The Importance of Deworming for Your Pet
Your pet's body is the ideal place to call home as far as worms are concerned. Unfortunately, worms cause a range of health problems that can make your pet sick and uncomfortable. Deworming medication offers a simple way to protect your pet's health and prevent a worm invasion.
How Worms Affect Your Pet's Health
Roundworms, whipworms, hookworms, tapeworms, and heartworms, the most common types of worms in dogs and cats, cause many health issues, including:
- Fatigue. Worms consume nutrients your pet needs to run and play. Your pet may seem tired or lethargic if it has worms.
- Weight Loss. Without enough nutrients to nourish its body, your pet may soon lose weight.
- Digestive Problems. Worms can cause bloating, vomiting, and diarrhea.
- Dehydration. Your cat or dog may become dehydrated due to diarrhea. Signs of dehydration include dark urine, less frequent urination, sunken eyes, dry nose, weakness, sticky gums, and stringy saliva. Skin can also become less elastic if your pet is dehydrated.
- Trouble Breathing. A severe worm infestation can affect your pet's ability to breathe and may cause coughing.
- Coat Problems. Your pet's coat may look dull or dry if it has worms. Hair loss and increased shedding can also be signs of worms.
- Anemia. Hookworms and whipworms feed on your pet's blood increasing its risk for anemia. Anemia signs and symptoms include pale gums, weakness, fatigue, shortness of breath, vomiting, and rapid heart rate. Without treatment, anemia can lead to death.
- Swollen Abdomen. A large number of worms may make your pet's abdomen swell.
- Damage to the Organs. Heartworms can damage your pet's lungs, heart, and other organs. Pets can die if the damage is severe.
Worms, or parts of them, may be seen in your pet's poop, although that's not always the case. If your pet develops any of the symptoms listed above, whether you see worms or not, make an appointment with the veterinarian. Your veterinarian can examine a poop sample under a microscope to determine if your pet has worms.
5 Ways Your Pet Could Get Worms
Your pet could get worms through one of these methods:
- Contact with Feces or Affected Soil. Pets find other animals' feces fascinating and can't resist sniffing or even eating the poop. Eating or touching infested poop or soil provides a convenient pathway for worm larvae to enter your pet's body. Your dog or cat could also unknowingly swallow worms by walking through infested soil or poop and later licking its feet.
- Eating Raw Meat. Raw meat, whether it's from the grocery store or the mouse your cat killed, can contain roundworm and hookworm eggs and larvae. Once inside your pet's body, the eggs or larvae soon turn into worms.
- Flea Infestations. Fleas carry tapeworm eggs from an infected animal to your pet.
- Mosquito Bites. Heartworm larvae may enter your pet's body when it's bitten by a mosquito. Unlike other types of worms that live in your pet's digestive tract, heartworms prefer to live in the heart and blood vessels.
- Birth and Nursing. Worms can be passed on to puppies and kittens during birth or through nursing.
Deworming Protect Your Pets
Deworming medication eliminates current worms and prevents your pet from getting worms in the future. Unfortunately, every pet is at risk for coming into contact with worms. According to the Kansas State University Veterinary Health Center, 34% of dogs across the country have worms. That number rises to 54% in southern states.
Puppies and kittens should start the deworming process when they're 2 to 3 weeks old. Young animals typically take medication every two weeks until they are no longer nursing. At that point, deworming can take place monthly or as often as your veterinarian recommends.
Year-round flea protection is also important and may be included in deworming medication. Flea products, whether in chewable tablet or topical form, kill fleas, flea eggs, and larvae.
Wondering if you need to worry about worms if your cat never goes outside? Although your pet might stay inside, you can bring fleas and worm eggs and larvae into your home on your clothing and shoes.
Keep your pet worm-free with regular veterinary care and deworming medication. Contact our office to schedule a visit for your furry friend.
Sources:
Kansas State University Veterinary Health Center: Zoonotic Potential of Common Cat/Dog Intestinal Parasites
https://www.ksvhc.org/services/pet-health-center/intestinal-parasites.html
American Kennel Club: Deworming Dogs: What You Need to Know, 3/14/2024
https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/health/deworming-dogs-what-you-need-to-know/
American Animal Hospital Association: Parasite Control, 10/9/2019
https://www.aaha.org/resources/life-stage-canine-2019/parasite-control/
PetMD: Deworming Kittens: Why It’s Important and When To Start, 4/26/2024
https://www.petmd.com/cat/general-health/deworming-kittens
Cornell Richard P. Riney Canine Health Center: Roundworms