The 5 Most Common Intestinal Parasites in Dogs and Cats
Parasites – those organisms that live in or on a host and get their food from, or at the expense of, the host – come in many forms. Most of us are familiar with the external types of parasites our pets pick up, ticks and fleas, but there are also a number of intestinal parasites that can impact the health and well-being of our dogs and cats. They live in our pet’s gastrointestinal tract and can become life-threatening. Read on to find out what the most popular intestinal parasites are and how to treat them.
Types of Intestinal Parasites
Tapeworms
The largest of the intestinal parasites, tapeworms can be anywhere from four to dozens of inches in length. Most animals get tapeworms from ingesting a host, such as a flea, a bird or a rodent that’s infested with tapeworm eggs; they do not get them from other dogs or cats.
The most common type of tapeworm is Dipyldium caninum, the flea tapeworm, so it’s important that dogs and cats have good flea control. Other types of tapeworms are mostly contracted from eating wildlife, and therefore found more often in cats.
Depending on the species of tapeworm, your pet can suffer from intestinal blockage, stunted growth, or development of cysts on their organs. These ailments may express themselves as diarrhea, vomiting, weight loss or general weakness. A scooting motion is also common as your pet tries to itch or relieve irritation on its anus.
Diagnosis of tapeworms entails examining a fecal sample, though sometimes tapeworm remnants – which may look like grains of rice – can be spotted on your pet’s anus. Both oral and injected medications are used to treat tapeworms. Depending on the type of tapeworm, anti-inflammatories and, in some cases, laxatives may also be prescribed. Your vet will check your pet’s stool several times over the following three months to ensure the tapeworms have been eradicated.
Parasites – those organisms that live in or on a host and get their food from, or at the expense of, the host – come in many forms. Most of us are familiar with the external types of parasites our pets pick up, ticks and fleas, but there are also a number of intestinal parasites that can impact the health and well-being of our dogs and cats. They live in our pet’s gastrointestinal tract and can become life-threatening. Read on to find out what the most popular intestinal parasites are and how to treat them.
Types of Intestinal Parasites
Tapeworms
The largest of the intestinal parasites, tapeworms can be anywhere from four to dozens of inches in length. Most animals get tapeworms from ingesting a host, such as a flea, a bird or a rodent that’s infested with tapeworm eggs; they do not get them from other dogs or cats.
The most common type of tapeworm is Dipyldium caninum, the flea tapeworm, so it’s important that dogs and cats have good flea control. Other types of tapeworms are mostly contracted from eating wildlife, and therefore found more often in cats.
Depending on the species of tapeworm, your pet can suffer from intestinal blockage, stunted growth, or development of cysts on their organs. These ailments may express themselves as diarrhea, vomiting, weight loss or general weakness. A scooting motion is also common as your pet tries to itch or relieve irritation on its anus.
Diagnosis of tapeworms entails examining a fecal sample, though sometimes tapeworm remnants – which may look like grains of rice – can be spotted on your pet’s anus. Both oral and injected medications are used to treat tapeworms. Depending on the type of tapeworm, anti-inflammatories and, in some cases, laxatives may also be prescribed. Your vet will check your pet’s stool several times over the following three months to ensure the tapeworms have been eradicated.
Whipworms
Though whipworms can infect both dogs and cats, they are more common in dogs. They get their name from their shape which is thick at one end and thin at the other, like a whip. At about a quarter-inch long, they live in the large intestine, attaching their thicker end to the intestinal lining. As they mature, they cause irritation and discomfort.
As with other parasites, your pet may show no signs of infestation, or your pet may exhibit chronic weight loss, diarrhea, anemia, or have mucus or blood in his or her stool. These creatures have a three-stage life cycle (i.e., larvae, eggs, adults) and are contracted when your pet licks or sniffs contaminated material.
Because of their diminutive size, whipworm eggs are difficult to spot in a stool sample. Your vet will examine a stool sample under a microscope to confirm the diagnosis; however, since whipworms only pass eggs periodically, it might take several stool samples over time to make an accurate diagnosis.
Treatment consists of an anti-worming medication. Due to the resilience of whipworm eggs, re-infestation is common, so pet owners are encouraged to thoroughly clean areas that pets inhabit – especially kennels – and eliminate moist areas where whipworm eggs tend to thrive.
Roundworms Roundworms are another common parasite, appearing as white worms one to seven inches in length (much like a thick strand of spaghetti). Most puppies and kittens are born with roundworm larvae already in their systems, but the parasite can also be contracted through infected feces or mother’s milk.
Some pets will show no signs of infection, while others will exhibit vomiting, diarrhea, coughing or poor growth. Active infestations may give pets a pot-bellied appearance and, in severe cases, can lead to death.
Roundworms are generally visible in pets’ stool or vomit, so your vet will likely ask to examine a fecal sample. A deworming medication will be prescribed. Puppies and kittens should be treated at two-week intervals in their first months of life, and monthly thereafter. The nursing mother should also be kept on a preventative treatment plan.
Hookworms
Named for their ability to hook themselves onto the lining of pets’ intestines, the hookworm punctures the wall of the gut to feed off of the blood vessels. Both dogs and cats can contract hookworms by sniffing, eating or walking on contaminated soil, water or feces. They’re also transmitted by mothers to their offspring, either in utero or through their milk.
Despite their small size – just three millimeters in length – their parasitic feeding can lead to severe anemia. Other symptoms include weakness, pale gums, weight loss, diarrhea or constipation, and itchy paws. The latter symptom is caused by small lesions on the bottoms of the animal’s feet and between the toes, where the hookworm has entered the skin.
To diagnose hookworms, your vet will perform a diagnostic test called a fecal float to look for hookworm eggs. Treatment is usually a deworming medication, taken orally. Hookworms have a three-stage life-cycle (i.e., larvae, eggs, adults), and since these drugs only kill the adult hookworm, your pet may need multiple treatments over a two-to-four week period to eradicate any adults formed from surviving larvae. In rare cases, your pet may require a blood transfusion to address severe anemia.
Named for their ability to hook themselves onto the lining of pets’ intestines, the hookworm punctures the wall of the gut to feed off of the blood vessels. Both dogs and cats can contract hookworms by sniffing, eating or walking on contaminated soil, water or feces. They’re also transmitted by mothers to their offspring, either in utero or through their milk.
Despite their small size – just three millimeters in length – their parasitic feeding can lead to severe anemia. Other symptoms include weakness, pale gums, weight loss, diarrhea or constipation, and itchy paws. The latter symptom is caused by small lesions on the bottoms of the animal’s feet and between the toes, where the hookworm has entered the skin.
To diagnose hookworms, your vet will perform a diagnostic test called a fecal float to look for hookworm eggs. Treatment is usually a deworming medication, taken orally. Hookworms have a three-stage life-cycle (i.e., larvae, eggs, adults), and since these drugs only kill the adult hookworm, your pet may need multiple treatments over a two-to-four week period to eradicate any adults formed from surviving larvae. In rare cases, your pet may require a blood transfusion to address severe anemia.
Coccidia, Giardia, and Spirochetes
Rounding out the top five is a set of non-worm, single-celled protozoans that live in your animal’s intestinal tract where they reproduce. They can linger there, undetected, as some pets become immune to them. For others, these creatures will wreak havoc in different ways. Puppies are particularly prone to Coccidia, which can become fatal if left untreated. Giardia are the most pervasive among the three protozoa and can be found in soil, food, water or feces. Spirochetes live in the digestive tract and bloodstream and can cause Lyme disease and other serious problems.
All three shed their spores while in the intestines, and those spores are introduced into the environment through the pet’s feces. They are then ingested by other animals through contaminated grass or water.
Young animals and animals living under stress, such as in a crowded shelter or kennel, are the most vulnerable to infection. Their symptoms include vomiting, mucousy or greasy diarrhea, or foul-smelling feces.
Because these organisms are microscopic, your pet’s feces will be tested in one of several different ways, depending on the type of parasite. One is a fecal flotation test which causes the parasitic eggs, called cysts, to float to the top and be examined under a microscope. Other tests include SNAP enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) which is effective in detecting Giardia or a fecal immunofluorescence assay (IFA) test. A Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) assay test may be ordered if your vet suspects Coccidia.
Treatment varies, depending on the parasite involved, but a parasiticide or antiprotozoal medication will be prescribed, usually for a period of three to 10 days. Treatment may need to be repeated, or combined with another medication, to effective.
Additional NotesHeartworms, though not considered an intestinal parasite, are another common condition in cats and dogs, and the monthly doses of preventative medications to treat them will address many of the parasites above. (We will devote a separate article just for them!)
It should also be noted that some of the parasites in this article (e.g., roundworms and hookworms) can be spread to humans, so care should be taken if you discover your pet is infected.
Whether your pet is asymptomatic or is showing any of the symptoms above, please schedule an appointment in our Santa Maria, California office and we’ll help you get to the bottom of it.
Rounding out the top five is a set of non-worm, single-celled protozoans that live in your animal’s intestinal tract where they reproduce. They can linger there, undetected, as some pets become immune to them. For others, these creatures will wreak havoc in different ways. Puppies are particularly prone to Coccidia, which can become fatal if left untreated. Giardia are the most pervasive among the three protozoa and can be found in soil, food, water or feces. Spirochetes live in the digestive tract and bloodstream and can cause Lyme disease and other serious problems.
All three shed their spores while in the intestines, and those spores are introduced into the environment through the pet’s feces. They are then ingested by other animals through contaminated grass or water.
Young animals and animals living under stress, such as in a crowded shelter or kennel, are the most vulnerable to infection. Their symptoms include vomiting, mucousy or greasy diarrhea, or foul-smelling feces.
Because these organisms are microscopic, your pet’s feces will be tested in one of several different ways, depending on the type of parasite. One is a fecal flotation test which causes the parasitic eggs, called cysts, to float to the top and be examined under a microscope. Other tests include SNAP enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) which is effective in detecting Giardia or a fecal immunofluorescence assay (IFA) test. A Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) assay test may be ordered if your vet suspects Coccidia.
Treatment varies, depending on the parasite involved, but a parasiticide or antiprotozoal medication will be prescribed, usually for a period of three to 10 days. Treatment may need to be repeated, or combined with another medication, to effective.
Additional NotesHeartworms, though not considered an intestinal parasite, are another common condition in cats and dogs, and the monthly doses of preventative medications to treat them will address many of the parasites above. (We will devote a separate article just for them!)
It should also be noted that some of the parasites in this article (e.g., roundworms and hookworms) can be spread to humans, so care should be taken if you discover your pet is infected.
Whether your pet is asymptomatic or is showing any of the symptoms above, please schedule an appointment in our Santa Maria, California office and we’ll help you get to the bottom of it.
