Roundworms
INTERNAL PARASITES
Now that your skin is crawling thinking about all the things that you might see ON your pet, let’s move INSIDE and think about all of the parasites that you can’t see! Internal parasites, including roundworms in dogs and cats, are some of the most common health issues pet owners need to know about.
Internal parasites include different types of WORMS as well as PROTOZOA (microscopic single-celled organisms). Several of these infections can be passed on to us from our pets and they have the potential to cause severe illness, so it’s important to be aware of them and know how to prevent them to protect your family and your pet.
ROUNDWORMS (Toxocara)
These guys are really common in UK cats and dogs. The most common type is called Toxocara. They are long white or brown worms that live in our pets ’intestines. The adult worms produce eggs which are passed in the dog’s or cat’s poo and are then able to infect another pet. UP TO 20-30% OF UK PETS may be shedding Toxocara eggs at any one time!
That’s a lot of infected pets… think about the dogs you walk past on your walk every day, or all of the cats in your neighbourhood. On average, for every ten of them, three are probably hiding Toxocara worms.
You wouldn’t know from looking at them which animals are infected: In most healthy adult dogs and cats there are no obvious signs of roundworm infection in cats or roundworm infection in dogs. However, young animals with lots of worms may be slow to put weight on, have a potbelly, and vomiting or diarrhoea. You may see the worms in your pet’s POO.
Dogs and cats can get roundworm infections from their mother, or from grass, soil, or sand contaminated by poo from infected dogs and cats.
The REALLY worrying thing about Toxocara in pets is that they can INFECT PEOPLE, causing liver, lung, neurological and eye disease. Toxocara infections in children can cause BLINDNESS. Bear this in mind the next time you let your cat walk across the kitchen worktop after he’s been digging in the soil!
It’s pretty much impossible to protect your pet from Toxocara exposure, so the important thing is to kill the worms before they are able to be passed on to you, your family, or other animals. In fact, the risk of toxocara infection is one of the main reasons that vets advise regular worming in our pets.
Think your indoor cat can’t get roundworms? HE CAN. Toxocara eggs can be brought into the house by another pet, on our shoes, or even in potting soil for houseplants.
Roundworm treatment can be in the form of spot-ons or tablets and needs to be done every one to three months depending on your pet’s lifestyle and the product used.
IN A NUTSHELL: Roundworms don’t generally cause serious disease in our pets, but they can cause disease in us, and they are everywhere, so treat your pet regularly.
