Content

• To step
• Part 1 of 3: Identifying hookworms
• Part 2 of 3: Getting medical treatment
• Part 3 of 3: Prevent hookworm infections
• Warnings

Hookworms are small parasites, about 3 mm long, that can infect the intestines of dogs and cats. Although they are very small, hookworms soak up a lot of blood and can be present in large numbers in your pet. That's why it's important to get the problem treated before it causes serious, life-threatening anemia in your dog.

To step

Part 1 of 3: Identifying hookworms

1. Watch for signs that your dog has itchy paws. In a heavily contaminated environment, a dog with itchy paws may be the first clue. This is because the larvae can get off the ground on your dog and then migrate through the skin to infect the dog. This causes inflammation and irritation in the legs.
2. Watch for periods of diarrhea. In adult dogs, the most common symptom is diarrhea, which is bloody. Diarrhea is usually accompanied by abdominal cramps and signs of discomfort.
   • Diarrhea can be a sign of a variety of medical problems in your dog. If your dog has repeated diarrhea, you should get it examined by a vet.
   • In adult dogs, hookworms attach themselves to the wall of the small intestine and secrete an anticoagulant, which prevents the blood from clotting. This means that not only does the dog lose blood when the worm feeds, but it also continuously loses blood from the leftover hole after the worm is released. This is why the dog's feces usually contain blood.
3. Watch for signs of anemia. If there is enough blood loss, the dog will develop anemia. To check for this, look at the dog's gums, which should be a healthy pink color. Pale pink, gray, or white gums indicate anemia.
4. Watch for signs of exhaustion and tiredness. If the anemia is left untreated, the blood becomes so thin that the heart starts to beat rapidly and the dog becomes weak. This means that the dog can collapse after little exertion.
   • Furthermore, breathing is often fast and shallow. The animal can die without treatment.
5. Watch for symptoms in puppies. Puppies can become infected through the mother's placenta before birth, as well as through her milk while feeding. Puppies born with a hookworm infection often grow poorly and usually have an unhealthy, dull coat.
   • They can have persistent diarrhea and can die from loss of blood and fluid.
   • Because a puppy's system is so fragile, it is important to take him to the vet at the first sign of illness. This can make the difference between life and death.

Part 2 of 3: Getting medical treatment

1. Take your dog to the vet if you suspect hookworm infestation. A hookworm infestation must be treated by the vet. This can determine whether your dog is infected, how serious the infection is and how the dog can best be treated.
2. Bring a chair sample to the vet office. Hookworms are so small that they are difficult to see with the naked eye. The vet will diagnose an infection by examining a stool sample under a microscope. This process will go faster if you already bring a sample that is ready for inspection.
   • When you call the vet to make an appointment, ask if you need to bring a chair sample, if he doesn't tell him to do so.
   • It takes about 2-3 weeks for adult hookworms to produce eggs (which are visible in the feces), so it is possible for an examination to be false negative if the feces are examined shortly after an infestation.
3. Follow the vet's directions regarding treatment. Treatment consists of killing the adult hookworms with a suitable wormer, a type of anti-parasitic drug. The treatment is repeated two weeks later to also kill any worms from hatched eggs.
   • Even wormers that work effectively against hookworms do not kill the larvae. Thus, it is necessary to give 2 or 3 treatments every two weeks to kill the larvae that remained after the first round of treatments.
   • Make sure the dog is properly weighed and the dose determined according to the manufacturer's instructions.
4. Prevent recontamination. To prevent new infections, you must ensure that the environment is as clean as possible. Unfortunately, there is no product available to kill the larvae that live on the ground outside, so cleaning up the excrement is the best precaution.
   • For example, concrete kennels should be cleaned daily with diluted bleach. All textiles in the house should be properly vacuumed and washed if possible.

Part 3 of 3: Prevent hookworm infections

1. Understand how dogs get infected. To reduce the chances of your dog getting infected, you need to understand how your dog can get infected. Adult dogs can become infected in two ways:
   • Your dog can contract hookworms from contact with and ingestion of contaminated feces. For example, if your dog walks through contaminated feces and then licks his paws.
   • The worms can enter the bloodstream through the dog's paws. This is facilitated if the dog lives in moist conditions, which means that the skin on the paws is permanently weakened by moisture.
2. Give your dog heartworm medication that also prevents hookworms. Most monthly heartworm medications are also for hookworm prevention. This means that it is very important not to forget to give your dog this medication every month. Effective products include:
   • Ivermectin + Pyrantel: Present in Heartgard Plus, Iverhart Plus, Tri-Heart Plus
   • Pyrantel + praziquantel: present in Virbantel
   • Milbemycin: Present in Interceptor and Milbemax
   • Milbemycin + Lufenuron: Present in Sentinel,
   • Imidaclopride + Moxidectin: Present in Advantage Multi
   • Fenbendazole: Present in Panacur, SafeGuard
3. Treat newborn puppies. Newborn puppies should be given hookworm preventative medication at 2, 4, 6 and 8 weeks of age. This is important as hookworm is common in newborn puppies.
   • Make sure to only use products suitable for puppies, such as fenbendazole.
   • Repeated medication ensures that any larvae that are not killed by the medication are killed when they hatch.
4. Make sure to treat breeding dogs. Females who have given birth to a litter of infected puppies should be treated for hookworm before conceiving again. In addition, giving oral fenbendazole to the pregnant bitch helps control placental and milk transfer of larvae from day 40 of gestation to 2 days after farrowing. The dose is 25 mg / kg orally once daily with food.
5. Keep the risk factors in mind. The dogs most at risk of contracting hookworm infestation are dogs that live in warm, moist areas, as hookworms are more likely to survive outside of the dog. Furthermore, dogs that are kept in unsanitary conditions, where they come into contact with other dogs' feces, are more at risk of infection.

Warnings

• Unfortunately hookworm eggs can survive dormant in contaminated soil for several months. Even if the soil looks clean, it is therefore possible that it is contaminated while the droppings have been washed away by the rain for a long time.