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Hookworms
Hookworms are small thin worms that
measures up to 0.5 inch in length.
They are so small and quite difficult to recognize in the feces of
dogs and cats. Hookworms are
one of the most harmful intestinal parasites. The mouth parts of the worm have hooks which allow the
worm to hook to the wall of the small intestine and draw blood from its
host. The mouth parts damage
the lining of the bowel and cause bleeding. The worms nourishes on the blood and move from area to
area in the bowel leaving raw bleeding surfaces.
Young puppies are most severely affected
by hookworm disease. They may
have anemia and diarrhea.
Their stools are characteristically bloody, dark-wine or tarry-black
in colour and consistency. If
not treated, many puppies die from this disease.
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Chronic hookworm infections in adult
dogs are usually not as life threatening but may cause diarrhea, anemia,
weight loss and progressive weakness.
They may carry dormant cysts of the larvae in their tissues, which
can be released during periods of stress or illness.
Puppies and kittens acquire hookworms by
ingestion of their mother¡¦s milk.
Only one to two percent are infected while still in the uterus. The majority of adults acquire
hookworm disease by contact with the larvae in contaminated soil or
feces. The larvae are
swallowed and mature into adults in the bowel. The adult worms breed in the bowel and lay eggs which
are shed in the feces so that the cycle can start all over again.
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