Worms in Puppies
Worms are particularly common in puppies and should be treated promptly to prevent complications or more serious illnesses from occurring. These internal parasites usually invade the intestinal tract or heart, causing a range of health problems, depending on the type of the worm. Dogs may be born with worms or may acquire them after birth.
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Identification
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Roundworms and tapeworms may be visible in your puppy's feces, but hookworms, heartworms and whipworms usually are not. Roundworms are long and white and look somewhat like pieces of cooked spaghetti in your dog's stool. Tapeworms are flat and white and are comprised of multiple segments. If your puppy has tapeworms, you may see small, white segments that look a little like moving grains of rice near your dog's tail or in its feces. Heartworms also look like spaghetti, but since these worms are not expelled through the digestive system, chances are that you will never see them.
Types
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Roundworm larvae, or eggs, are often passed on to puppies while they are in their mothers' wombs if the mother is infected. Puppies can also ingest the eggs while they are nursing from an infected mother. Roundworms live in the intestinal tract and grow up to 5 inches in length. Their eggs are shed in the puppy's feces and can infect another dog or cat if they come in contact with the feces or can reinfect the puppy. Puppies with roundworms may not gain weight or grow as they should and often have a pot-bellied abdomen.
Your puppy can get tapeworms by eating birds, mice or other rodents with tapeworm or by eating fleas. Tapeworms live in the intestine and can grow to be 4 to 6 inches long. Whipworms are usually found in the first section of your puppy's intestine and can't be seen in the feces. Dogs with whipworm may lose weight and may have feces that are covered by mucus.
Hookworms attach themselves to the small intestine walls and suck blood from the walls. Dogs can get hookworms in their mothers' wombs, from nursing or from contact with contaminated dirt. Symptoms of hookworms include weight loss, anemia, weakness and bloody diarrhea.
Heartworms live in the heart and arteries of the lungs and are transmitted by mosquitoes. After about six months, the heartworm egg matures into an adult worm. Symptoms of a heartworm infestation include lack of energy, fatigue, chronic cough and weight loss. Although the disease can be fatal, many dogs are able to recover from it with appropriate treatment.
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Diagnosis
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If your veterinarian suspects that your dog has worms, you will be asked to bring in a sample of your dog's feces. The sample will be examined under a microscope for signs of larvae and worms. In some cases, the feces won't show any signs of worms or eggs, but based on your dog's symptoms, your veterinarian may think that you dog has worms and will prescribe medication. Blood tests are used to detect the presence of heartworms. Ultrasounds or X-rays may also be used to determine if there is an infestation.
Treatment
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If your dog has worms, you will be given an appropriate deworming medication to get rid of the worms. Over-the-counter medications have not been proven effective in eradicating worms and veterinarians recommend that you use only prescription medication to treat worms. Treatment will take some time, particularly if your dog has a serious condition, such as heartworms.
Prevention/Solution
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Worms can cause serious health issues in puppies due to dehydration and blood and protein loss. If not treated quickly, your puppy could die from these problems. Veterinarians recommend that you have your puppy examined between 6 to 8 weeks of age. Some veterinarians recommend deworming medication for all puppies, as it can be difficult to tell if worms were transmitted to the puppy in the womb. The American Heartworm Society recommends that you give your dog preventative heartworm medicine year-round. This medication also provides protection against some types of intestinal worms.
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Resources
- Photo Credit Dani
