Canine parasites Flashcards
internal parasites
roundworms
hookworms
whipworms
tapeworms
heartworms
external parasites
fleas
ticks
ear mites
mange mites
roundworms
very common in dogs, almost all puppies have them
common symptom in pups: potbellied appearance
adults are often asymptomatic
roundworm life cycle
ingestion of contaminated soil or feces
eating infected animals
pups can be infected before birth
transmissible to humans
juvenile worms migrate through tissue
roundworm infection of pups
infected transplacentally when encysted larva in the mother migrate to fetus
infected transmammary through milk of mother
roundworm transmission
even a dog with a light infection can pass many eggs through feces
roundworm human infection
kids playing in sandboxes, eating dirt
larvae can migrate to eyes, cause blindness
hookworms
attach to side of intestine
eggs develop outside the body
don’t have to be ingested, can burrow through paws
hookworms in humans
humans are dead end hosts
causes itching
whipworms
much smaller, not visible
tapeworms
drop off back segments with eggs in them
see eggs that look like rice in feces
spread by fleas, flea larvae eat tapeworm eggs
heartworm
not in the intestine, in circulatory system (heart and blood vessels)
heartworm lifecycle
transmitted by mosquito
mosquito bites infected dog, larvae in the blood stream
larvae mature in mosquito, mosquito can transmit to healthy dog
heartworm treatment
preventative!
if mature heartworms, use arsenic to kill worms
dead worms can obstruct arteries
can you vaccinate for worms?
no
