Understand Dog Worms Symptoms and
Infestation
Dog worms are a serious concern to every dog owner and they may a cause of various health problems
both in puppies and adult dogs.
Understanding worm’s symptoms and infestation is very important for you to effect treatment and
management of the disease and the other conditions they cause such as blood loss and worm related diseases.
There are a number of worms that infect the dog and they vary with the different location they are
found in the body of the dog.
Dog owners should take the necessary measures to curb the spread of worms and worm related
infections by actively controlling worm infestations in their pets. De worming is a practice that is carried out
right from the early age of the dog since puppies are very susceptible to worms that are shed in feces.
In the past, dog owners thought that dog worms had a spontaneous origin. There is still a
widespread misconception that puppies are born with the worms and this is entirely false. The puppies get infected
when they are born and this infestation manifests as they grow. It may take some time before the symptoms are seen
as the puppy grows.
The most important dog worm species that all dog owners must be aware of are tape worms and round
worms. The askaris (round worms) infects puppies and the wreck havoc in most breeding kennels. In severe cases of
infestation, the worms are known to cause rapture of the abdomen.
The worst problem that is associated with round worms comes about due to their large numbers of
infestation. They inhabit the small intestine in large numbers and multiply very fast; in the process these worms
suck large amounts of blood from the dog. The common symptoms of this infestation may be as follows:
• Increased appetite due to high worm burden
• Anemia due to large amount of blood loss
• Enlarged stomach characterized by a lean body
• Lethargy and loss of body condition
• Bloody diarrhea that may be very frequent
• Pale mucous membranes that are indication of severe blood loss.
The tape worms may survive in the body for a longer time and they are diagnosed though their
typical segments that are observed in the feces. The proglotid or segmentations may be observed in feces of mature
dogs and they pose a possible source of infection for the puppies. The tapeworms suck large amount of blood but
there are not as severe as round worms. Round worms are severe since they found in huge numbers. Check out our
previously written article on worm treatments for dogs here...
Another worm that is common in the dogs is the hook worms that can also infect humans. Mostly,
these worms will be seen in dog feces appearing like white hair strands and they are very infective during this
stage. They are well able to penetrate the skin at this stage.
One of the most serious worm infestations that occurs in the dog and it is rarely diagnosed until
the dog dies is the giant kidney worm. This is a large dog worm that inhibits the dog’s kidney and causes renale
failure. If you observe any renal failure symptoms, the culprit from this list of suspected conditions should be
the giant kidney worm especially if the dog is old.
These are the major types of dog worms and symptoms that may be important for you are a dog owner
to understand in order you take the necessary measures to avoid loss of your best friend.
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