What are Hookworms?
Hookworms are small, thread-like worms that burrow into the intestinal wall and consume blood. They are most commonly found in warm climates. There are numerous species of hookworms capable of infecting mammals, including humans. Of the many types of hookworm, the Ancylostoma duodenale and Necator americanus hookworms most commonly infect humans. In fact, they currently infect about 800,000,000 people worldwide. The A. caninum and A. braziliense hookworms, which most commonly affect dogs and cats, respectively, are next in line in terms of their frequency of infecting humans. Hookworms are an average of .39 inches (10 mm) in length. When they mate, the female lays eggs in the host. Though the number of eggs produced depends on the species, females can lay as many as 10,000 to 25,000 eggs in one day. These eggs are then passed in the feces of the host. Juvenile hookworm eggs hatch about two days after they are passed in fecal matter. Juvenile hookworms, called larvae, reach the infectiv
Hookworms are smaller than roundworms. They are called hookworms because they feed by hooking onto the wall of the intestine. Hookworms have pretty sharp teeth and cause the dog’s intestine to bleed. Since hookworms eat blood, they like this situation, but too many of them can be very bad for the dog. Dogs can get hookworms from the ground where other dogs have passed eggs before, or from the milk of their mother if she was infected.
Hookworms are parasites which get their name from the hook-like mouth parts they use to attach to the intestinal wall. They are only about 1/8″ (3 mm) long and so small in diameter that you have to be looking very carefully to see them. Despite their small size, they suck large amounts of blood from the tiny vessels in the intestinal wall. A large number of hookworms can cause anemia. This problem is most common in puppies, but it will occasionally occur in adult dogs. In general, dogs tend to harbor very few hookworms compared to the number carried by infected dogs. How did my dog get hookworms? Dogs may become infected with hookworms by four routes: orally, through the skin, through the mother’s placenta before birth, and through the mother’s milk. A dog may become infected when it swallows hookworm larvae (immature worm). The larvae may also penetrate the skin and migrate to the intestine to mature and complete its life cycle. If a pregnant dog has hookworms, the pregnancy may react
