Understanding the risk of infection from individual parasites Parasites look similar, and to know which one is afflicting your dog, you need to find out how each one is transmitted. Roundworms are typically passed from infected females to puppies. Their eggs and larvae can cross the placenta and infect puppies in the womb, and the eggs can also leach into the milk produced by the mother dog. Therefore, you should deworm your puppy regularly. Tapeworms are usually transmitted by dogs swallowing vermin infected with tapeworms (such as rats) or by fleas carrying tapeworm eggs. Therefore, hounds or dogs infested with fleas are most likely to be infected with tapeworms. Hookworms and whipworms grow in moist soil, and dogs that run on grass frequently are most susceptible (especially in warm, humid climates). Dogs that live in kennels and spend time on public grass are most often infected with these parasites. Canis lupus is transmitted by insects such as mosquitoes and is commonly found in areas where mosquitoes are prevalent. High-risk areas include the southeast and midwest United States, the Atlantic coast, Australia, Japan, China, Southeast Asian countries, and western and southern Africa. Lung nematode infections are becoming increasingly common and are transmitted via fox feces, slugs, and snails. Contact with any of the hosts can lead to infection. Watch your dog’s signs and symptoms of parasitic infection are most often very common and not obvious. So you can’t diagnose which parasite your dog has based on the symptoms. However, if your dog has not been dewormed recently, there are some signs of infection that are worth looking for, and then further confirmation of the type of parasite can be made. Checking for parasites in the feces Sometimes you may find evidence of parasites in the feces even if your dog is not showing signs of infection. If you are not sure which parasite is present, collect it in a container with a threaded lid and take it to your veterinarian’s office for identification. It is difficult to distinguish the appearance of most parasites with the naked eye, so it is more helpful to your veterinarian to collect them than to describe them verbally.
