Roundworms are also known as ascarids and are intestinal parasites which can infect many different types of animals, including dogs and cats.
How Does a Dog or Cat Become Infected with Roundworms?
Puppies and kittens can be infected with roundworms by their mothers before birth or shortly after birth while nursing.
Adult dogs and cats can become infected with roundworms by being exposed to feces contaminated with roundworms or by ingesting prey animals (often rodents) which are infected with roundworms.
What Kind of Symptoms do Roundworms Cause in Cats and Dogs?
Roundworms are intestinal parasites which often cause:
- diarrhea
- vomiting
- unthriftiness
- a pot-bellied appearance
Less commonly observed symptoms may include:
- intestinal obstruction
- pneumonia
- death
Can Roundworms Infect Other Animals?
Roundworms can affect most animals. This intestinal parasite can also be a threat to people, particularly to young children exposed to infected feces.
Infection with roundworms in people can cause blindness and other symptoms. For this reason, yards and other areas where children play should be kept free of animal feces.
How are Roundworms in Dogs and Cats Diagnosed?
Roundworms can be easily diagnosed in dogs and cats by having the veterinarian check the pet's feces. It is necessary to check the feces microscopically, looking for the roundworm eggs.
While it is possible to see adult roundworms passing in the feces of an infected dog or cat, or to see an infected dog or cat vomit a roundworm, many pets are infected with roundworms without actually passing live worms. Finding roundworm eggs in a fecal sample is direct evidence that roundworms are infecting the dog or cat, but roundworm eggs are microscopic and not visible with the naked eye.
Your veterinarian is able to process your pet's fecal sample by using a centrifuge to separate the worm eggs from other fecal debris, making analysis of the fecal sample more accurate.
It is recommended to have your dog or cat's feces examined for intestinal worms every 6-12 months.
How are Roundworms Treated in Dogs and Cats?
There are numerous medications available to treat roundworms in dogs and cats. These medications include:
- pyrantel pamoate
- febantel
- piperazine
- fenbendazole
- milbemycin oxime
Infected dogs and cats will likely need to be treated more than one time with an appropriate medication to rid them of all roundworms. Usually two to three treatments completed three to four weeks apart are recommended.
When treating a pet for roundworms, it is quite common to see the roundworms passing in the pet's feces. This is not abnormal and should not cause concern. Some pets will pass roundworms after treatment and others will not.
Many of the commonly available heartworm preventive medications also help prevent roundworms. These medications include:
- Heartgard Plus
- Interceptor
- Revolution
- Advantage Multi
These medications are usually given monthly and are recommended for any pet at risk for heartworms. It is usually advisable to give these medication year round because of the fact that they do help prevent roundworms which are not a seasonal threat.
Many veterinarians recommend routinely deworming young puppies and kittens even if there are no signs of roundworm infection because of the high probability that these pets are infected and the threat that roundworm infection can pose to the families keeping these pets. Worming is often started as young as two weeks of age for puppies and kittens.
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