Hookworms in Dogs: Symptoms, Prevention and Treatment

There are actually 3 types of hookworms which cause problems in dogs. And these hookworms in dogs are very common in places of high humidity and high temperature like the southern US, where the atmosphere is positive for the larvae to spread and grow.. The hookworms are thin and small worms about ¼ to 1 inch. They often do up with their mouth in to the walls mucosa of small intestine and suck the tissue fluids and blood from the dog’s body. This might cause malnutrition and severe loss of blood.
Causes: There are 5 ways by which the puppies and the adult dogs could get infected. Firstly, by swallowing in larvae in the dogs’ milk. Then second reason, migration through placenta in uterus, or by swallowing larvae in the ground. Or by swallowing an intermediate host like rodents, rabbits etc. And the last reason could be by direct dissemination of the skin. The greater part of the serious hookworms in pups appears in the first 2 months and it is mainly acquired from the dog’s milk. Symptoms of disease include wine-dark, tar-black or bloody diarrhea. Progressive loss of blood might result in the pups to quickly nauseate and die.

Symptoms: In grown-up dogs the usual ways of infection are larvae that migrates through skin or ingesting larvae. Some hookworms encyst in blood tissues, while the others migrate from lungs to intestine where they develop into adult larvae. In just 2 or 3 weeks the dogs starts to surpass eggs in the feces. These larvae hatch in the soil. Under good conditions, these eggs hatch within forty-eight hours and produce the larvae which are very infective in just 5 to 7 days. The hookworms in dogs very regularly have no signs. While the signs do appear, they include bloody or tarry diarrhea, progressive weakness, and emaciation and weight loss and also insipid mucous membranes based by anemia. Signs might occur as early as ten days after acquiring it.

The diagnosis is made by finding the eggs in the stool. Since dogs don’t appear in the feces for 2 to 3 weeks, on the other hand, there might be a period where an examination of the stool is negative and the diagnosis should be made based on the clinical signs. The majority dogs that recover from the hookworms turn out to be carriers through the larvae that are encysted in the blood tissues. During times of illness or stress, these larvae are produced and a fresh outburst of tarry or bloody diarrhea takes place since the larvae appear in the intestine.
Treatments: Treatments are definitely available. Lots of de-wormers are very effective in treating the hookworms in dogs. They include, Panacur, Nemex, Telmintic, Vercon Paste and Drontal Plus. Treatment must be often repeated in 1 to 2 weeks, since the initial de-worming triggers the larvae that is encysted and results in new growth of adult worms in ten to twelve days. Routine examination is suggested to make sure that all the vermin’s are removed. Periodic stool examinations and good sanitation with right de-worming would prevent the severe causes of hookworms in dogs.

Prevention: The most common tapeworms in dogs could be prevented by getting rid of lice and fleas from the surrounding. The dogs must be restricted from eating dead animals and also from free roaming. You must also stop feeding the dog raw meat and uncooked food also.