What You Need To Know About Worms

There are four types of intestinal worms that are common in dogs: roundworms, tapeworms, hookworms and whipworms.  Only roundworms and tapeworms are common in cats.  Roundworms are long spaghetti-like worms that are occasionally seen in bowel movements or vomitus.  Tapeworms are flat, segmented worms. The segments may look like “grains of rice” in the animal’s hair around the rectum, in bedding or in bowel movements.  Hookworms and whipworms are detected only by their microscopic eggs passed in the stool.

Symptoms of a Parasite Infection

Worms cause a variety of symptoms depending on the type and severity of the infection.  These can include:  diarrhea, vomiting, cough, dull hair coat, pot-belly and anemia.  “Scooting” or dragging the hind end is a sign of itchiness.  It is usually associated with impacted anal sacs but occasionally with tapeworm infection.

How Do Pets Get Worms?

Worms are not spread by direct contact with an infected dog or cat.

Intestinal parasites are spread by ingestion of the parasite eggs, which are passed in the stool of an infected animal.  Sniffing the ground, eating grass, or even walking through an area containing parasite eggs and then licking their feet can lead to a parasite infection.  Puppies and kittens can get parasites directly from their mother during development or through the milk. Tapeworms are different in that their life cycle require an intermediate host.  They are contracted either by ingesting an infected flea or by eating an infected animal, such as a mouse or rabbit.  We recommend that puppies and kittens be checked for worms early and frequently.

Can Family Members Get Worms From a Pet?

Roundworms and hookworms are zoonotic, meaning they can be transmitted to people, but not directly by petting or handling an animal.  Eggs that are passed through the stool must be ingested.  On rare occasions, children have been infected by roundworms by eating soil that has been contaminated by roundworm eggs.  Hookworms can cause a skin-irritation when active larvae come in contact with feet, often from walking bare foot in the summer months.  Avoid ingestion of soil by washing garden vegetables and hands before eating.

How Are Worms Controlled?

Regular fecal examinations performed by a veterinarian are the only reliable way to detect the presence of intestinal parasites.  Identifying the type of parasite infection is important to determine proper medication.  Unfortunately, tapeworms are not often detectable in stool samples.  They are frequently diagnosed by the presence of segments on the animal’s fur.  Once parasites are identified, appropriate medication can be administered.  Generally, several treatments are needed to completely eliminate the parasite. There are preventative medications that can be given monthly to help prevent intestinal parasite infection.  These are mainly used as preventatives for heartworm disease, but can also be used to control intestinal parasites.  Garlic, brewer’s yeast, Hartz “Once a Month” dewormer and other over-the-counter or home remedies are not effective.  It takes 1-3 weeks for parasite eggs that are passed by an infected animal to develop to the stage where they are infective to another animal.  Frequent cleaning of the yard and proper disposal of stool (at least twice a week) is an important step in parasite control.  If dogs are tied or penned in the yard, they should be moved to a different area of the yard if possible to avoid re-infection. Once the eggs are present in the soil, they can persist for years and are practically impossible to eliminate.