What Are the Symptoms of Canine Worms?
Posted on | January 27, 2010 | No Comments
Most worm infestations cause visible symptoms of distress in a dog. However, some worms cause few if any symptoms. That’s why it’s important to learn the symptoms of various types of worms that can infect dogs.
Many of these symptoms can be present in a dog with worms: diarrhea, sometimes with blood in the stool; vomiting, sometimes with worms visible in the vomitus; loss of weight; dry hair and general poor appearance. With some kinds of worms, the eggs or larvae may be dormant in the dog until they come alive because of stress. This is often what happens when with pregnant dogs infested with roundworms. In the late stages of the pregnancy, the roundworms can become active and infect the puppies before they’re born.
Here are some symptoms associated to canine worms.
Roundworms Symptoms
Dogs with roundworms often show a generally unhealthy appearance, along with vomiting and diarrhea. A heavily infested dog can pass entire worms in the stool, or suffer intestinal blockages because of the large amount of worms.
Heartworms Symptoms
Symptoms of heartworm disease are classified in three stages, each more severe. Dogs with Class I heartworm disease often exhibit no visible signs, or may show only something minor such as an occasional cough. Dogs with Class II typically experience coughing and aren’t able to exercise as a healthy dog would. In Class III, the most severe stage, dogs can show signs of anemia, fainting, exercise intolerance and right-sided heart failure. Other symptoms may show up in any of these stages through a physical exam. Particularly in Class III cases, symptoms can include high blood pressure, breathing difficulties breathing, and extremely rapid heart beat.
Tapeworms Symptoms
Dogs with tapeworms show signs of nervousness, vomiting, abdominal discomfort, anal itching and weight loss. As the tapeworm grows, pieces of it break off into segments and pass into the dog’s intestines. Dried, white-to-cream-colored pieces of tapeworm may be seen in the dog’s feces. Dogs may lick the anus obsessively or drag their hindquarter across the floor to try to ease the itching that results from tapeworms.
Hookworm Symptoms
Hookworms invade and live in a dog’s small intestines, where they attach and suck the blood from the readily accessible capillaries that normally carry the dog’s nutrition. Hookworms can be fatal to dogs, especially puppies, so owners should watch carefully for symptoms. These blood-sucking parasites can cause anemia and inflame the dog’s small intestine. Typical symptoms include a rash on the dog’s feet or itchy feet, wheezing and coughing, nausea, abdominal cramps, diarrhea, blood in stool or black stool.
Whipworms Symptoms
Most dogs usually have fairly mild reactions to whipworms, but that doesn’t mean the parasites aren’t doing any damage. Visible symptoms include mucus-covered stool, diarrhea and blood in the stool. Severe cases may cause weight loss or dehydration due to diarrhea and anemia.
Ringworm Symptoms
Ringworm is a fungus, not an actual parasite, which grows on a dog’s skill. It produces small hairless patches on a dog’s coat that also bear pustules and scaly skin. The dog scratches the area incessantly because of the maddening itch caused by the fungus. A dog’s head, tail and legs are the most common areas for ringworm infestation. Left untreated, the areas will grow and cause extensive hair loss, along with leaving the dog vulnerable to other infections because of the skin lesions.
Related Canine Worm Sites
- Primary Pulmonary Hypertension Complications | All About Hypertension
- Why Does Your Body Develop Eczema? | Waterionizersnow
- An Introduction to Intestinal Worms in Cats « liviaclinker
- Diet Alterations Which Are Essential Undergoing Treatment For Uterine Fibroids | Healthy Women
- Worms – Signs, Symptoms and Prevention – Part 1 « Gordon Lusby
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