The most common worm is the roundworm. People will also call this type of parasite “puppy worms” as nearly all puppies will have roundworm. Dogs become infected with roundworms by eating roundworm eggs found in the soil. The eggs hatch into tiny worms that move from the intestine to the dog’s liver and lungs, then back to the intestine where they mature into the long thin worms that are commonly seen in the dog’s stool. Pregnant females can pass this type of worm to their unborn puppies or newborn nursing puppies. If left untreated, roundworms can cause a potbelly appearance and diarrhea. Vomiting, a rough coat and stunted growth are signs of heavy infestation. Damage to the dog’s liver, lungs and brain are signs of heavy and long-term infestation.

Roundworms are treated with panacur or strongid. It is not uncommon for a heavily infested dog to have to be treated more than one time before the infestation is gone. Many of the heartworm medications on the market now act as a preventative against reinfection or initial infection.

Roundworms sometimes infect people, if they touch contaminated stool or roundworms in the soil and then touch their mouths. The best preventative for you and your dog is to keep the stool in your yard cleaned up. Wash hands thoroughly after working outside in the yard. Try to prevent your dog from eating stool, especially other dog’s stool. Have an annual fecal check done on your dog. Keep your dog on regular heartworm preventative.

Rescued beagles are also likely to have hookworms. Hookworms are tiny, threadlike parasites. They are particularly common in areas with warm, moist and sandy soil. Many of our beagles that come from the Eastern part of NC are found to have hookworms. Dogs can become infected in two ways. The hookworm can enter the dog by penetrating the skin, usually through the foot or dog ingests the hookworm eggs from eating contaminated soil or stool. Like, roundworms, hookworms can also be passed on the puppies by the mother. Hookworms feed on the blood and tissue by piercing the beagle’s intestinal lining. As a result a heavy infestation of hookworms can cause severe blood loss and anemia. As few as 100 hookworms can kill a puppy. Beagles with a heavy load of hookworms will often have bloody diarrhea. They have also appear weak and be dehydrated. Some pets will show no outward clinical signs of having hookworms.

Hookworms are also treated with panacur or strongid. Heartworm medication is also an effective preventative for this type of worm. Secondary problems such as anemia and dehydration would need prompt treatment. Hookworms will also pass on to people if contact in the soil is made with young larvae. Painful skin sores can result.

The suggestions for preventing hookworms are the same as the ones for roundworms. Hookworms, though, can be killed off in your yard with a sodium borate solution (10 pounds per 100 square feet).

Many of our rescued beagles that are known to be ex-hunting dogs will have whipworms. This is because dogs confined to small, outside areas are at the highest risk for this type of parasite. Whipworm infection occurs whenever a dog swallows the whipworm eggs. The eggs will hatch in the small intestine and migrate to the large intestine where they mature. Once the whipworm is an adult, it lays eggs which are passed in the dog’s stool thus contaminating the soil.

Light infections of whipworms are difficult to diagnose, but they can lead to more serious problems for the dog. If left untreated, the whipworms irritate the lining of the dog’s intestine, causing pain and weight loss. Other side effects include watery, bloody stools, dehydration and anemia.

Whipworms are not passed to people. Dogs who are treated by then return to the same area where the infestation occurs will quickly become infected again. The worms are treated with panacur or strongid. If the dog is living in an outside pen or small confined area, any washable surfaces should be bleached before the dog returns to live there. Heartworm medication does act as a preventative for this type of worm as well.

The final intestinal parasite most common in our rescue beagles is tapeworms. Tapeworms are transmitted by fleas. The dog becomes infected by eating the fleas. The tapeworm larvae develop into adults in the dog’s intestines and release the eggs then through the dog’s stool. Tapeworms irritate the dog’s intestines and reduce food absorption. Tapeworms are visible in a dog’s stool. In a fresh stool they will be alive and moving. Tapeworms look like grains of rice.

Tapeworms do not pose a health threat to humans. The dog is treated with the medication, droncit. The only way to minimize a dog’s risk of getting tapeworm is to have the dog on regular flea prevention. There are no medications available to specifically prevent the dog from getting tapeworms, flea control is the best way to be sure the dog is not continally reinfected after being treated.

Written by Lisa Mason, Intake Coordinator for Triangle Beagle Rescue.