Well after a very busy holiday season, we're back to our regular schedule. Today I want to talk about worms and your dog. First of all, most dogs will get some sort of worm or parasite during their lifespan. It is nothing to be embarrassed about. But it's important that you as a dog owner understand how your dog can get worms, and what to do about it.
There are many different kinds of worms that dogs can get: roundworms, whipworms, tapeworms, heartworms, and hookworms. All are parasites, which means they feed off of the dog, and some are more common than others. Except for heartworms (more about that later), dogs get most other kinds of worms from one of two different sources: from the mother directly (if they're puppies) or from ingesting the worm eggs. If you have a new puppy, that puppy is almost guaranteed to have some sort of parasite. It is standard vet procedure to deworm a puppy, usually more than once. This is because 1) puppies have picked up worms from their mothers, and 2) puppies (like babies) put EVERYTHING in their mouths!
Adult dogs tend to get worms by ingesting eggs that have been shed from a dog that has worms. And by ingesting, I mean eating. So that means that, if your adult dog has worms, he probably got them from eating another dog's feces, or from picking something up off the ground and eating it. I know, it's disgusting, but dogs will be dogs, and alot of dogs have sampled other dogs' feces at one time or another.
You usually won't know if your dog has any of the worms, because you won't see any sign of them. However, two of the worms MIGHT be visible in your dog's feces: tapeworms and roundworms. If you see something that looks like rice - white, flat, segmented - that might be a tapeworm segment. You aren't seeing a live worm, but a segment from a worm that is living in your dog's intestine. Roundworms are the only worm that a dog can get that you might see, alive, in their feces. It's pretty obvious - you'll see a long, thin, white moving worm. They can vary in length (depends on their age) from quite short (half an inch) to quite long (a couple of inches - almost looks like thin, white spaghetti). If they're moving, they're roundworms. If your dog's feces don't show any of these signs, the only way you MIGHT suspect your dog has a parasite would be if, no matter how much you feed your dog, he doesn't seem to be gaining weight. Otherwise, you just won't know.
If you do know your dog has worms, they are usually easily treated. Your vet can deworm your dog simply and quickly. Some worms are a bit harder to get rid of than others, but for the most part, there's an easy fix. To keep your dog from getting worms in the future, you should try to keep your dog from ingesting anything that might contain worm eggs (feces for example). You should also request a fecal test from your vet (if your vet doesn't require one) on an annual basis. For a fecal sample, your vet will take some feces and look at it under a microscope to search for the eggs. It's a very simple and quick test.
Heartworms are a whole other thing entirely. Dogs get heartworms from being bitten by a mosquito that's bitten another dog with heartworms. Heartworms live only in the heart, and can damage the heart muscle beyond repair. You probably already give your dog a monthly heartworm pill - that's incredibly important, if you live anywhere there are mosquitos. The treatment for heartworms isn't easy on the dog either, and some dogs don't survive it. So remember to give that heartworm pill monthly. Heartworms are detected from a blood test, and most vets require this test annually before they'll prescribe heartworm medication for your dog.
Unfortunately, we sometimes see worms in dogs that visit us for daycare. If we see either a tapeworm segment or roundworms in your dog's feces, we'll let you know when you pick them up. Again, please don't be embarrassed - it doesn't mean you're not a good dog parent, it means that you maybe weren't paying attention one day when your dog was out in the yard, or taking a walk, or playing at the dog park. It happens to the best of us! Just make sure you get it treated quickly.
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