A
roundworm is the most common internal parasite of the dog. The roundworm has a
round cross-section. Roundworm is
especially common in puppies and can be passed from an infected bitch through
the placenta; it is present in most puppies when they are born. If a dog
is heavily affected with roundworm a worm shaped like a spaghetti noodle will
appear in the faeces of that dog. Otherwise your vet can detect roundworm eggs
in your dogs’ faeces. Dogs can become infected by eating hosts which are
infected. E.g. Mice, they may also become infected by eating contaminated
faeces. Roundworm may cause a lack of appetite, abdominal pain, stunted growth,
a ‘pot belly’, vomiting or diarrhoea. Roundworm is zoonotic meaning it can
transfer to other animals and to humans. Humans contract roundworm by ingesting
dirt, once ingestion of larvae has occurred the larvae move through the body
causing sickness. If larvae gets into the eyes it can lead to very bad vision
problems and even blindness. The treatment of roundworm in dogs is just through
giving regular worming tablets which destroy the worm; these tablets can be
obtained from your veterinary surgery. Worming your dog regularly is good management
of the parasite; it is extremely significant in order to prevent spreading as
roundworms can be extremely harmful. Bad management could eventually lead to
blindness in a lot of people.
