How to Prevent Ascarids in Dogs
To prevent ascarids in dogs, get an over-the-counter deworming medication that specifies it's for ascarids on the packaging. Make sure to read the label to check that the medication is suitable for the age and weight of your dog. If you need help choosing a medication, ask your vet for their advice. When you have the medication, follow the dosing directions and give it to your dog. Once you've dewormed your dog, remember to continue doing so regularly, or 2 to 4 times a year for adult dogs.
Find the proper deworming medication for your dog. Feel free to ask your vet for suggestions. There are a huge number of effective worming products available on the market. Key to worming success is checking the package to see exactly which parasites the product is effective against. You are looking for effectiveness against ascarids species, including toxocara and toxascaris. Deworming medications can be taken orally or applied topically. The oral medications can come in pill, liquid, or granule forms. The topical medications usually come in liquid form and are applied directly to the skin. Some of the more old-fashioned wormers, such as piperazine, are effective but can cause extreme muscular contractions of the gut, which causes belly ache. Not all products are safe for all ages of puppy, so always read the small print very carefully to check your dog falls within the recommended age and weight. If in doubt, Panacur (fenbendazole) is both safe and gentle, and suitable for puppies from two weeks of age. However, always take care to dose accurately by weighing the puppy before hand. Follow the directions. Always follow the dosing frequency and whether the medication should be given with food or on an empty stomach. For example, Panacur should always be given with food in order to increase its absorption into the bloodstream. Although dewormers taken orally can come in liquid, granule, or pill form, they are usually all mixed with your pet's food. Get your dog regularly dewormed. How often worming takes place depends on the age of the dog and the results of fecal tests to show whether infection is still present. Adults dogs should be dewormed monthly with fecal checks 2 - 4 times a year to check the effectiveness of the product used. Puppies should start deworming treatment from 2 weeks of age with Panacur (which is safe at this age), and repeated every two weeks until the puppy is old enough to use a spot-on product that is efficacious for one month (at around 8 weeks of age). Once a sustained, slow release spot on product is used, then monthly application suffices. Take extra care with dogs that have more potential exposure. A dog that hunts and eats rabbits or mice is at increased risk of infecting itself. Likewise, earthworms can acquire infection when burrowing through contaminated soil. It is therefore essential that dogs that eat these types of creatures are wormed monthly in order to decrease the risk of egg shedding. When the ascarids encounter a non-host species, such as rabbits, the eggs hatch and develop into larvae. The larvae then migrate through this intermediate hosts tissue and embed in their body tissue. When a dog then eats the intermediate host, they also eat the embedded larvae. The larvae then hatches out and develops into adult worms in the dog's gut, starting the cycle all over again. Learn about transmission. Ascarids are parasites with a complex life cycle that is perfectly adapted to infecting new dogs and therefore spreading infection. Preventing ascarid infection involves interrupting the parasites life cycle and preventing contamination of the environment. To understand how to prevent ascarid infections in the dog it helps to understand how ascarids are transmitted from dog to dog. A dog can become infected in the following ways: Ingestion of eggs contaminating the environment. Ingestion of larvae via the mother's milk or infection in the womb when larvae cross the placenta from mother to pups. Eating an intermediate host that is infected with roundworms. Pick up dog feces immediately. The adult worms live in the dog's gut. As the adults mature they release eggs which pass out in the dog's feces and contaminate the environment. These eggs can be ingested by other animals (such as children playing in contaminated soil) or wildlife such as rabbits. This is why it's essential that dog owners pick up their dog's dropping and dispose of them responsibly in approved bins. Unfortunately ascaris eggs are tough and can survive in the environment for years. Thus, it is best to stop the contamination from happening in the first instance. Wash your hands after being in an area where dogs go to the bathroom. Most ascarid eggs are resistant to disinfectants and so washing down the soil is an ineffective means of cleaning up. An added problem is that it takes 2 - 4 weeks from an egg being passed in feces until it becomes infectious. While this is good news because it means fresh dog mess is less of a risk to children, it is also a problem because eggs may have been left behind while there no visible trace of the original contamination. This emphasizes the importance of personal hygiene and teaching children to always wash their hands before eating or putting their fingers in their mouth. Try to limit the spread from mother to pup. Pregnancy can activate larvae in the mother's body tissue. The larvae can then mobilize and cross the placenta to the pup. Treating the pregnant dog with panacur (fenbendazole) from day 40 of pregnancy to 2 days post birth can greatly eliminate this larval shedding and decrease transfer to the puppies. This is best done under veterinary supervision who can advise you about the correct dose for your dog's pre-pregnant weight. In addition, ascarid infection can be passed to the pup in the mother's milk. Isolate dogs that are infected. If you know your dog has roundworms then you should keep it away from other dogs. Be sure to pick up its feces immediately and don't allow it to go to the bathroom in areas that are accessible to other dogs. It is your responsibility to help keep the infection from continuing to spread. If a dog has abdominal swelling, abnormal feces, lethargy, or is vomiting frequently, it may have a roundworm infection. Get it checked out by a vet as soon as possible and keep it away from other dogs. 
Find the proper deworming medication for your dog. Follow the directions. Get your dog regularly dewormed. Take extra care with dogs that have more potential exposure. Learn about transmission. Pick up dog feces immediately. Wash your hands after being in an area where dogs go to the bathroom. Try to limit the spread from mother to pup. Isolate dogs that are infected. 