Protecting People and Pets from Worms in Dogs
09 Sep 2010
Roundworms are the most common type of worms in dogs in the UK. This is owing to their lifecycle which is incredibly hard to break. Indeed, the lifecycle more or less guarantees that puppies will either be born with an infestation of pick one up very soon after birth. The prevalence of this type of worms in dogs coupled with the fact that an infestation can cause serious harm to human health mean that treatment is an absolute must.
Roundworms can be caught by unborn puppies in the womb or passed from mother to puppy via milk. Older dogs can also pick them up from contaminated faeces and soil. The larvae of this type of worms in dogs have the ability to migrate through the body’s internal organs, are coughed up and swallowed, allowing them access to the digestive system which becomes their home as they mature. Adult worms will then eat the semi digested food available to them in the intestine before releasing eggs to be passed out with the host’s faeces. Also, larvae can migrate to various areas of tissue in the dog’s body where it can lie dormant in cysts. They become active again when the host is pregnant and infect puppies. Larvae lying dormant cannot be killed with worming treatment. This makes it almost impossible to prevent round worms in dogs.
Puppies suffer the worst symptoms of this infestation: vomiting and diarrhoea are common, as is lethargy and stunted growth. A classic symptom in puppies is a swollen stomach. In cases of very heavy infestation, the puppy could die from intestinal blockage.
There is no available treatment which can kill worm larvae and so puppies need frequent treatment to remove any infection. Also, adult dogs can easily pick up infestations because worm eggs can remain viable for a long time.
What is really concerning about this type of worms in dogs is its potential to harm human health as well. Worm larvae can damage human internal organs, and even lead to blindness. It is children who are most at risk of picking up worm eggs from contaminated soil or sand because of their propensity to put dirty fingers in their mouth.
