MY DOG HAS ROUND WORMS IN HIS STOOL!  BY YOUR CARMEL VETERINARIAN

For those of you who have seen the show “Monsters Inside of Me” you know about parasites.  Dogs are commonly affected with all different types of parasites as well.  One of the most common parasites I see as a Carmel veterinarian are roundworms.  These long tubular shaped worms live the intestines of dogs feeding off partially digested food.  The adults can be seen with the naked eye and look like long pieces of spaghetti.

How did my dog get these intestinal round worms?

Roundworms most commonly affect puppies as they are transferred from the mother to the puppy through the placenta and the mother’s milk.  Adult dogs can become reinfected anytime by sniffing their noses in some feces of an affected animal or by directing ingesting infected feces.  They usually cause loose stool, pot-bellied appearance, and stunted growth in affected puppies although many dogs and cats infected with round worms show no clinical signs.  All puppies should be tested when they are young by their Carmel veterinarian.  Your pet’s stool should also be examined under the microscope once a year to monitor for these intestinal parasites.  There are several safe and cheap deworming medications to remove the parasites from affected dogs.

Are these round worms transmissible to people?

YES!  Humans become infected by ingesting a small amount of contaminated feces.  This is most common in young children who often touch everything and then put their hands in their mouth.  The round worms can infect any organ in the humans including the eye causing blindness and the brain causing seizures.  To help prevent your family from becoming infected, follow these steps:

1.  Don’t let your kids play in open sandboxes as these are often used by stray cats and raccoons are litter boxes!

2.  Always wash your hands before you eat.

3.  Pick up feces in the backyard regularly.

4.  Visit your Carmel veterinarian for the once a month heartworm and intestinal parasite preventatives.  Make sure you give this to every pet in the house once a month all year long.

For more information on our Caring Hands Compassionate Hearts, click on this link to your Carmel Veterinarian.