With the recent rain and warm weather, we’ve been seeing a large increase in hookworm cases recently. Hookworm (Ancylostoma caninum) is an intestinal worm that can cause significant disease to our pets, in particular young puppies. They cause damage to the intestine as they bite and attach to the gut walls to drink blood. The most common clinical signs that we see from this parasite are vomiting, diarrhoea, inappetance, lethargy, pale gums, anaemia, and in severe cases, death.
Hookworm can infect your dog through a variety of methods. They start their life cycle as an egg that is shed in the faeces. Once outside, the larvae hatch and go through a couple of moulting stages until they reach their infectious larval stage. These larvae can survive for a long time outside, particularly in shaded, warm, humid environments. These larvae then infect dogs by either oral ingestion or by migrating through the skin on their feet after they have walked on the grass. They travel through the dog’s body until they reach their lungs, where they are coughed up and swallowed and then settle in the intestines to mature into adults and restart the life cycle.
These worms can also be transmitted through the mother’s milk and mammary glands to puppies, which is one of the reasons that we see disease more commonly in young puppies. It only takes 10-11 days from the time of infection to see signs of hookworm disease. This is why we recommend regular worming of puppies every 2 weeks until they are 12 weeks old. As dogs get older, they are less likely to have severe disease from hookworm, but are still susceptible. We recommend worming 3-6 month old puppies monthly, and every dog over 6 months old should be wormed at least every 3 months. There has been documented resistance in hookworms to some worming products, in particular pyrantel. We do not recommend worming with pyrantel only products for this reason.
If you suspect your puppy has hookworm, we can perform a test called a faecal float to look for the presence of hookworm eggs in the faeces. Once confirmed, we can treat an infection through targeted worming. Severe cases that have significant anaemia may require further intervention such as hospitalisation, blood transfusions and supportive care.
Hookworm is also a zoonotic parasite, meaning that it can cause disease in humans as well. The larvae can penetrate and burrow through human skin and cause significant irritation and damage. The best way to prevent this is to regularly clean up animal droppings in your yard, wear shoes while walking around yards and always wash your hands after cleaning up or playing with your dog.
