NEMATODA 201 



The administration of a tseniafuge should be preceded by a 

 purgative and a twenty-four hour fast. Many preparations 

 have been employed with good results, but male fern is 

 probably one of the most reliable. The oleoresin (small dogs, 

 0.5-1.0; large dogs, 2.0-5.0; cats, 0.2-0.5) may be used. An 

 excellent mode of administration is to mix it with a dose of 

 castor oil. The purgative action of the oil assists in the 

 evacuation of the parasites. Kamala (dogs, 3.0-10.0; cats, 

 1.0-4.0) is good; it also produces a purgative action. Areca 

 nut powder is often used and is given in doses of two grains 

 per pound weight of the animal. It may be given with 

 soup, ordinary food or milk, after the bowels have been 

 emptied by a purgative. Areca nut powder may be repeated 

 in a few days. Rabbits may be given kamala (0.5-1.0) in 

 the feed. Birds are best treated for taeniasis by mixing areca 

 nut powder (chickens, 2.0; geese, 4.0; young chickens, 1.0) 

 with the feed. Oil of anise is also good, and can be adminis- 

 tered in 0.9-1.0 doses to adult birds. 



NEMATODA. 



Round Worms.— Ascaridce.— Round worms are quite com- 

 mon in dogs and cats, especially in puppies and kittens two 

 or three months old. Fully 50 per cent, are infested. In one 

 animal ten to thirty parasites are usually present; eighty were 

 found in one subject. 



Round worms do not require an intermediate host to com- 

 plete their life cycle as do the taeniae. The ova deposited by 

 the adult worm with the feces are passed out, and in warm, 

 damp ground or in other suitable places undergo certain 

 changes, leading to the formation of embryos. Such changes 

 may occupy a few days to several weeks, depending upon 

 the conditions of moisture and temperature. The embryos 

 when ingested by their particular host, rapidly develop into 

 the adult parasite. Puppies and kittens become infested 

 as soon as they begin nursing, provided these parasites are 

 present in the mother or other animals in the kennel. The 

 adult worms pass continuously a large number of ova, and 

 embryos are present in infested soil which adhere to the 



