Keeping an eye on your dog's behavior and well, their poop, is important. This is the last article in the Importance of Poop series by our Dog House Facility manager Melanie Redford.
Tape
Worm.
Tapeworms are long, flat worms that attach
themselves to your dog’s (or cat's) intestines.
A tapeworm body consists of multiple parts, or segments, each with its own
reproductive organs. Tapeworm infections are usually diagnosed by finding
segments—which appear as small white worms that may look like grains of rice or
seeds—on the rear end of your dog, in your dog’s feces, or where your dog lives
and sleeps.
There are several different kinds, or species,
of tapeworms that can infect your dog, each with stage(s) in a different
intermediate (in-between) host, which the dog eats to become infected. Dipylidium caninum is a tapeworm that uses fleas
as its intermediate host, whereas Taenia and Echinococcus species use small rodents (mice, rats,
squirrels), rabbits, or large animals (such as deer or sheep) as their
intermediate hosts.
How will tapeworms affect my dog?
Dogs
with tapeworm infections usually are not sick and do not lose weight from the
worms. Contrary to popular belief, dogs that “scoot” on their rear ends are
generally doing it for reasons other than having tapeworms, such as blocked or
irritated anal sacs (pouches located in your dog’s rear end) or other skin
inflammation of the rear.
How do I prevent my dog from getting
tapeworms?
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| Image courtesy of Tina Phillips / FreeDigitalPhotos.net |
Try
to keep your dog from coming in contact with intermediate hosts that contain
tapeworm larvae. Because fleas are an intermediate host for the most common
kind of tapeworm, consistent, safe, and effective flea control is an essential
prevention measure.
If
you think your dog is infected with tapeworms, call your veterinarian for an
appointment to get an accurate diagnosis and safe, effective treatment options.
To prevent Taenia and Dipylidium tapeworm infections in dogs, administer
a monthly heartworm preventive that contains a drug specific for tapeworm
infections. For more information about human infections, please visit
www.cdc.gov/parasites.
Can humans be harmed by tapeworms?
Certain tapeworms found in dogs or cats may
cause serious disease in humans. Fortunately, these tapeworms (Echinococcus species) are uncommon in the United
States and are readily treated by prescriptions available from your veterinarian.
There are rare reports of Dipylidium (a
common tapeworm in pets) infections in children, but these infections are not
associated with significant disease.
Hook Worms.
Similar to tapeworms and roundworms, hookworms
are intestinal parasites that live in the digestive system of your dog (or cat). The hookworm attaches to
the lining of the intestinal wall and feeds on your dog’s blood. Its eggs are
ejected into the digestive tract and pass into the environment through your
dog’s feces.
Larvae
(young hookworms) that hatch from hookworm eggs live in the soil. These larvae
can infect your dog simply through contact and penetration of the skin and
through the dog eating the larvae when they ingest dirt or during their routine
licking (cleaning).
How will hookworms affect my dog?
Hookworms
suck blood and therefore cause internal blood loss. They are a serious threat
to dogs, especially young puppies that may not survive the blood loss without
transfusions. In older animals the blood loss may be more chronic, and the pet
may have diarrhea and show weight loss.
If
you think your dog is infected with hookworms, call your veterinarian to
schedule an appointment for evaluation, diagnosis, and safe, effective
treatment.
How do I prevent my dog from getting
hookworms?
Similar
to steps for prevention of other intestinal parasites, it is essential to keep
your dog’s surroundings clean and prevent the dog from being in contaminated
areas.
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| Image courtesy of tiverylucky / FreeDigitalPhotos.net |
Puppies
should be treated for hookworms at 2, 4, 6, and 8 weeks of age with a deworming
medication you can get from your veterinarian. This frequent treatment schedule
is recommended due to the very high rate of hookworm infection in newborn
puppies. Most monthly heartworm preventatives include a drug to prevent to
treat and prevent infections so additional deworming medications are usually
not required if the dog is reliably treated with a heartworm preventive. Fecal
examinations should be conducted 2 to 4 times during the first year of life and
1 to 2 times per year in adults. Nursing mothers should be treated along with
their puppies.
Consult
your veterinarian for safe and effective prevention and treatment options.
Can humans be harmed by hookworms?
Some
hookworms of dogs can infect humans by penetrating the skin. This is most
likely to occur when walking barefoot on the beach, working in the garden or
other areas where pets may deposit feces. Infection usually results in an
itching sensation at the point where the larvae enter the skin and visible
tracks on the skin. The condition is easily treated but can cause mild to
extreme discomfort in the affected person. One species of hookworm that infects
dogs is known to develop in the human intestine, too, where it may cause
disease.
Whip Worms
The whipworm is one of the four most common
intestinal parasites of dogs. Whipworms reside in the cecum, which is inside
your dog’s body where the small intestine and large intestine meet.
Dogs become infected with whipworms by swallowing
infective whipworm eggs in soil or other substances that may contain dog feces.
How
will whipworms affect my dog?
Dogs that are infected with a few whipworms
may not have any signs of infection. More severe infections can cause bloody
diarrhea. If an infected dog is not treated, then severe whipworm infection can
cause serious disease and even death.
How do
I prevent my dog from getting whipworms?
Whipworm infections can be prevented by
removing your dog’s feces regularly from your yard. Because whipworms are
sometimes more difficult to diagnose than other intestinal parasites, it is
important that you take your dog to see a veterinarian at least annually for a
properly conducted fecal examination (test of your dog’s feces).
Your veterinarian can prescribe safe and
effective products that treat and control whipworm infections.
