Dog roundworms are just one of the types of dog intestinal worms that can cause dog health issues. The people who study worms full time take great delight in classifying dog worms into all sorts of groups and classes - and then revising those groups and classes, and even the scientific names given to worms, every so often!
For our purposes we are going to stick to the tried and tested and say that dog worms can be divided into two broad types - the nematodes (roundworms) and the cestodes(tapeworms).
The most common roundworms found in dogs are the ascarids and ancylostoma(hookworms) species and between the two of them they probably account for more than 80% of roundworm infections.
All roundworms are parasites, and will cause harm to the dog or puppy if present in the animal in significant numbers. Roundworms can also infect humans and this can lead to serious health problems in some cases.
Roundworms, especially the ascarids, are very common in puppies. In fact one could go so far as to say that a puppy without a roundworm infection is an anomaly. Symptoms displayed by a puppy with a roundworm infestation vary from no symptoms at all to one or more of the following - vomiting, diarrhea, poor growth, anaemia, and a dull haircoat.
The lifecycle of dog roundworms can be complex but holds the key to how they continue to survive despite mans best efforts to get rid of them with a variety of natural and manufactured deworming products.
Almost every dog will become infected with roundworms at some stage in its life. By the same token, most dog owners will make the mistake of thinking that a deworming pill will sort the problem out once and for all.
If you would like to find out more about dog worms,including dog roundworms, Le Doc has written The Quick(ish) Guide to Dog Worms |
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