Roundworms In Dogs: What You Must Know?

Dogs are susceptible to contracting internal parasites because they have the habit of exploring their surroundings. They put anything and everything into their mouths which makes it a lot easier for parasites to enter the pet’s body. These parasites then cause a host of health issues in dogs if not addressed on time. One such internal parasite is – roundworm in dogs. Roundworms, like the other three intestinal parasites, (hookworms, whipworms, and tapeworms) live and derive nutrition from the partially digested food in the canine’s body and multiply in numbers. Deprivation of nutrients thus causes major health issues in the host’s body and thus must be eliminated without delay.

How Do Roundworms in Dogs look like?   

There are generally two types of roundworms that normally infect dogs, Toxicaris canis and Toxicaris leonina. They are light brown or white, spaghetti-like structures that can measure up to 7 inches in length and look like tubular threads that reside in the intestines in adult dogs. Moreover, they can lay as many as 200,000 eggs a day after sucking nutrition from the digestive matter.

How are Roundworms Transmitted in Dogs?

Precisely, there are five ways dogs can contract roundworms –

• Through a faecal matter of other dogs in the surroundings
• By eating an infected host like rat or bird.
• Through infected soil
• Can inherit from the mother when still in the uterus
• Through mother’s milk

Regardless of whether dogs procure roundworms from their mother or simply swallow the eggs from the environment, these eggs cause serious consequences in the dog’s body. After ingestion, these worms migrate to the intestines and hatch into larvae. These larvae then move up to the lungs; are coughed up by the dog and swallowed again. These swallowed larvae eventually return to the intestines, derive nutrition and mature into the adult worms.  This is how they sustain and spread infection. Sometimes they can even clog the intestines, causing difficulty in the elimination process. Besides that, the nutrition absorbed through the partially digested matter also leads to malnourishment and dogs gradually become weak and susceptible to other infections as well.

Since puppies have weak immunity, they are quite vulnerable to contracting the infection repeatedly and thus can be severely debilitated by the infection. On the other hand, adult dogs have a stronger immune system which often halts the maturation of larvae. This leaves no option for these larvae but to migrate to the tissues where they lie dormant. When a female dog conceives a puppy, the hormones activated during the process also stimulate these dormant worms. These resurrected worms then migrate to the placenta or to the mammary glands which in turn leads to the transmission of roundworms in the puppies.

What are the Symptoms of Roundworms in dogs?

Roundworms or any intestinal worm for that matter, devour on the partially digested food and derive vital nutrients from the intestines which were supposed to be absorbed by the body for its proper growth and function. Thus, as a consequence, heavy roundworm infection causes improper development in puppies. It almost takes four weeks for the symptoms to manifest and may include –

• Coughing
• Vomiting
• Diarrhea
• Stunted growth
• Pot-bellied appearance
• Weight Loss due to malnutrition
• Dull coat due to nutrient deprivation
• Worms coughed up or found in stools

Symptoms of roundworms in dogs are easy to detect and if a pet parent stays vigilant of his pet’s health, he can report any onset of infection to the vet, timely.

Can Dogs Die From Roundworm Infection?

Well, roundworm infection can be certainly debilitating to the dogs’ overall health, giving them pot-bellied or stunted appearance. However, it is less severe a concern in older dogs than it is in puppies. Reason being, puppies are weak thus a severe roundworm infection can actually lead to fatal consequences in these minors.

How To Treat Roundworms In Dogs?

Once the dog has been detected of roundworm infection through a method called fecal flotation, he is then treated with high quality, single dose worming pill. This kind of wormer eliminates all the mature roundworms from the dog’s body within 24 hours.   At times, for being on a safer side, a vet may rather prescribe a multi-wormer which not only eradicates roundworms but eliminates other worm infections as well.

 Regardless of its efficacy, worming treatments must be administered to the dog every 3 months to prevent reinfestation because these treatments don’t kill immature larvae. They are only effective on adult forms of worms.

How Often Should I Deworm My Dog?

Puppies lose the immunity that they had acquired from their mother in 2 weeks times and thus require instant protection against lurking parasites. Therefore, every pup must undergo a worming treatment every alternate week after 2 weeks of age, until he is 6 months old. A booster is also required to be administered in the next 6 months.

Adult dogs, on the other hand, must also be wormed every 3-4 months because even though they have better immunity than pups, their lifestyle makes them susceptible to getting infection easily.

Can Roundworms Infect Humans?

Yes, roundworm infection is transmissible to humans as well. Pet owners can contract roundworms after handling the fecal matter of their pets. Apart from that, infected dogs can also transmit worm eggs by licking your face. These transmitted roundworm eggs pose a greater health risk in humans because they migrate to vital organs of the body, hampering their function thereby causing serious systemic infections. Thus, humans must always avoid any animal or fecal contact with their mouth or skin.

How To Prevent Roundworms In Dogs?

Roundworms acquired from mother’s foetus or milk require immediate elimination to prevent growth-related issues in pets and thus as mentioned before, puppies must be de-wormed every 2 weeks until the age of 6 months.  Besides worming your pet every 3-4 months, other basic methods of preventing worm infection also include –

• Removal of dirt from the paws whenever a dog has visited a muddy area.
• Be watchful of your dog. Do not let him eat any trash or fecal matter which is easily and abundantly found in parks, gardens or bushy areas.
• Feed your dog a well-balanced diet to prevent nutrient depletion.
• Use a good quality worming tablet and do not forget to administer the treatment every few months.
• Report any abnormality in your pup’s growth immediately and watch out if he shows any clinical signs of roundworms.

Worm infection can be extremely pestering and debilitating to the pet. It leaves the dog fragile and vulnerable to other serious infections caused by bacteria and viruses. Therefore, a pet parent must always keep a watchful eye on their Fido and take necessary measures required to keep the pet healthy and disease-free. Well, if you are still pondering how to deworm your dogs and puppies effectively, Read here.