocariasis in dogs, antihelmintic drugs are used:
- Piperazine;
- Nilverm;
- Pyrantel;
- Mebendazole;
- Fencourt;
- Fenbendazole;
- Drontal plus;
- Caniverm.
After a course of deworming, a dog can be given a 10% propolis tincture to regenerate mucous membranes and increase immunity. Studies on the treatment of puppies with a larval form of toxocariasis have shown that the use of the drug Bars Spot-on, containing the ivermectin complex with praziquantel, completely releases dogs from worms after a week of treatment. 
For the treatment of puppies at the age of 2 weeks with the intrauterine form of helminthiasis, use drugs Drontal Junior and Fenbendazol, which have low toxicity. To get rid of puppy hair and nursing females from worms eggs use Stronghold drops, which have anti-parasitic effects.
In accordance with the symptoms, prescribe symptomatic treatment. For the prevention of helminthiasis with the captive content of dogs, veterinarians suggest de-worming puppies from 2 weeks to 3 months of age, with an interval between courses of 2 weeks.
Antiparasitic measures are recommended for 45 days in pregnant bitches and two weeks after puppies are born. Proper therapy and prevention of toxocariasis in dogs is of great importance for reducing the risk of infection of the dog’s owners and successful treatment of the animal.