Small Animal Intestinal Parasites

Question 1

Toxocara Canis:
- Common Name
- Transmission
- Treatment
- Diagnosis
- Host
- Effect
- Type of Parasite

Answer 1

• Common Name: Roundworms
  
  • Transmission: Fecal-oral, transplacenta infection (most common)
  • Treatment: Piperazine, Pyrantel, or Fenbendazole
  • Diagnosis: Fecal Floatation with Zinc Centrifugation
  • Host: Dog/Cat
  • Effect: Causes ocular larva migrans in people
  • Type of Parasite: Nematode, zoonotic

Question 2

Ancylostoma caninum/Uncinaria stenocephala:
- Common Name
- Transmission
- Treatment
- Diagnosis
- Host
- Signs
- Effects
-Class

Answer 2

• Common Name: Hookworm
  
  • Transmission: Fecal-oral, transmammary, percutaneous infections
  • Treatment: Fenbendazole, Pyrantel
  • Diagnosis: Fecal float with Zinc centrifugation
  • Host: Dog/Cat
  • Signs: Can cause hemorrhagic diarreha and severe anemia (especially in puppies)
  • Effects: Cutaneous larva migrans in people; occur via skin penetration. Travel through the skin to the lungs where they molt and are swollowed into the small intestine.
  • Class: Nematode, Zoonotic

Question 3

Trichuris Vulpis:
- Common Name
- Transmission
- Treatment
- Prevention
- Diagnosis
- Host
- Effect
- Class

Answer 3

• Scientific Name: Whipworm
  
  • Transmission: fecal-oral
  • Treatment: Fendbendazole
  • Prevention: Milbemycin (intercptor)
  • Diagnosis: Fecal float with Zinc centrifugation
  • Host: dog/cat
  • Effect: Severe infection may lead to hyperkalemia and hyponatremia (pseudo-Addison’s)
  • Class: Nematode, large intestinal parasite. Eggs have bipolar plugs at the ends

Question 4

Dipulidium canis
- Common name
- Intermediate Host
- Definitive Host
- Transmission
- Diagnostics
- Treatment
- Apperance

Answer 4

• Common name: Tapeworm
• Intermediate Host: Flea
• Definitive Host: Dog/Cat
• Transmission: Flea ingestion
• Treatment: Praziquantel treatment of choice; Drontal and Profender both contain this medication
• Diagnotics: Fecal Float (eggs not always seen), usually diagnosted by seeing segments
• Apperance: Flat and segmented, eggs are contained in segments; segments refered to as “proglottids”.
  
  • Segments are shed through feces and resemble a grain of rice, may be seen in feces or around anus of the pet

Question 5

Fasciola hepatica
- Common name
- Intermediate Host
- Definitive Host
- Treatment
- Location
- Class

Answer 5

• Common name: Fluke, AKA liver fluke
• Intermediate Host: Snail, most common in areas of high rainfall or moist environments
• Definitive Host: Cattle and Sheep
• Treatment: Albendazole
• Location: Hepatic bile ducts
• Class: Trematodes

Question 6

Giardia
- Life cycle
- Definitive Host
- Transmission
- Clinical Signs
- Diagnostics
- Treatment
- Class

Answer 6

• Life Cycle: Flagellated protozoan (trophozoites) and infective resistant cysts
• Definitive Host: dogs/cats/cows/goats
• Transmission: Fecal-oral, often through contaminated water sources
• Clinical Signs: Watery Diarreha
• Diagnostics: Fecal floation (cyst may be seen), Giardia ELISA test (most sensitive), Direct fecal smear (may see trophozoites)
• Treatment: Fenbendazole (Panacur) or Metronidazole (Flagyl)
• Class: Trematode, Potentionally zoonotic

Question 7

Isospora + Eimeria
- Common name
- Definitive Host
- Transmission
- Treatment
- Diagnosis
- Apperance
- Class

Answer 7

• Common name: Coccidia
• Definitive Host (Eimeria): rabbits/poultry/birds
• Definitive Host (Isospora): dogs/cats
• Diagnosis: Fecal float or sometimes direct smear
• Treatment: Sulfadimethoxine (Albon)
• Apperance: Single celled intestinal microscopic parasites, species specific
• Signs: Eimeria causes hepatic coccidiosis in lagomorphs (rabbits)
• Class: Trematodes