Take Your Pet to the Vet for Any and All Symptoms of Hookworm in Dogs Senior dogs or dogs with serious health conditions may be more at risk of death from hookworms, especially if left untreated. Healthy adult dogs can usually survive hookworm infections with the help of medication. Hookworms can cause anemia (a lack of red blood cells in the body) which can, in turn, quickly become fatal to a small puppy. Hookworms are usually fatal to young puppies who contract them through their mothers’ milk. For this reason, it is extremely important for mother dogs to be up to date on their shots and deworming medication, and to go for vet checkups often while expecting and nursing puppies. Mother dogs can, unfortunately, pass hookworms to puppies through their milk. Milestones will not be met, and these puppies will be at a severe risk of becoming very sick if the hookworm infection is allowed to continue without treatment. They may not gain enough weight and may also not get as tall or long as they should. Puppies who have hookworms may show signs of stunted growth from an early age. If this is the only symptom you’ve noticed, you’ll need to take your pet to the vet for a complete diagnosis. Sudden extreme weight loss can be a sign of a wide variety of health problems in dogs, including cancer. All of these symptoms combine to create a sudden, extreme loss of weight. An infected dog may also not have the strength to stand up long enough to eat a complete meal, and you may notice a lot of vomiting and diarrhea as well. When a dog has hookworms, he is not very interested in eating. Other illnesses may also have bloody diarrhea as a symptom, and the vet will need to find out what’s going on to provide the right treatment. Bloody diarrhea is a very dangerous symptom that can lead to both anemia and dehydration without quick treatment, so the emergency vet is the best choice in this situation.
Bloody Diarrheaīloody diarrhea is another symptom that comes with a moderate to severe hookworm infection. Dogs who are vomiting a lot may be at risk of dehydration and should be taken to the vet for IV fluids if the vomiting does not stop in a day. Vomiting is one of the more common symptoms of hookworms, especially when the infection has gotten worse.
Moderate to Severe Symptomsīelow are moderate to severe symptoms of hookworm in dogs: Vomiting They may also become uninterested in food or water because eating and drinking cause more stomach pain. They may have tenderness and may be guarded when their abdomens are touched. Stomach Painĭogs with a serious case of hookworms may have stomach pain. If your dog’s paws are itching and they don’t show any of the other symptoms on this list, the problem may not be hookworms however, itchy paws along with any of these other symptoms may indicate a hookworm infestation. Itching paws are a unique symptom of hookworms. Lethargy may also appear as a lack of interest in their favorite toys, people, or food. They may not want to get up and play, and their activity levels may drop suddenly. Lethargyĭogs who are sick with hookworms may feel lethargic. Dogs who are sick with hookworms may be too weak to stand up, especially if the condition persists for a long time. Since the hookworms feed off of your dog’s blood supply while attached to the intestinal wall, they quickly lead to weakness as a result of this blood loss. The symptoms of hookworm in dogs that are considered to be mild to moderate include: Weakness However, it’s always good to have your dog treated for this as quickly as possible so that their discomfort can be eased.īelow, we’ll break down the severity of some of the most common signs of hookworm in dogs. You’ll need to know the severity of all of these symptoms so that you can know how immediate your pet will need veterinary care. The signs that your dog may be suffering from a hookworm infestation can range from being mild to severe. Dogs can contract this parasite from sniffing soil and feces that are contaminated or from drinking water with hookworms in it. When a dog has hookworms, those worms latch onto the intestinal wall with their hook-like mouths.
As a dog owner, it’s very important for you to know the common symptoms of hookworm in dogs so that you can quickly identify when your pet needs treatment for this.Ĭhief Veterinary Officer of Heart + Paw, George Melillo, says the following about hookworms: “An important thing to note is that hookworms can also infect people, so this parasite has a public health significance.” Common Symptoms of Hookworm in Dogs
Have you ever heard of hookworm? What is hookworm, anyway? Is it really a worm? Hookworm is a parasite that is also a type of worm, and it can infest dogs’ bodies easily under the right conditions.
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