Thus, the second dose of medication will prevent this from happening. This is because once the adults are initially destroyed any larvae present will survive and simply re-infect the dog. The infected animals are treated using two doses in order to successfully treat the parasitic disease. Generally the wormers are administered orally. Wormers containing pyrantel pamoate are currently effective. There are many wormers that can be used to treat a hookworm infection and these can be given to puppies as young as two weeks of age depending on the wormer used. If the animal coughs then the infection will have spread to the lungs and fatal pneumonia is a possibility. In cases where the infection becomes so advanced that the anaemia is especially severe, death can occur. The hookworms suck the animal’s blood and so severe anaemia is often a result of infection. The condition of the dog’s coat may deteriorate. There will also be a loss of appetite resulting in a large weight loss, weakness and stunted growth. Stools may be dark and tar-like in colour or bloody. Infected dogs commonly vomit and have diarrhoea. Some animals may not even present any signs at all, that is to say they are asymptomatic. The signs and symptoms of a hookworm infection vary in degrees of severity. Freezing also kills the parasitic organism. These conditions should be cold and moist since hotter and drier temperatures and destroy the hookworm. Outside of the host, the hookworm is able to survive in the right conditions in the environment for a few weeks. Puppies suckling from the mammary glands of infected mothers may also be infected by the contaminated milk. This is because the uterus of an infected mother can be a source of infection to the foetus. They then cough up and swallow the parasite. Puppies may be born infected with the parasite in their lungs. These other animals are therefore known as transport hosts. The materials are required to be moist or damp for efficient transmission. The eggs then hatch into larvae.Ĭontaminated materials can include faeces, soil, water, toys, grass and even other infected animals including rodents. The infected animal defecates and thus passes the eggs laid by the worms in its faeces. These materials are contaminated with the hookworm larvae, which as well as infection occurring via ingestion can enter through the animal’s skin. Hookworms are transmitted following the ingestion of contaminated materials.
#Feline hookworms in humans symptoms skin#
This is a zoonotic disease and this means it can be transmitted to humans where the skin is severely, adversely affected. There can be varying degrees of signs in the animals affected by the parasitic disease. The signs and symptoms following hookworms infecting dogs include diarrhoea, vomiting and anaemia. The parasite is more commonly known to be transmitted via the animal feeding on, and thus ingesting, soil contaminated with the hookworm’s larvae. This is because puppies have a weaker immune system than their older counterparts and so are less likely to be able to fight off an infection. Hookworms are able to attach themselves to the intestines by using what can only be described as its “teeth” to hold on to the intestinal wall It is here that they then suck the dog’s blood.ĭogs that are more susceptible to an infection from the hookworms are younger dogs and puppies. Upon entering the animal, the hookworm is found to be present in the intestines and also the blood, which it feeds on, of the infected dog. These are Ancylostoma caninum, Ancylostoma braziliense and Uncinaria stenocephala. The parasite that is the hookworm has three types, all of which can infect dogs. In the most severe cases, where advanced anaemia may occur, the infection can result in the death of the infected animal. Animals affected by this internal parasite, depending on the type of hookworm, are generally cats, dogs and foxes. Hookworms are rarely found in the UK but infections can be seen to occur more commonly in North America. Signs and Symptoms of Hookworms in Dogs.