Common Intestinal Worms: Roundworm

Dogs can be hosts to a variety of parasitic intestinal worms. The most common are the roundworms which tend to infest most puppies, but tapeworms can be a problem when flea infestations are high.

Most worm infestations cause any or all of the following symptoms: diarrhea, perhaps with blood in the stool; weight loss; dry hair; general poor appearance; and vomiting, perhaps with worms in the vomit. However, some infestations cause few or no symptoms. In fact some worm eggs or larvae may be dormant in your dog's body and activated only in times of stress, or in the case of roundworms, in the very stages of pregnancy, when they are activated and passed on to the soon-to-be-born puppies.

Roundworms: Roundworms are most common in the intestines of puppies, often causing a pot-bellied appearance and poor growth. The worms may be seen in vomit or stool; a severe infestation can cause death by intestinal blockage.

This worm can grow to seven inches in length, and the females can produce 200,000 eggs in a day, and the eggs can lay dormant in the soil for months or even years due to their hard protective casing. Dogs generally become infected by ingesting round worm eggs from contaminated soil, and worm eggs can often be found in dog parks, public lawns, and anywhere where wild game runs free such as a farm. Roundworm eggs hatch in the intestine of the dog and the resulting larva are carried to the lungs by the bloodstream. The larva then crawl up the windpipe and get swallowed, often causing the pup to cough or gag. Once the larvae returns to the intestine, they grow into adult roundworms.

Roundworms do not typically infest adult dogs. However, as noted above, the larvae can encyst themselves in body tissue of adult bitches and activate during the last stages of pregnancy to infest puppies. Worming the bitch has no effect on the encysted larvae and cannot prevent the worms from infecting the puppies.

Roundworms can be treated with an over-the-counter wormer found in pet stores, but care should be given to mixing the proper dosage.
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