Roundworms

Roundworms are one of the most common parasites that we see in dogs and cats. As their name implies, the adult worms are long and round. They live in the intestines (and occasionally) the stomach of pets. It is not uncommon to see worms in the feces of puppies and, if the infection is large enough you, can see animals vomit up the worms.

Roundworms can be transmitted in a number of different ways. In adults, the worms can actually encyst in a few areas of the body and during stressful events (such as pregnancy) can be shed and spread. The worms can be passed to puppies in the uterus as well as in the mother's milk. In addition, animals can pick up eggs outside by coming in contact with infected soil or poop or by eating animals that are carrying a life cycle stage (like a mouse or other rodent).

After being ingested the eggs hatch in the stomach and then larvae migrate to the lungs. The larvae are then coughed up and swallowed where they make it back to the intestines. Here they grow into adult worms. The adults then lay eggs which are passed out in the feces. These eggs can stay viable in the environment for months to years, so infections can be more common than you think. In puppies we typically see some vomiting or diarrhea when they are infected with roundworms. Adults, however, are usually symptom free, which is why we ask that you bring a stool sample in yearly to evaluate for any parasite infections.

The good news is that the parasites are typically very easily treatable. A medication called Strongid (pyrantel) is the most common dewormer that is used to treat roundworm infections. Since puppies have a very high likelihood of exposure through their mother, we do recommend that all puppies be dewormed with Strongid. The first deworming is done around 2 weeks of age and then repeated every 2 weeks for 3-4 treatments. A poop sample is then checked to make sure that the puppy is parasite free.

Although as a veterinarian I am concerned about your pet, another part of my job is to make sure owners are aware of dangers posed to humans. It is uncommon, but roundworms can be transferred to people (typically through inadvertent ingestion of dirt or with curious toddlers eating dirt). Since the human is not the typical host for the worm, these worms tend to migrate throughout the body of a person and can end up in weird places like the eye and the brain. When here they can obviously cause some unwanted problems. Because of this we like to know your pet's parasite status and if positive treat them for the disease to not only keep them healthy, but also keep you at a lower risk of exposure.

In the next few days I will discuss another of the common parasites, Hookworms. Stay tuned.