The presence and infestation by hookworms in dogs, is quite a commonly heard ailment. These worms are known to reside in the intestines of the dogs and are known to be creating ailments which could have fatal results. While adult dogs are able to bear their infestation to a certain degree and happen to live if they are treated at the right time, the puppies usually do not survive if they are infested with hookworms. However the presence of hookworms in adult dogs is very rare whereas there are many cases of deaths in puppies due to infestation by hookworms.
Usually it is seen that when puppies play in the soil where there may have been eggs left by the hookworms, they tend to consume the eggs which then hatch after being consumed by the puppies. Once the eggs hatch and the hookworms are able to travel to the lungs they then start travelling in the entire blood stream of the little puppies.
After having travelled in the blood stream these hookworms usually settle down in the intestines of the puppies and begin sucking all the vital nutrients from the puppies' bodies. In such circumstances pet owners may see signs of abdominal disorders and sudden weakness in their dog. The dog may also show a sudden and drastic reduction in his weight or even the discoloration of his coat. Those of you who notice such sudden changes in your dog's health should certainly take your puppies or dogs to the vet. Since the infestation of these worms is known to be fatal, it is best to avoid taking chances and take your pets to the vet.
When you take your dogs to the vet, he would examine the stool of the dogs and would then be able to ascertain whether or not the there are hookworms in dogs. If he does diagnose the presence of these deadly parasites in your dogs he would immediately start the relevant medication to try to nurse your dog back to his original fitness level. Since the medication need to be very carefully administered, it is important that you let the vet take care of the needful rather than trying to administer the drugs on your own.
Usually it has been seen that dogs happen to get infested with hookworms many times in their lives, therefore it is always better to take your dog for regular checkups to check ups in order to check for the hookworms in dogs well in advance.
