This is the final part of a three-part series about worms.  You can find Part One here, a discussion of tapeworms and hookworms, and Part Two here, a discussion of whipworms and roundworms.

Even though I am a very smart dog, I learn new things everyday.   Today, I learned that heartworms, once thought to be exclusive to canines, now affect felines as well.  Cats always try to copy everything we do, but I bet this is something they wish stayed exclusive to dogs.  If you have a cat, please talk to your vet about their heartworms.  I know nothing about the disorders of cats, except their general disability of not being a dog.

Vets rarely diagnose puppies under one year of age with heartworms, but they are still susceptible.  In fact, it can take up to 7 months for the larvae to mature into adult heartworms.  Most heartworm positive dogs will not show any physical signs for up to 2 years.

Heartworms are quite preventable.  That is why I am saddened by every case of heartworm infestation I come across.  We do not have to get heartworms.  They spread via female mosquitoes.  When they bite an infected dog, they ingest microfilariae.  The microfilariae develop in the mosquito, eventually moving to its mouth.  Once there, the microfilariae are referred to as infected larvae.  When a carrying mosquito bites their next canine victim, the microfilariae enter the dog, growing into adulthood.  Once fully grown, they enter the blood stream and move toward the heart.  There, they will complete the life cycle, reproducing  within the heart.  The adult heartworms  then clog the heart and major blood vessels leading from it, diminishing the blood supply to major organs.  This causes the organs to weaken and malfunction.

Heartworm positive dogs show signs of their condition with a shortness of breath, general weakness, a soft, dry chronic cough, nervousness, and a dramatic decrease in stamina.  They are most noticeable after any type of exertion.

It is not recommended that you start your dog on a preventative without a negative test for their presence.  Once a negative result comes, your vet will prescribe a heartworm preventative product.  However, if the test is positive, heartworm treatment is the typical course of action.  To give you an idea of what the treatment is like, imagine having a short burst of chemotherapy.  When a dog receives treatment, it is very important that he be kept at a low level of excitability, receiving plenty of rest during his weeks of recovery.

The arsenic-based drugs that the dog receives kills the adult worms within a few days.  As the worms begin decompose, the flowing blood carries them to the lungs.  The decomposing worms break up, and the body absorbs them, expelling them through their wastes.  Severe cases may develop a cough 7 to 8 weeks after treatment, as the worms are expelled through the lungs.  One month after the initial treatment, a dog receives a treatment to kill the microfilariae.  After a week, the heartworm test is repeated.  If positive, the dog may have to undergo another series of treatment.  A negative result means a few weeks of rest and the commencement of a preventative.

As you can tell, the treatment is very rough on dogs.  The best thing is preventing the heartworms.  Your vet will prescribe the preventative medication, and it is not available for purchase without a prescription.  Some people believe that over the counter wormers also work for heartworms.  They do not, and neither do the popular flea preventatives.  You dog must stay on the preventative his entire life, as dogs previously undergoing treatment can become positive again.

Since mosquitoes carry it, dogs that are outside are most at risk.  You may be aware  of my feelings on dogs living in the yard.  In case you do not, I think it is wrong.  We belong in the house, with you, happily avoiding heartworms.  If you simply MUST leave your dog outside, please get him tested and on a preventative ASAP!

This is part two of a three-part series about worms.  You can find Part One here, a discussion of tapeworms and hookworms.

Whipworms

Whipworms are intestinal parasites that are an inch or two long.  They live in the large intestine, causing severe irritation to the lining of it.  A dog with a whipworm infestation may suffer with watery, bloody diarrhea and weight loss.  Whipworms pass their eggs in the dog’s stool, and they can remain viable in the dogs environment for years.  Within 10 to 60 days, they mature and are able to reinfect the dog.

Veterinarians diagnose a whipworm infestation upon finding eggs in a microscopic examination of stool.  Often, it can take several stool samples before a confirmed diagnosis, because whipworms pass a small numbers of eggs on an irregular basis.  If affected by chronic diarrhea, whipworms are often the culprit.  Unlike most worms, it is an accepted practice to treat for whipworms based on the assumption of infection.  A positive response to treatment is in a confirmation that whipworms WERE present.  There are several drugs deemed effective treatments for whipworms.  Dogs require two treatments at 3 to 4 weeks intervals.  Vets also advise that you should re-treat again three or four months later.  As a preventative, I suggest using a heartworm preventative that also prevents whipworms.  It is VERY rare for a canine’s whipworms to infect a human.

Roundworms

Roundworms are “spaghetti-like worms” that can cause serious problems in humans, and they are typically found in children.  Roundworms are typically white, with a diameter of a spaghetti strand and about four inches long.

Often, Kittens and puppies host roundworms, because their larvae are small enough to pass through the placental blood supply.  A mother’s milk also passes roundworms to her offspring, if she is affected.  After birth, roundworms migrate to the intestines where they mature into adults and lay eggs.  Three week old kittens and puppies shed roundworm eggs in their waste.

As adults, roundworms do little damage, since they do not attach to the intestine wall like hookworms.  They wander around siphoning off nutrients ingested by the pet.  If their numbers get large enough, they block the intestines, causing constipation.  If worms make their way to the stomach, the dog expels them in vomit.  If they enter the liver or lungs, they can cause pneumonia or hepatits.  A dull hair coat, pot bellied, unthrifty appearance, poor weight maintenance, vomiting, coughing, intermittent diarrhea or constipation all signify a possible roundworm infestation.

Most over the counter wormer solutions kill roundworms residing in the intestine.  The problem lies with killing the juvenile worms that do not reside in the intestines.  Females to be bred require a worming prior to mating and three week intervals after whelping.  Puppies and kittens should be wormed twice, three weeks apart and checked three weeks later by fecal specimen.

Roundworm larvae can blind young children, and they infect children most often.  Their infestation is the result of a child coming in contact with a roundworm egg may be while playing in a sand box.  Children often put their hands in their mouths without washing them

Do not worry, I did not forget about heartworms.  That will be the subject of the third part of this series, published next Thursday.

I HATE worms, but I did a lot of studying about them for this.  During the research, I could not a single useful purpose.  You may have heard that cockroaches will survive nuclear armageddon.  I am placing a bet that worms will too.  Today, I am going to embark on a three-part series about these pests.

Tapeworms

If you have ever found a slimy, white segmented unknown substance stuck on your sofa or carpets, it is probably a tapeworm segment.  Aside from finding them as described above or in a dog’s feces and identifying them, most tapeworm infestations in dogs go unnoticed.  In some cases, you can hear a rumbling in your dog’s stomach.  This rumbling is usually a sign of cramping and gas.  Tapeworms live in the digestive tract, attached by its head to the intestinal wall of your pup.  Veterinarians usually check for them by examining for segments stuck around the anus or in the feces.

Over the counter medications do not affect tapeworms, but veterinarians will most likely prescribe Droncit, which may be necessary for up to 28 days for treatment.  This causes the worms to lose their protective layer and then they are digested and expelled through waste.  The best prevention of tapeworms is to control the fleas, as flea larvae eat the tapeworm eggs and are ingested when your dog licks to relieve the itching caused by the fleas.

In dogs, Tapeworms can grow to up to a foot in length.  They are passed from dog to dog and are rarely found in puppies under 12 weeks of age.  Tape worm infection can cause diarrhea and irritation of the anus.  The most common intermediate source of tapeworms are fleas.  If you see fleas on your dog, then tapeworms may be present in him.

Hookworms

Hookworms are a very common intestinal parasite, and very difficult to see without magnification.  They are usually about ½ inch in length and EXTREMELY thin.  Hookworms are “bloodsuckers,” and and infestation of three hundred adult worms can drain 10% of your pets blood in one day.

Hookworms are shaped like a tiny goblet with three sets of teeth.  The shape of their mouths make it very hard and resistant to collapse as they suck.  Hookworms grasp on to the inner surface of the small intestine, and then they pierce a blood vessel releasing an anti-coagulant substance that prevents the blood from clotting even if the worm relinquishes that spot.

Because the larvae are tiny enough to pass through the placental blood supply to the fetal lungs, it is possible for kittens and puppies to be born with hookworms.  Soon after birth, the juvenile worms are coughed up from the lungs and swallowed by the newborns.  They can also be passed through the mammary glands in the mother’s milk.  It is also possible for a hookworm larva to attach to a blade of grass, a piece of food or a water dish.  They are passed through to stomach and into the intestine, where they mature.  Once mature, they begin laying eggs, which are passed with the expelled feces.  The eggs begin to hatch within 12 to 18 hours, their most favorable conditions being warm, wet places.  The larvae reside in areas with the heaviest vegetation, so trimming the grass can help to keep their population down.

There is a very unique way that these worms can travel.  Remember those worms that hatch within 12 to 18 hours?  They can find their way into the moist soil and live for weeks without food.  These larvae have the ability to penetrate the skin of a dog or cat.  Due to thinner skin in their abdomens, your pet is especially vulnerable when they lie on the ground, exciting the larvae with their body heat.  It should also be noted that the larvae can also penetrate the skin of a human.

Signs of a hookworm infestation may include, diarrhea, dark black diarrhea, bloody diarrhea, vomiting, poor appetite, weakness, emaciation, poor growth.  Anemia due to blood loss can become so severe that it leads to death.  Most veterinarians will tell you to get an oral wormer that contains pyrantel pamoate.  These wormers are generally well tolerated by pets.  If you are breeding, it is best to worm the female before breeding and again 3, 4 and 9 weeks after whelping.  Most vets suggest that puppies and kittens be wormed twice, three weeks apart, and then check a fecal specimen three weeks later.  This is one of the reasons that breeding and boarding facilities have concrete floors, since the worms cannot live in cement.

Check out part two of the series next Thursday for information on whipworms and roundworms.