Does My Dog Have Worms?
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Opening up this can of gastrointestinal worms, so you can watch out for your dog and your family.
How do dogs catch worms?
Our doggies do so much with their mouths everyday e.g. sniff another dog’s poo, eat random rubbish on the floor, lick stuff, etc. This means they can swallow worm larvae or eggs by accident.
An infested dog will pass out eggs or larvae in his poo and another dog, if he ingests the faecal material, will get it. Puppies can also get worms from their mother via the womb, or through her milk.
What symptoms do I look out for?
Because these worms wreak havoc in the gut/intestines, generally the symptoms include:
Worms detected in poop, e.g. roundworms resemble spaghetti while tapeworm segments look like tiny rice grains
Diarrhoea (In more severe cases, you may detect blood)
Loss of weight
Vomiting (In some cases, you may see worms in the vomitus)
Licking under the tail or scooting due to itch
Which type of worms can make my dog sick?
The four common ones which may be residing in your dog are:
Hookworms
Roundworms
Tapeworms
Whipworms
These pesky parasites can stay dormant in your dog’s body as eggs or encysted larvae for a while before developing into adult worms, e.g. roundworms. This means your dog may not show any symptoms at all.
Encysted means the larvae gets enclosed and protected in a cyst, making it impervious to deworming medication.
Hookworms
Adult worms look like:
Tiny and thin worms that hook onto the intestinal wall and feed on blood. You can’t really detect them in the poo.
Contracted from:
Mother’s uterus or milk or contact with larvae in poo or in soil contaminated with poo
An active infestation causes your dog to:
Be lethargic
Have poor stamina
Lose weight
Be anaemic
Roundworms
Adult worms look like:
Spaghetti in the poo.
Contracted from:
Mother’s uterus or milk or ingesting eggs in contaminated soil or infested dog’s poo. Roundworm eggs are hardy and can stay in the soil for years.
An active infestation causes your dog to:
Be lethargic
Have a swollen belly
Grow poorly
Lose weight
Vomit
Cough (if the microscopic larvae has migrated to the lungs)
Tapeworms
Adult worms look like:
Long and segmented body. But you will only see small segments that look like rice grains in the poo or attached to the anus and furry area below your dog’s tail.
Contracted from:
Ingesting fleas or eating stuff infested with tapeworms e.g. rodents, birds.
An active infestation causes your dog to:
Scoot frequently because it’s itchy
Have a swollen belly
Lose weight
Vomit
Have diarrhoea
Whipworms
Adult worms look like:
Tiny pieces of thread with one end enlarged.
Contracted from:
Ingesting contaminated or undercooked food, water or meat.
An active infestation causes your dog to:
Have diarrhoea (with blood in severe cases)
Be dehydrated
Lose weight
What treatments get rid of worms?
Typically oral medication prescribed by the vet or injections in some cases. Expect treatment to take some time to completely flush out the infestation and the worms in their various life stages e.g. eggs, larvae and adults.
What can I do to prevent worms?
Keeping your dog healthy and worm-free is quite easy. Just do the following:
Comic credit: Liz Climo
Go for frequent health checks at your vet or at Gaia. For adult dogs, once a year is enough and for puppies, around 2 - 3 times in the first year.
If your dog is already affected by worms, get the right diagnosis and prescription from the vet. Avoid using over-the-counter medication or natural homemade remedies. These approaches may not be enough or effective to wipe out the worms.
Make sure you give your dog deworming medication regularly. Go back to the vet for checks to ensure the infestation is completely cleared out of your dog’s system.
Avoid feeding your dog a raw food diet and cook his food thoroughly to kill any worms or germs
Put your phone away on walks. Leash and watch your dog closely, so he doesn’t eat anything he shouldn’t.
Can I get sick from these worms?
Yes. Kids are especially susceptible because they tend to put stuff in their mouths and are less fastidious on maintaining good hygiene. Aside from prevention recommended above, make sure you and your family practice good hygiene when interacting with your dogs.
Comic credit Natalie Dee
Wash your hands thoroughly after picking up dog poo
If your dog poos at home, make sure the kids can’t access the designated doggy toilet area and clear the faeces regularly
Wipe your dog’s feet clean after a walk so they don’t track soil contaminated with worm-infested poo into the house
Don’t let your dog lick or kiss you or the kids
Don’t share the same bed with your dog