Worming Dogs
What sort of worms affects dogs?
There are two main types of worms in the UK; round worms and tapeworms. The
roundworms are round and look like string while the tapeworms are flat and ribbonlike. These two types of worms live in the dog’s guts. There are types of worms that
can affect your dog’s heart, stomach or bladder but these are rare in the UK.
Lungworm is becoming more common in dogs in the UK but so far seems to be
mainly in southern UK.
What damage do worms cause?
Intestinal worms will help themselves to your dog’s food and can cause damage to
the gut lining which can cause loss of blood. They can also cause diarrhoea,
dehydration and anaemia. The effects of these may make your dog more susceptible
to other infections.
If your dog has a large infestation, your dog may cough, lose weight, have a poor
quality coat and in extreme cases a pot-bellied appearance.
Infestations can be more serious in puppies causing poor growth and in severe cases
death.
How are roundworms passed on?
Roundworms grow in the intestine and lay large numbers of eggs that pass out in the
faeces. The eggs can survive for months and sometimes even a year in the soil and
can remain in the environment for long periods before infecting an animal. The will
infect an new animal either when the faeces are eaten by a dog or if they eat rodents
which have eaten the eggs. Immature worms will also survive in the tissues of an
infected dog. Immature worms (larvae) can pass from a mother to her pup in her
milk.
How are tapeworms passed on?
Tapeworms are anchored by their head to the intestine wall and grow a continuous
ribbon of segments, each packed with eggs. The segments can break off gradually
and are passed out into the faeces. Usually, the way these are acquired by your dog,
is through fleas or eating dead wild rabbits. Immature fleas pick up the infection from
dog faeces in the environment and then the dogs become infected if they swallow a
flea during grooming. There is also a less common type of tapeworm that uses mice
and other rodents to complete its lifecycle.
How are lungworms passed on?
Lungworms are contracted via the ingestion of slugs and snails. Larvae are ingested
by slugs of the pasture, which then develop into immature lungworms. Dogs then
ingest the slugs/snails, which allows the worm to burrow into the bloodstream and
migrate to the lungs. Eggs are then laid in the lungs and hatch into small larvae. The
dog coughs up the larvae and then they are swallowed to be passed out in the
faeces for slugs to ingest and complete the life cycle.
How Can I tell if my dog has worms?
As well as the general signs described above, signs of infestation are to be found in
your dogs faeces. Puppies may vomit or pass worms in their faeces (these will look
like string). Segments of tapeworm, which look like grains of rice, can often be seen
in faeces or in the fur around the tail base and back legs. Roundworm eggs can be
seen by microscopic examination by your Veterinary Surgeon. Lungworm causes
coughing, lethargy and other general unwell signs.
How can worms be destroyed?
There are some highly effective treatments against worms. They come as pastes,
tablets and liquids. Different products are effective against different types of worms
and not others. We as your vets will be able to advise which product is best for your
dog. It is also important at this time to ensure flea control is effective also.
Puppies should be treated with wormers every two weeks from two weeks of age.
The interval from then will depend on the product used.
Does this include lungworm?
Not all products kill lungworm however there are products that we can supply that kill
lungworm as well as the round and tapeworms.
Can my family catch worms from dogs?
The common roundworm in dogs is a rare but potentially serious cause of human
disease. The larval stages of this worm burrow through the gut wall and become
embedded somewhere within the body and can cause serious damage if they end up
for example in the eye. Children are most susceptible to this rare event.
What can I do to reduce the risk?
Apart from regularly worming your pets there are a number of other measures which
can stop worms being passed on from dog to dog, or from dog to people.
 If your dog uses your garden as a toilet clear away the faeces and place in a
sealed bag in your dustbin.

Treat your dog regularly for fleas with a product recommended by ourselves.

Ensure children wash hands carefully after playing in areas, which may have
been used as a toilet by dogs, or have their hands contaminated when
playing with puppies and kittens.