Dog Intestinal Worms and Other Parasites

It sounds pretty revolting, doesn't it?

There are five main types of worm parasites that use dogs as their host: roundworms, hookworms, tapeworms, whipworms and the heartworm. These worms can cause light to severe complications and must be treated. Let's take a look at the different types of parasites and what each one does.

The most common infestation is the roundworm. This parasite usually passes to puppies from their mothers either before birth or while she is breastfeeding. These worms can be passed to humans. In dogs, the roundworm causes weight loss and a potbellied appearance. These worms will swiftly multiply if left untreated. An adult female roundworm may lay as many as 200,000 eggs a day for a year. This may lead to an obstruction in the canine's intestinal tract and may lead to death. You should treat your pets with a regular regimen of de-wormer starting when pups are weaned. There are natural as well as commercial treatments available.

The hookworms are like round worms in that they are an intestinal parasite. The hookworm however is smaller and feeds on blood from the intestinal wall. Since their diet is blood, the hookworm can cause anemia and occasionally death in dogs. There are few symptoms of hookworm and they will not be visible in stool or vomit. To determine an infestation, you must see your vet who will do a stool analysis. Although this is another parasite that can be passed to humans it will not cause the same problems in humans as in canines. In humans, the worm cannot penetrate much deeper than just under the skin, this causes an itchy rash with a worm like appearance.

The tapeworm is so named because of its appearance; it is long and flat looking much like a piece of tape. This type of worm is spread in dogs by the ingestion of an infected flea. For example, the flea feeds off an infected animal picking up the tapeworm egg, and then your pet eats the flea while grooming himself. Symptoms of tapeworm infestation are nervousness, abdominal pain, itching especially around the anus, vomiting and weight loss. If you see any of these symptoms, you may want to seek medical attention.

Whipworms live in your pooch's colon and cannot be seen by the naked eye. They feed off of your dog's intestinal wall and cause many ailments. dog worms symptoms of the whipworm include diarrhea which contains blood or mucous, flatulence, weight loss and anemia. The whipworm is the hardest worm to get rid of but both pharmaceutical and natural treatments are available. Our dog, Lucy, not only had parvovirus but was infected with whipworms, too. An oral medication was given to her.

The most serious of dog worms is the heartworm. It is passed from one animal to another through mosquitoes. If you want your dog to be free of heartworms, you must seek prevention. People need to be concerned who live in warm, damp climates and are prone to heavy mosquito activity. Once your dog is infected, you have a few treatment options available. Most of them amount to giving the dog limited amounts of arsenic. This alone can kill the dog. The heartworm will take up residence in the heart and its arteries causing it to enlarge and eventually fail. dog worms symptoms of the heart worm include weight loss, coughing as well as a potbellied appearance. No matter what kind of parasite you may be dealing with seek either natural advice or that of a veterinarian. Be proactive for better canine health. Your dog will give you a big lick in thanks!