What Are Worms?
Worms are parasites that live inside your pet. There are several different types of worm, including:
- Roundworms - pinkish/white in colour and curled in a spiral. You can usually spot them in your pet's excrement or vomit.
- Tapeworms - these look like long strips. They are divided into sections which can break off. These segments will come out of your pet and you will be able to see them moving around the animal's anus or on the ground.
- Heartworms - live inside your pet's heart.
- Hookworms - one of the most common parasites to infect cats and dogs. They attach themselves to the intestine and can cause anaemia.
Sometimes your pet will not exhibit any outward signs if it has worms. However, some animals may start to lose weight and their coat may become coarser. They may start licking their rear or dragging themselves around on their bottom. In young puppies or kittens, and inflated abdomen can be a sign that they might be infected with worms.
How Your Pet Can Catch Worms
There are several different ways your pet might catch worms, depending on the type of worm it becomes infected with.
Roundworms spend their entire lifecycle inside an animal's body. Eggs (and worms) are in any excrement your pet passes. The eggs turn into larvae, which are then ingested by any animal that eats them. They then begin living in that animal and the cycle starts again.
It is possible for some animals to be born with roundworms. They can live in the muscle tissue of a female animal and are passed onto the baby through the placenta during pregnancy. This is a huge health risk to the young animal as the worms can make them very ill and even kill them.
Tapeworms are never present from birth. They are usually spread by fleas. Tapeworms can live inside fleas. If a flea is then eaten by an animal while it is cleaning itself, the tapeworm is transferred to a new host where it carries on living and breeding.
Heartworms are transmitted by mosquito bites, while hookworms are transmitted by ingesting the larvae through feces or food.
Treating Worms
Medication for treating all types of worms are available from your vet. The kind of treatment your pet needs will depend on the kind of worms it has. Usually a course of medication will be required. For hookworm infestations, it is a good idea to separate the infected animal from others. Animals with severe heartworm infections may require surgery.
Preventing Future Infestations
If you have a dog or a cat, you should give them treatment for roundworms every three months, or as often as advised by your vet. They should be given worming treatment even if you don't think they have worms as it will make sure there is no chance of infestation.
The best way to prevent roundworms is to give your pet a good anti-flea treatment. While tapeworm treatments are available, they should only be administered if your pet actually has a tapeworm.
In mosquito affected areas, vets often administer an annual heartworm preventative.