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Charleston: Parasite Grand Central Station WRITTEN BY: KRISTIN Contributing Writer
HAUEISEN,
Dogs are naturally susceptible to both internal and external parasites in our area of the country and protection requires year-round vigilance. Our mild winter weather simply does not reach the cold temperatures required to cease parasite life cycles, so this means our pets are at risk year-round and not just in warm months. The Companion Animal Parasite Council conducted a 2018 study of internal GI parasite transmission in the southeast US that revealed 27% of samples collected contained a GI parasite (whipworms, hookworms, and roundworms). * Parasites in dogs can present in many forms but one thing sure to be common among them all is sooner or later they will almost always impact a dog’s health. Whether you have experienced parasites up close and personal or not, education is an important part of prevention and treatment. Internal Parasites Giardia are single cell-organisms infectious to animals everywhere, including humans. They infect our dogs most commonly through contaminated water sources and in the lowcountry, we are no stranger to standing water. Microscopic giardia are consumed usually from a water source, digested and then travel through the digestive tract causing problems for the host dog. The primary symptom of giardia is diarrhea, and it is suspected this is because the organism is disrupting normal intestinal absorption of vitamins and other nutrients. The most reliable treatment of the parasite is a broad spectrum dewormer and supportive care. Roundworms are most common in puppies and we can almost always assume that newborn puppies are infected with them. Have you seen a puppy with that cute little pot belly? Well, they probably have roundworms. Roundworms are one of the only intestinal worms that can be visibly seen in the feces
Flea Lifecycle. Source: theveterinarynurse.com as they are long and white, almost spaghetti-like. The lifecycle of the roundworm is complicated and has several infectious stages so several deworming treatments are necessary, especially as puppies. Symptoms of infection in young dogs include vomiting and diarrhea. Even more alarming, worms can be vomited up by the infected dog. Heavy parasite loads can be more serious as they can obstruct the intestines as they migrate through the body systems. You might not always know if your dog is infected so fecal testing as puppies and annual testing as adults is important to ensure this parasite is not around. CAPC reported surveys showing more than 30% of dogs younger than 6 months of age are shedding roundworms in their feces.* Hookworm infection occurs when the dog ingests larvae from a contaminated environment, such as the soil as a dog park. Diarrhea and anemia are primary symptoms due to the worms feeding on blood in the intestinal tract. While a dog may be dewormed and cleared of the adult worms, the intestinal tract can be repopulated by dormant larvae that have lingered in body tissue and periodically become reactivated. Once a dog is infected with hookworms, it is often challenging to get rid of them due to this larval dormancy stage. This is also where monthly parasite prevention is key to help prevent further infection. The data on parasite prevalence from CAPC (capcvet.org) reveals that the most common parasite in Lowcountry dogs in 2020 was hookworms. In Charleston County, 1 out of every 24 dogs tested were positive for hookworms.* Whipworms are named for their whip-like shape and
