Hookworms in Dogs – What you Need to Know About Them
What are hookworms?
Hookworms are one of the most common worms to infect canines. They are canine parasites that are found in dogs’ intestinal walls. Physically, they are worms with hook-like mouths, hence they are called hookworms. With their size of approximately 3 mm long, they are so small that you cannot easily see them without carefully looking at them. But you cannot underestimate them by just basing on their size because even though they are too small for the naked eyes to see, they can suck a very large amount of your dog’s blood through your pet’s intestinal wall. Hookworms can be fatal to your dog when the infection becomes severe. It can cause intestinal inflammation and anemia that can cause death to your dog.
How do dogs catch hookworms?
There are many ways that a dog gets infected by hookworms:
- Direct contact (eating or smelling infected dogs’ feces)
Once a dog consumes or at least sniffs infected feces, hookworms will then be transferred inside the new host’s body. These hookworms will create massive reproduction inside the dog’s body. As adult hookworms stay inside the body to feed on dog’s blood, hookworms’ eggs are released through the dog’s feces. As these eggs hatch, larvae are released. These larvae are strong microorganisms that can live even in dews and vegetation until a new host comes to be victimized. Then, the cycle goes back to the top and goes on over again.
- Through the skin
Since hookworms can live in dews and raindrops, it can be easily caught by the dog’s skin. It can enter a dog’s body though the dog’s feet. As they successfully reach the intestinal area of the dog, the life cycle of hookworms will continue.
- Infected mother to fetus child
Through the placental blood flow of the puppy inside the parent’s womb, larvae can be transmitted from the parent’s circulation flow to the fetus. Eventually, hookworms will successfully get inside the intestinal area of the fetus and feed on its blood.
- Infected mother to nursing puppies
As an infected mother dog feeds milk to her puppies, her puppies will also get infected. So the thing here is, any direct contact with anything infected, will cause hookworms to enter a dog’s or a puppy’s body.
How would you know if your dog is infected by hookworms?
If your dog suddenly looks unhealthy or if sudden changes like loss of appetite occur, then your dog might be infected with hookworms. Symptoms also include paleness of nostrils, ears and lips. Digestive problems can also occur like constipation, diarrhea and dark feces. If hookworms gets to spread throughout the dog’s body and reaches its respiratory system, the dog might begin coughing. Hookworms, when neglected can also cause sudden death.
How are hookworms treated?
Medications and drugs are available and these are usually all that are needed to get rid of hookworms. However, it is also strongly recommended that the cured dog should take iron supplements to make sure that his body will recover from the trouble that hookworms caused.
If the case is severe, your dog might need to be hospitalized for blood transfusion. Since hookworms can cause anemia to dogs, your dog’s condition might become really worse and can lead to death. So make sure that if changes occur to your dog without visible explanations, bring your pet to the vet to confirm any infections, so you can provide immediate responses, avoiding your pet’s condition to worsen.
To avoid being bothered by hookworms, you have to consider preventive measures. Keep your dog’s environment as clean as possible and maintain the cleanliness. And since hookworms can live in contaminated water, make sure that the water accumulations surrounding your dog are clean, or as much as possible, avoid having water accumulations in your area to make sure that hookworms cannot live.
This is the BEST medication to treat hookworms, recommended by Vets all round the country, Click here
They are chewable tablets, pork liver flavored and come in counts of 2 to 12. Highly recommended!
Related posts:
Tags: are hookworms fatal, are worms in dogs fatal, can hookworms fatal for dogs?, Causes of hookworms in dogs, dog hookworm reproduction, dog worms + fatal, fatal hookworms in dogs, hook worms in dog, hook worms in dogs, hookworm reproduction, hookworms dogs, hookworms fatal, hookworms fatal in dogs, Hookworms in Dogs, how can dogs catch hookworm, how do dogs catch hookwarms, treatment for hookworms in dogs, what causes worms in puppies
We will never rent/sell/give out your information. Your Privacy is SAFE!