Internal dog parasites, normally various types of worms, are often transmitted by fleas, ticks, mosquitoes or snails and slugs. They can seriously impair a dog’s health and some can cause contagious infectious diseases in humans. Most dogs will have worms at some stage in their lives.

The two most common kinds are roundworm, which is often inherited from the dog’s mother, and tapeworm. Both of these are potential health hazards for humans. They are passed on to humans by finding their way into our bloodstreams and digestive systems via contact with dog feces in which roundworm eggs are present. They can cause very serious health issues. This is another powerful argument in favor of picking up, in suitable poo bags, any feces after your dog’s bowel movements and disposing of the bag hygienically. You must also ensure that your dog is routinely wormed around every six months.

Roundworm

Description: The symptoms of roundworm are a pot belly, vomiting, diarrhea and sometimes passing worms in the feces. The worms generally live in the dog’s small intestine and take nourishment from the dog.

Action and treatment: Worm your dog regularly twice a year with a preparation approved by a vet. Some preparations cover both roundworm and tapeworm. If you suspect that your dog has worms, take a stool sample to your vet for laboratory analysis.

Tapeworm

Description: Tapeworms enter your dog’s digestive system through larval ingestion via fleas. As the worms mature, they feed from matter in the dog’s intestine, causing it to feel hungry and so want to eat more. The worm attaches its head to the small intestine, where it grows into a long chain of segments. These segments, which look like grains of rice, break off and can be seen in the dog’s stools, beneath its tail and around the hair of the anus.

Action and treatment: Treatment must involve getting rid of the host fleas, or your dog is likely to be re-infected. Otherwise, treat as for roundworm.

Lungworm

When ingested by dogs, lungworm larvae, which are carried by slugs and snails as intermediate hosts, can infect the bloodstream. The larvae migrate towards the heart and pulmonary arteries, and thread-like adults develop that infest the pulmonary circulation. They cause coughing and breathing problems. As the dog coughs, it expels lungworm eggs, which are also passed in feces. The eggs are ingested by slugs and snails and so the process starts again. In some cases the condition can prove fatal. Lungworm cannot infect humans.

Action and treatment: An effective worming product (some cover roundworm and tapeworm too) used regularly will prevent infestation.