Puppy Parasites 101: What You Need to Know to Keep Your Pup Safe
Does your pup have a pot belly? Have you noticed something moving in their poo? Yes, it’s time to talk about puppy parasites
If you’re a new pet parent and you’ve noticed something strange (maybe even wiggling) in your pup’s poo, been concerned about your puppy’s potbelly or reached out to your dog’s vet about bloody diarrhoea, you aren’t alone. The majority of the time, the answer to these questions points to a group of nutrient-depleting and blood-sucking culprits: intestinal parasites. Time to read up on some important information about intestinal parasites and your pup’s pooing habits.
What is a parasite?
A parasiteopens in new tab is an organism that feeds and lives on or in another animal such as a dog, causing them harm or even death. Intestinal parasites can range in size, shape, route of transmission and how they affect dogs. As the name suggests, they’re found somewhere along the pet’s gastrointestinal tract like the stomach or small and large intestines. Puppies are more likely to have severe symptoms from parasites because blood and nutrients are being taken away during a crucial time of growth and development.
How do puppies get parasites?
There are many ways a puppy can get infected with a parasite because they can be transmitted differently for each kind of intestinal parasite. Your puppy may get a parasite by doing something as simple as standing on grass that has parasitic larvae on it, through a flea bite or they can even be born with it. How is that possible? It all goes back to mum.
If a pregnant mum becomes infected with certain intestinal parasites, transmission to the puppies can occur even before they are born. Some parasites, most notably roundworms (Toxocara canis), are able to pass to puppies while they are still in the uterus. Another common route of transmission is during nursing, where larvae are passed to the puppies through the mother’s milk.
How much do you spend on your pet per year?
Even if a mum appears healthy and has previously tested negative for intestinal parasites, this does not always mean there is no risk to her puppies. Standard faecal tests only detect adult parasites living in the gut and cannot identify dormant larvae that may be hidden elsewhere in the body.
In dogs that have been infected in the past, roundworm larvae can migrate into muscle and other tissues, where they remain dormant for long periods of time. During pregnancy, hormonal changes can reactivate these larvae, allowing them to migrate back into the bloodstream and infect developing puppies, either before birth or during nursing. This is why routine worming of pregnant and nursing dogs, and early worming of puppies, is so important.
Common puppy parasites
Now that you’re aware of these pests, it’s time to dive into the nitty-gritty of intestinal parasites. Below you’ll find a list of the most common intestinal parasites your pup can get, how they’re transmitted, symptoms to look for and different treatment options and preventative measures that should be considered.
Hookworm
One common puppy parasite is ancylostoma caninum, commonly called hookworm. Puppies can become infected in several ways, including ingestion of contaminated soil or faeces, and when microscopic larvae burrow through the skin while a puppy is standing or lying on contaminated ground.
Unlike roundworms, hookworms are not typically transmitted in utero. However, infection can occur after birth via the mother’s milk, making transmammary transmission an important source of infection in young puppies. Hookworms are zoonotic parasites, which means they can be transmitted to humans. Symptoms of hookworms in dogs include:
dry or dull coat
anaemia
pale gums
lethargy
dark tarry stools or bloody diarrhoea
significant weight loss or inability to gain weight
Treatment for hookworms is usually oral dewormers (anthelmintics). Because they only kill adult worms, your pup will need to repeat treatment about two to four weeks after the first treatment.
Roundworm
Another parasite to watch out for is roundworm (toxocara canis and toxocara leonina). Puppies can get infected with roundworms by, you guessed it, sniffing or licking infected poo from another animal. They can also get roundworms if they eat other animals like rodents, earthworms and birds which are infected by roundworms. Toxocara canis can be passed from mother to puppies before birth (transplacental transmission) and through the milk while nursing (transmammary transmission), which is why roundworms are extremely common in young puppies. Toxascaris leonina, however, is acquired from the environment or prey animals and is not transmitted via the placenta or milk.
Roundworms can be transmitted to humans too. Treatment involves oral deworming medications. Because roundworm larvae migrate through the body and puppies are easily reinfected, multiple treatments are usually required, spaced a few weeks apart, following your vet’s recommended parasite control protocol.
Symptoms of roundworms in dogs include:
’spaghetti’ in your pup’s poo or vomit
recurrent diarrhoea
potbelly (puppies)
lethargy
stunted growth (puppies)
Giardia
Dogs often get infected by giardia (giardia duodenalis) by drinking water that has been contaminated by poo from an infected animal, but they can also get it by eating something contaminated by infected poo like grass or dirt. Not all pets show symptoms of giardia. When dogs do show symptoms of giardia, they include:
diarrhoea
lethargy
dehydration
weight loss
inability to gain weight
Vets will typically prescribe fenbendazole (dewormer). In severe cases of clinical disease or if there is suspected concurrent bacterial overgrowth, metronidazole (antibiotic) for about 10 days as a treatment for giardia. After that, your pup will need to be retested two to four weeks after finishing the medication.
Whipworm
Another common parasitic worm in dogs is the whipworm (trichuris vulpis). Pups can get infected with whipworm by accidentally eating eggs present on contaminated soil, grass or poo. Common symptoms of whipworms include:
chronic watery, bloody diarrhoea
significant weight loss
general debilitation (inability to conserve salt, leading to chronic dehydration)
It’s tough to test for whipworms because they pass eggs intermitterntly, so faecal samples often come back false negative. The most common dewormers used to treat whipworms are fenbendazole and febantel.
Tapeworm
Like many of these parasites, it’s pretty easy for your pup to be infected by tapeworms. Your pup can be infected with tapeworm (dipylidium caninum) if they eat an infected flea. Pups can also be infected with other tapeworm species, such as Taenia spp, by eating infected intermediate hosts such as rodents or raw or undercooked meat. Unfortunately, some forms of the taenia and echinococcus species of tapeworms can also be transmitted to humans. Symptoms of tapeworm in pups include:
moving rice-like segments found around pup’s bum or in their poo
weight loss
diarrhoea
lethargy
distended abdomen
Tapeworms often don’t show up on faecal screenings but can be seen without a microscope (wiggling stuff in your pup’s poo). Treatment of tapeworm in dogs consists of one or two rounds of praziquantel dewormer, which generally covers all tapeworms types.
Preventing puppy parasite infections
If all this information has you thinking about the last time you had your pup tested for intestinal parasites, this is your sign to get your dog’s poo checked. Intestinal parasites can be very scary, and while treatment is usually easier than you might think, prevention is always best.
Make sure your new pup is up-to-date on their vaccinations.
Pick up your dog’s poo to prevent the spread, transmission and reinfection of the parasite.
Practice good hygiene, like washing your hands after picking up faeces.
Make sure your pup has clean water accessible at all times to avoid drinking from puddles.
Limit exposure to areas where excessive dog poo will be.
Many heartworm preventatives contain deworming medication that will kill intestinal parasites.
If your pup is experiencing any of the symptoms mentioned, do your dog and yourself a favour and get their poo tested for possible parasites. It’s easy. To test their poo, simply bring in the freshest poo sample you can find and the clinic staff will do the rest. Vets typically will have results generally within the next 24–48 hours.
