Trichuris vulpis

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This page quotes a published document. Everything below in quotation marks is copied word for word from https://capcvet.org/guidelines/trichuris-vulpis/, published by CAPC and retrieved on 2026-09-16. The quotations are excerpts; the document itself is linked and is the authority. Nothing has been reworded.

This page quotes the Companion Animal Parasite Council guideline for Trichuris vulpis, section by section: the opening sentences of 8 sections, copied without change and linked to the guideline, which was retrieved on 2026-09-16. The guideline itself is the authority and carries the full text.

The guideline

Companion Animal Parasite Council, Trichuris vulpis, at https://capcvet.org/guidelines/trichuris-vulpis-1/. Retrieved 2026-09-16. Each heading below is the guideline’s own, and the quotation under it is how that section begins. The full section, and the species tabs where the guideline gives them, are on the linked page.

Synopsis

CAPC Recommends CAPC recommends testing all dogs and cats for whipworms by fecal flotation with centrifugation . Fecal tests for specific parasite antigens and PCR have been optimized for use in companion animals and are also available to aid in identification of infection.

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Species

Canine Trichuris vulpis occurs in the dog, fox, and coyote. Feline Although feline whipworms occur in tropical areas, they appear to be rare in domestic cats in North America; putative whipworm eggs in feline fecal samples are more likely to be a capillarid other than Trichuris sp.

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Disease

Many canine whipworm infections are either asymptomatic or subclinical. Some infections result in hemorrhagic typhilitis or colitis characterized by diarrhea that is often streaked with mucus and fresh blood.

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Prevalence

Prevalence surveys confirm that T. vulpis occurs in dogs worldwide. Whipworms are found in as many as 14.3% of shelter dogs sampled in the U.S. and 10% of dogs presented to veterinary teaching hospitals.

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Diagnosis

CAPC recommends testing all dogs and cats for whipworms by fecal flotation with centrifugation . Fecal tests for specific parasite antigens and PCR have been optimized for use in companion animals and are also available for identification of infection.

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Treatment

The following anthelmintics are approved for treatment of T. vulpis infections in dogs: Drontal Plus® (febantel [25 mg/kg], pyrantel pamoate [5 mg/kg], and praziquantel [5 mg/kg]), single administration) (Elanco) Panacur® (fenbendazole [50 mg/kg]) for 3 consecutive days (Merck Animal Health) To achieve control, treatment can be administered once a month for 3 months.

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Control and Prevention

Control of T. vulpis can be achieved by use of an appropriate monthly broad-spectrum heartworm prevention products that also control whipworms (see Treatment). If unable to consistently administer a monthly preventive, then treat adult pets four times a year with an appropriate broad-spectrum anthelmintic with efficacy against internal parasites.

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Public Health Considerations

Although there are reports in the medical literature of human infections with T. vulpis , these reports lack sufficient validation to consider T. vulpis a zoonotic parasite at this time.

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Sources

  • capc-trichuris-vulpis-1CAPC · retrieved 2026-09-16
    CAPC Recommends CAPC recommends testing all dogs and cats for whipworms by fecal flotation with centrifugation . Fecal tests for specific parasite antigens and PCR (Synopsis)

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