Hookworms in Dogs
Overview
Hookworms are a common intestinal parasite in dogs, especially in the southern US. You should be aware of this parasite not only because infectious to pets, but also to humans, too. To protect your dog from hookworms it’s essential to understand this parasite’s life cycle and routes of transmission in both dogs and humans.
What Is Hookworm in Dogs?
Hookworms are intestinal parasites that live in a dog’s digestive tract. The hookworm attaches to the inside of a dog’s intestine and feeds on a dog’s blood through the intestinal wall. While adult dogs may experience few symptoms, hookworms have the potential to cause young puppies to die from fatal anemia.
What is the Lifecycle of a Hookworm?
A hookworm’s life develops over many stages. They begin as eggs, laid by female hookworms in the intestines of their hosts. These eggs pass through into your dog’s feces. If deposited into warm, moist soil, the eggs can hatch into larvae after 1-2 days, becoming mature enough to infect dogs and people after just 5-10 days. After this stage, the larvae are considered adults, capable of attaching to the intestinal walls of your dog and causing a parasitic infection.
Causes of Hookworms in Dogs
There are several ways dogs can become infected with hookworms. Hookworm larvae live in soil, which when ingested can lead to an infection. An infected dog sheds hookworm eggs into the environment through their feces. Dogs can actually re-infect themselves with hookworm by contaminating their own environment. Dogs can also ingest hookworms by eating other animals that are infected, like cockroaches.
Hookworm larvae can also penetrate the skin. After contact, they travel to the lungs and the trachea where they are then coughed up and swallowed. The larvae then make their way to the small intestine, where they attach to the intestinal lining and mature into adults.
Puppies can become infected with hookworms while nursing. Hookworm larvae accumulate in the mother’s mammary glands and pass through the milk to the offspring. Puppies should be dewormed at 2, 4, 6 and 8 weeks of age to account for the high rate of hookworm infection that occurs after birth.
Can You Get Hookworms From Your Dog?
Your dog can’t give you hookworms directly. But you can get hookworms from contact with contaminated soil or feces from an infected dog. Children are at the highest risk of infection. To reduce your risk of contracting hookworms, practice good sanitation by cleaning up dog feces immediately, and preventing children from playing in areas where pets defecate.
11 Hookworm Symptoms in Dogs to Know About
Infected dogs shed hookworm eggs in their feces. However, these eggs are microscopic and invisible to the naked eye. Occasionally, pet owners may see live adult hookworms in their pet’s stool but many adult dogs with hookworm infections do not show any symptoms of disease. Infections tend to be more severe in puppies than in adult dogs.
Signs of hookworm infection in dogs can include:
- Lethargy
- Weakness
- Failure to gain weight
- Pot-bellied appearance
- Pale mucous membranes
- Coughing
- Vomiting
- Diarrhea
- Blood in the stool
- Poor coat condition
- Sudden death
If you think your dog may have a hookworm infection, it’s important to see your veterinarian right away for proper diagnosis and treatment.
How to Diagnose Hookworms in Dogs
To diagnose a hookworm infection, your veterinarian may recommend the following tests:
Physical examination. Your veterinarian will perform a head-to-tail physical examination of your dog to look for signs of hookworm infection. Indicators include as pale mucous membranes or changes in your dog’s coat.
A fecal sample. Your vet will look at your dog’s feces for hookworm eggs, which indicates that your dog has mature hookworms living in the intestine.
Fecal antigen testing. A test for an antigen produced by both adult and immature hookworms can help identify hookworm infections.
Hookworm Treatment for Dogs
If your dog is diagnosed with hookworm, it is important to treat the infection quickly. Hookworms feed on your dog’s blood, which can cause life-threatening anemia if left untreated. Fortunately, hookworm infections are easily treatable with the right medication.
Hookworm Medication for Dogs
Hookworm infections are treated with dewormers. These drugs kill the adult hookworms that are responsible for your dog’s hookworm infection. However, because many of these medications do not kill the parasite larvae, your dog may need an additional treatment in two to four weeks to kill the larvae that will have matured into adult worms. This ensures that the entire life cycle of the parasite has been eradicated.
General Cost of Hookworm Treatment for Dogs
Dewormers are generally inexpensive, but your dog may need two to three courses of medication to kill all of the parasites. Severely affected dogs may also need additional care, including hospitalization and blood transfusions, which can quickly become costly. For a typical hookworm infection, pet owners can expect to spend between $50 and $100 on treatment.
How to Prevent Hookworms in Dogs
Puppies should be dewormed at 2, 4, 6 and 8 weeks of age to prevent hookworm infections transmitted via nursing. Adult dogs should be placed on a monthly preventive product and monitored with regular fecal screenings once or twice per year.
Prompt removal of feces from your yard will prevent hookworm eggs from hatching and dispersing larvae into the environment. This is especially important for dogs who have been infected, as re-infection is possible.