Identifying intestinal worms in dogs: What do worms look like?

Why it’s so important to look out for worms in your dog

If your dog has worms, it can have serious health effects for your dog – and even cause health issues for vulnerable people like children and the elderly too. Certain varieties of parasitic worms can lead to intestinal or organ complications – or even the death of your pet.

What do worms look like?

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.’

What are the symptoms of your dog having worms?

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.

Looking for worms but not finding any?

If you can’t find any physical evidence of worms, that doesn’t necessarily mean your dog is worm-free. In fact, in some cases, if you do find physical evidence of worms, that could mean the infestation is already very serious. Prevention is better than cure and vets advise to regularly worm your dog to make sure they’re healthy.

How do I keep worms at bay in my dog or puppy?

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.