Intestinal parasites are a common threat to dogs, posing serious health risks to both pets and their human families. Dogs encounter these worms daily, and while parasites can cause debilitating side effects or even death in extreme cases, they are highly preventable and treatable. Including parasite detection in every dog’s wellness program is essential for their health.
Common Intestinal Parasites
Roundworms: Among the most prevalent intestinal parasites, roundworms are contracted when dogs ingest contaminated soil. While less active in adult dogs, puppies are highly susceptible, with up to 85% born with roundworms, often transmitted through their mother’s milk. Larvae hatch in the intestine, travel via the bloodstream to the lungs, and crawl up the windpipe, causing gagging and coughing before maturing in the intestine. These spaghetti-like worms, growing up to seven inches, can cause a pot-bellied appearance, poor growth, dull hair, diarrhea, and vomiting in puppies. Severe infestations may lead to pneumonia, intestinal obstructions, or death.
Tapeworms: Common in adult dogs, tapeworms are transmitted when dogs ingest fleas carrying tapeworm eggs. Visible as rice-like grains in stool or around the anus, tapeworms absorb nutrients in the intestines, causing weight loss, difficulty gaining weight, or scooting behavior.
Other Parasites and Their Impacts
Hookworms: Prevalent in warm, humid climates, hookworms are contracted through contaminated feces. They attach to the intestinal lining, feeding on blood, and can infect puppies before birth via pregnant dogs. In puppies, hookworms cause severe anemia, weakness, and bloody diarrhea, while older dogs may experience weight loss, diarrhea, and poor coat quality.
Whipworms: Less common but harder to detect, whipworms are contracted through contaminated feces and burrow into the large intestine and cecum, complicating treatment.
Giardia: Caused by a single-celled organism, Giardia affects up to 11% of pets and 50% of puppies. Transmitted through contaminated food, water, soil, or pet-to-pet contact, it’s more common in dogs at dog parks, daycare, or kennels. Symptoms include varying degrees of diarrhea, though many infected dogs show no signs, underscoring the need for routine testing.
Coccidia: This single-celled organism infects the small intestine. While some dogs show no symptoms, others, especially puppies or those with other illnesses, may suffer severe watery or bloody diarrhea, vomiting, depression, fever, or death from dehydration due to coccidia.
Zoonotic Risks and Prevention
Many intestinal parasites are zoonotic, meaning they can transfer to humans. Roundworm eggs, passed through dog feces into the environment, can hatch in human intestines and migrate to organs like the eyes or brain. Hookworm larvae penetrate human skin, causing itching and irritation, especially when walking barefoot on contaminated soil. Giardia spreads through infected pets or water, leading to gastroenteritis, diarrhea, malabsorption, abdominal pain, nausea, and vomiting if untreated.
Most parasites are microscopic, making routine fecal screening the only reliable detection method. Accurate diagnosis is crucial, as treatments vary by parasite type. Veterinarians may recommend annual fecal screenings and, since not all parasites appear in every sample, routine deworming programs. For puppies, frequent broad-spectrum deworming early in life helps ensure a healthier start.
Given the risks of serious illness, death, and human transmission, routine screening and deworming are vital for your dog’s well-being and your family’s safety. Staying proactive against intestinal parasites protects everyone involved.
