An intestinal parasite, hookworms in dog

It is an extremely common parasite seen in the majority of all puppies. Some hookworm symptoms are diarrhea, vomiting, bloody stools, weight loss, anemia, and even death.

The adult hookworm lives in the small intestine of dogs by attaching itself to the intestinal wall. They are only about 1/8" (3 mm) long and so small in diameter that you have to be looking very carefully to see them.

Unlike other worms who just absorb the digested food through their skin as it passes by, the hookworm drinks the dog’s blood. Despite their small size, they suck large amounts of blood from the tiny vessels in the intestinal wall.

The adult worm lives and mates within the dog and ultimately, the female worm produces eggs. Hookworm eggs are released into the intestinal contents and passed into the world mixed in with the dog’s stool.

The egg hatches in the environment and develops from a first stage larva, to a second stage larva, and finally a third stage larva which is ready to infect a new host.

The larva can infect dogs in several ways. One way is to penetrate the dog’s skin directly through the feet or whatever part of the skin is touching the ground.

Another way for the larva to gain entry is to be present in soil that is licked and swallowed by the dog, and puppies through their mother's milk.

Once the larvae are inside the dog, they make their way to the intestine where the cycle starts over.

Nursing females should be treated concurrently with their pups; and all puppies should be treated at 2-3 weeks of age.

Most heartworm prevention products contain a drug that will prevent hookworms in dog infection. However, these products will not kill the adult hookworms, so dogs must be treated for adult hookworms first.

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To verify the infestation of hookworms in dog(as well as other intestinal parasites), a veterinarian will take a stool sample and mix it with a special solution. The solution breaks the eggs free from the feces and allows them to be seen with a microscope. When these are seen, it is a simple procedure to eradicate the problem.

This is done by injection or orally and has few, if any, side-effects. However, these drugs only kill the adult hookworms. Therefore, it is necessary to treat again in about 2-4 weeks to kill any newly formed adult worms that were larvae at the time of the first treatment.