DETECT A HOOKWORM INFESTATION IN YOUR DOG
By: Peter Demmon
One of the most common irritants a dog owner is going to have to deal with outside of fleas is that of the hookworm. Hookworms are an extremely common dog parasite. Their method of infection (as with most parasites) is rather unique, the symptoms that they give are obvious and the prevention of hookworm infestation is an ongoing battle. The solutions to a hookworm infestation are relatively simple however, and a hookworm infestation shouldn't be the cause for alarm.
Hookworms are bloodsuckers. The hookworm larvae are tricky. The larvae are found in the feces left behind by an infected dog. They hatch in about a day and can live for many weeks on the ground without any sustenance. Technically, all your dog has to do is brush up against an active larvae it will do the rest. One method of infection is that the larvae will bore into the dog through the skin and work its way to the lungs. In the lungs, the larvae becomes a juvenile hookworm. The parasite is then coughed up as mucous and re-swallowed into the stomach where the infection can really take hold, with the parasite's attachment to the intestinal wall. Hookworms are extremely thin, almost transparent worms that can get to be about a half of an inch long. They are basically a hose with teeth suck nonstop.
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