When you bring home a new puppy or kitten, you may get more than you bargained for! Some pets are born with intestinal worms transmitted from their mother, while in utero or through milk, or they can pick up parasites in their environment. Since resisting adorable puppy or kitten kisses is practically impossible, your family can be at risk for zoonotic parasitic infections until your furry new pal is treated properly for parasites.
Intestinal parasites also can affect your adult cat or dog, who can pick them up in unsanitary outdoor areas, or from wildlife. But, monthly heartworm preventives can protect your pet from most intestinal parasites, because heartworm prevention medication includes parasite preventives.
Common zoonotic parasites that can be transmitted from pets to people include:
- Roundworms — Roundworms live in the intestines of cats, dogs, and many wildlife species. Their hardy eggs can survive sunlight and freezing temperatures for years in the soil, while they wait to infect people or animals. When a person ingests roundworm eggs, by handling their pet or contaminated soil, without immediately washing their hands, the eggs hatch in their intestines, burrow through the body, and create cysts.
- Hookworms — Hookworms live in dogs’ and cats’ intestines, and can be transmitted when people contact fecal-contaminated soil. The larvae burrow under the skin, causing itching and infection, and can penetrate the eyes, if a person rubs them with their infected hand.
- Tapeworms — Tapeworms must pass through fleas to continue their life cycle, and can infect people who touch their pet who has fleas, and then eat without washing their hands. Small children, who put most things in their mouths, are at highest risk for developing a tapeworm infection.
- Toxoplasma — Toxoplasma is an intestinal parasite found in cats that can spread through contaminated soil, by eating meat from an animal who lived on contaminated soil, or from contact with infective feces in a litter box. People also can get toxoplasmosis from petting their cat, and then eating without hand-washing. A person infected with the toxoplasma parasite may experience sore muscles and flu-like symptoms, and a pregnant woman’s baby can suffer brain damage.
Before snuggling your furry friend too close, we can help assess your beloved companion. Please contact us if you have any questions or to schedule an appointment.