After infecting your dog, worms migrate through its body to the site where they mature and breed. The signs your dog shows will relate to where the worms go and can vary from mild to life-threatening.
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Heartworms
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In the early stages of heartworms your dog may be less willing to exercise, tire quickly and may have a soft cough. As the number of worms increases your dog will lose a lot of weight, be constantly tired, have a pale mouth and develop breathing difficulties. Your dog will have been exposed to mosquitoes as these transmit heart-worm between dogs. The larvae in the dog's body develop, migrate towards and then settle in the right side of the heart and the main blood vessels to the lungs.
Lung-worm
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Initially, dogs infected with lung-worm have a cough which sounds as though it comes from deep in their chest. The dog may also cough up a little blood. If untreated this will progress and your dog may show labored breathing and tiredness. True lung-worm is still quite rare in the U.S. but as more animals come in from other countries the number of cases is increasing. Dogs get lung-worm from eating young slugs and snails, so infected dogs will have had access to outdoors.
Other types of worms migrate through the lungs as they develop and in heavy infestations in young puppies you may see coughing and rapid breathing.
Tapeworm
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An itchy bottom is the most common sign of tapeworms, so your dog may drag its bottom on the ground or lick itself frequently. In heavy infections your dog may have diarrhea. Dogs get tapeworm by swallowing fleas and lice that they have licked from their coats so they may also be generally itchy.
Roundworm
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Signs of roundworm are seen mainly in pups which grow slowly, have big round pot-bellies, may have diarrhea and vomit live worms. In severe cases the worms may block the intestines leading to a pup who cannot keep food or water down and who rapidly weakens. Adult dogs tend to have diarrhea and may vomit worms or pass them in their feces.
Hookworm
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Seen mainly in dogs from tropical climates the hookworm larvae can enter your dog's body through the skin or mammary glands. It will have red, oozing, itchy lesions on its skin and feet, so the dog may chew at itself. Some dogs lose a lot of blood to the hookworms and may be unable to exercise as easily or take a long time to recover after exercise. These dogs are often hungrier and thirstier than normal as they try to make back the blood loss.
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