Pet Care

Pet Care

Your dog and.....Hookworms

Dogs, as well as having insects living in their coat, can have worms living in their stomachs! It sounds awful to have worms in a dog’s stomach, but they are very common and part of owning a dog is the prevention and treatment of worms in order to keep the dog healthy (and us!). There are many different types of worms that live on the contents of the dog’s stomach, with funny names. Effective worming treatment from your veterinary surgery can prevent all of them.

Hookworm

These worms are very short and thick and live in the first part of the dog’s stomach. The larvae are sometimes found on the dog’s skin, especially between their toes that causes an infection of the skin (dermatitis). As the dog licks its toes, it eats the hookworm larvae and the worm cycle carries on. The adult worms live on the dog’s blood and can cause anaemia (when the red blood cells (corpuscles) are reduced and there is a problem with the blood carrying oxygen around the body). Most dogs will become ill if they have hookworm, sometimes with diarrhoea (runny faeces). Your veterinary surgeon will advise you on how to prevent and treat hookworm, as any other worm.