Intestinal Parasites – specifically Roundworms (Toxocara & Toxascaris)

There are around 12-13 million dogs in the UK, producing more than 1,000 tons of faeces everyday WOW! these faeces may be hiding worms, and hidden threat for our pet health and human’s.

How can you tell if a cat or dog has worms? Most of the time you cannot tell whether a pet has worms, unless you happen to spot evidence of worms, waiting for a threat is too late.

Many pets show no signs, some have Vomiting and diarrhoea, Dull coat’s, Loss of appetite, Lack of energy, Pot-bellied especially in puppies and scooting along the floor.

The most common intestinal worms affecting dogs and cats in the UK are Roundworm and Tapeworm.

Roundworms are a significant risk as it is a zoonotic disease, meaning one which may be passed from pets to humans.
People may become infected from worm eggs from your pet’s skin, faeces or even your furniture.

Once in a human body the eggs develop into larval stages which may migrate to parts of the body including the liver, lungs and eyes. In the UK, 50 and 100 cases of loss of sight due to toxocarosis / Roundworm are diagnosed each year.
Considered most at risk from a Roundworm infection would be Babies and young children, Pregnant women, Elderly people and people having treatments like cancer patients.

This is why Regular 3 monthly worm testing is advisable especially if you fall into one of the above situations.

The worm

Toxocara worms live in the intestines of dogs (Toxocara canis) and cats (Toxocara cati), and are also found in foxes, they lay eggs which are passed in faeces. A single Toxocara worm can produce up to 85,000 eggs per day, Eggs can survive in the soil for months or even years.

Soil sampling from 142 parks across the UK and Ireland found 86.6% were positive for Toxocara eggs this is a worry and a sensible reason to test your pet every 3 months minimum.

Toxocara eggs can live in all temperatures and can infect your pets all year round, many Puppies and kittens can become infected through mum’s milk.

We are looking after your pet’s health and your wellbeing!