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You’ll probably have a pretty good idea of what worms might look like, some worms look like spaghetti and can be seen in your dog’s poop while others look like grains of rice and may even be seen to move around in your dog’s fur near its bottom.
Some worms are really only evident internally, so it’s recommended to keep a regular worming routine for your pet to ensure they don’t carry different types of worms.
Here’s a quick visual guide of what each worm is, and what it could look like:
1. TAPEWORM: These small white worms are separated into segments that look like grains of rice, and are found on your dog’s bottom, in your dog’s poop, or where your dog lives and sleeps.
2. ROUNDWORM: Appearing white or cream in colour, adult roundworm live in the dog’s intestines and they may be 10-15cm long. You might notice adult roundworms in your dog’s faeces or vomit.
3. HOOKWORM: By attaching itself to the lining of the intestinal wall, the hookworm feeds on your dog’s blood. If they are passed out in faeces, they are very hard to see as they are only around 1-2cm long and very thin.
4. WHIPWORM: These worms live between the large and small intestine of your dog and seeing outward signs of them is pretty difficult, but they look like a whip – with a thicker ‘handle’ and a thinner, more tapered ‘whip.’
We’ve collated a range of the kinds of symptoms you should look for here but the bad news is, your dog could have worms and not show any outward signs or symptoms at all.
So that’s why it’s so important to have a regular worming routine.
Avoiding high risk behaviours such as scavenging carcasses and eating soil can help, though the best way to be sure is to worm regularly – up to once a month in some cases. It’s so important to know that some dogs could have worms and show no outward signs of an infestation, but it could cause long-term health problems and even present a risk to human health through the eggs which are shed. Discover more about how to quickly and effectively treat worms in your dog or puppy.
