Jenny's Jottings: Worms

I remember sitting in the garden as a child playing with earthworms. However, I wouldn’t want to do that with the worms I will talk about today!

Cats and dogs can carry several different types of parasitic worm. The main groups are roundworms and tapeworms.

Toxocara canis is a common roundworm in dogs but it can also cause disease in humans. This is an important reason to keep dogs up to date with worming treatment. If a human accidentally ingests worm eggs (which children can easily do when putting dirty hands in mouths) the larvae migrate as part of their lifecycle to other parts of the body causing organ damage and in rare cases, blindness.

This worm can infect puppies in the mother’s womb and via her milk. Pups with a large number of worms can appear small and pot bellied. Diarrhoea and vomiting may occur and more seriously, total intestinal blockage is a risk. Your vet will be able to recommend a wormer that is safe for puppies and pregnant animals and advise you of the best time to use it.

There are roundworms that infect cats too so don’t forget them. And remember that some worms can colonise other parts of the body such as the heart and lungs causing different problems.

Tapeworm is also common. The immature worm can be carried in fleas and wild animals such as mice and rabbits. When a dog or cat eats this carrier (or intermediate host), the tapeworm then develops into the adult form. Often it is possible to see segments of the tapeworm around an infected animal’s back end. These segments look similar to a grain of rice but they can move. Very unpleasant indeed!

Cats and dogs should be wormed at least every 3 months. In some cases more frequent worming is indicated. There are many ways of administering wormers so being unable to give tablets is no longer an excuse! If you worm your pet routinely then I hope this gives you a little background information. If you don’t worm your pet, then I hope you will now!

By Jenny Jones BVM&S MRCVS, vet at Borrajo’s veterinary clinics.