Some dogs develop dog worms. What are these worms and what are the signs of infestation?

The main species of worms that dog owners have problems with are round worms and tapeworms. Round worms are common among puppies, and are a cause of headache for dog breeders. These worms are like common angleworms in size and shape but with a lighter color of white or pale pink.

In adult dogs, round worms can grow up to seven inches long and half in length and are thick as a white string in puppies. They live in the dog’s small intestines and usually are coiled in masses that obstruct the stomach passage. In dogs, it sometimes goes to the stomach or end up as bowels.

When one dog is infected with worms, millions of eggs will pass through that dog’s feces. These can be found all over the floor, bedding, even in feeding and drinking pans. They can n go to the dog’s coats and are licked off and swallowed, finding their way inside the dog’s intestinal tract. There, the eggs hatched and are fully developed after ten days.

This rapid development of round worms probably accounts for the erroneous belief that puppies are born with worms. The mother of these round worms eggs found in a kennel infested with worms can attach themselves to the dog’s coat, breasts or belly, and the puppy can suck into them when they drink milk from their mother.

Symptoms of round worms are a hot dry nose with weak, watery eyes and pale lips and gums. Dogs that are infected also exhibit foul breath, a mean cough and red and pimply irritations on the skin and dry coat that is always shedding.

Dogs with worms are unhappy and unhealthy. Bring your dog to a veterinarian if you suspect that it has worms.