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Roundworm
29 October 2009
Dog And Cat endoparasites 3
Nematodes (roundworm)
The three main intestinal roundworms are
· Toxocara canis
· Toxocara cati
· Toxocara leonina
Toxocara canis
This worm will only affect dogs. The female lays the eggs, which then pass out in the faeces. The egg has a tough casing in which the larvae develop. The larvae take 10 days to develop in optimal conditions. The larvae can survive in the egg for months or even years. Dogs will then eat the eggs or even a small rodent that has eaten the egg. Depending on the age of the dog the larvae hatch and if it is a puppy the larvae hatch and will migrate to the pups lungs, this will cause the pup to cough who will then swallow the larvae which will then develop into the adult worm. If an adult dog ingest the egg the larvae will migrate through the body and stay dormant. If the egg has been picked up by a rodent the larvae would of already gone through the migration stage so if a dog of any age eats the rodent the worm will go directly to the gut.
When a bitch gets pregnant any dormant larvae will migrate over the placenta and infect the unborn puppy, the worm will then migrate to the pups gut and start to lay eggs. The larvae can also pass through the bitches milk.
Toxocara canis is zoonotic and if children are playing where dogs have messed they can easily pick up worm eggs on there hands. The larvae will migrate through the body and problems including going blind can occur.
Toxocara cati
The cat worm. The lifecycle is similar to canis except that it wont migrate across the placenta to the kitten it can however be passed on through the queens milk.
Toxocara leonine
This can be caught by cat or dog but it can only be transmitted by eating the egg or the paratenic host. It cannot be passed over by the placenta or via the mothers milk
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