Round Worms Found in Animals

If you live with pets, you face strong odds of grappling with parasites. Roundworms in particular represent the most common digestive-tract bug among cats and dogs. But unlike many pet parasites, roundworms can affect not only your pet's health, but your family's wellbeing as well. With an infested animal capable of passing millions of eggs into the environment each day, it's essential to understand how to spot, treat and prevent roundworm infestations.

  1. Infection

    • Cats and dogs catch roundworm infections from several sources, including swallowing worm eggs contained in soil, nursing from an infected mother and eating infested prey. House pets can develop roundworm infestations at any age, but they're especially vulnerable to the parasites when they're young --- as little as two weeks to three weeks old. Because of that early age of infection, veterinarians recommend that pet owners have their puppies and kittens evaluated for roundworm disease as soon as possible.

    Diagnosis

    • Take your pet to your veterinarian for an official diagnosis, but before you make the trip, look for signs of infestation at home. Pets with milder cases of roundworm disease won't show any signs of trouble. For animals with serious roundworm illness, symptoms can include changes in behavior, appetite or water consumption, as well as weight loss, dull fur, vomiting, diarrhea or constipation. Other animals develop coughs after the roundworm's larvae move into the lungs. In puppies, pneumonia can result from that migration.

    Human Dangers

    • Roundworms pose more dangers than most pets' parasites because they're easily transmitted to humans, and to children in particular. Dogs and cats pass on roundworms through their feces. The hardy worms and their resilient larvae can survive in dirt and sand at playgrounds, parks, yards and even inside homes. Roundworm eggs can gather on hands and under fingernails. Humans who ingest roundworm eggs can develop severe inflammation and organ damage as the parasites migrate through the liver, lungs and brain.

    Treatment

    • Pet owners have several options for treating roundworms in their animals. You can find roundworm treatments over the counter at your local pet-supplies store, but the strongest medications will require a prescription from your veterinarian. The medications don't kill roundworms; rather, they paralyze the parasites so they loosen their grip on the host's gut and pass with bowel movements. The treatments don't affect larvae, so you'll need to give your pet several doses over a few weeks to eliminate all of the roundworms.

    Prevention

    • Keep future roundworm infections at bay with a few precautions. Ask your vet to give your puppy or kitten deworming treatments to catch the earliest infestations before they flourish. Consider investing in roundworm preventives such as Heartgard Plus and Interceptor. Learn to spot signs of roundworms in your garden or soil, and keep your pets and your children away from potentially infested areas. Because roundworm is transmitted through animal feces, immediately clean up any animal waste in your yard or garden.