Dog Round Worms

Roundworms include all worms under the classifica-tion of nematodes, such as hookworms, whipworms, esophageal worms,heartworms, lungvvorms, and kidney worms, as well as the large roundworms that most pet owners recognize. But as we use the term "round-worms" in this section, we shall limit it to the whitish or yellowishworm that grows up to five inches long in the stomach and intestines ofpets, is pointed at both ends, and inclined, while alive, to curl up like aspring. When dead, it straightens out so that it may appear to be simply bowed at the ends.

Although there are several kinds of intestinal roundworms, their lifehistories are much the same. The eggs pass out of the dog withevery bowel movement. In less than a week, if the temperature andmoisture arc propitious, a little worm forms in the egg. In other words,it has to incubate before it can hatch. Now this egg is in the infective stage and, as such, it will live for years, waiting to be picked up by asuitable host. It may enter the host in any one of dozens of ways. A dogmay walk in a spot where feces have entirely disintegrated but wherethe eggs remain. They stick to its feet; it licks itself and becomesinfested. A puppy may find the eggs on its mother's breasts, or a dogmay drag a moist bone through an infested area.

The egg enters the stomach, and the shell, or coat, is digested, liber-ating the embryo. If it happens to be an egg of Toxascaris leonina, thelarva moves along into the intestine, where it penetrates the lining,remains there for ten days, and grows. Finally it returns into the lumen,or hollow part of the intestine, and continues to grow to maturity,feeding on the dog's partially digested food.

If the roundworms are of the Toxascaris canis or T. cati variety, theyare much more harmful to their host. In the intestine the little larvaebore through the intestinal lining and enter the bloodstream wherethey grow. Many may be found in the liver and spleen while on theirway to the lungs. In the lungs they penetrate through from the bloodvessels into the air spaces and are moved on to the windpipe. Up thisthey move in mucous secretions until the irritations causes the dog tocough and gag as if clearing its throat. The small amount of mucuswith the worms in it is swallowed. Down the gullet go the parasites,which from then on until old age overtakes them, or worm medicinekills them, live in the intestine, migrating up and down at will, copulat-ing and laying thousands of eggs.

Not only do roundworms give off a toxin, but the migrations of thelarvae in the body, especially in the lungs, frequently cause death.In puppies these worms cause potbellies, lethargy, diarrhea, anemia,often subnormal temperatures, and dull coats. When only a few wormsare harbored, the symptoms are, of course, less noticeable and mayconsist only of a general lethargy, in spite of a fair appetite. In olderdogs the worms' ravages are much less severe. Perhaps the most seriousinjury done by roundworms is to the lungs. Dogs develop verminouspneumonia as a result of the damage inflicted by large numbers oflarvae boring from the blood vessels to the air sacs, causing irritation asthey work up the bronchi and trachea to the throat.

PREVENTION: Prevention consists in deworming a bitch before breed-ing and keeping her off soil and out of quarters that are contaminatedwith roundworm eggs. If there is any chance that she has been where roundworm eggs are present, wash her teats before the newborn pup-pies nurse. When the puppies are walking, they too must be kept out ofinfected quarters. Bones and food that can be dragged around in filthare common sources of infestation.

TREATMENT: With puppies, a fecal examination should always bemade before treatment. If worms are present, the puppies should betreated with Piperazine, which may be obtained from pet accessoryestablishments. It is the one over-the-counter drug that is safe, effica-cious, and inexpensive. Veterinarians have medication that destroysseveral types of worms at one time.

If tremendous numbers of roundworms are suspected, it is wise tofollow the Piperazine in an hour with half a teaspoon of milk of magne-sia to move the dead worms along. It is best to reworm parasitizedpuppies in three weeks.

Some owners ask at how young an age puppies can have roundwormsand at what age can they safely be dewormed. We have kept a carefulrecord of the age of infested dogs and have found a high percentage ofthree-week-old puppies with worms. These, of course, had been con-tracted before birth. It proved safe to deworm the youngest infestedpuppy. In our opinion it is safer to deworm them at the first sign ofworms rather than to wait until they arc two or three weeks older andsicker; they will tolerate it at the earlier age much better.