Many of you may have an idea of what a hookworm is but they can be very dangerous in the long run. a hookworm is a tiny bloodsucking worm that usually grows about one quarter of an inch in size. The reason it is called a hookworm is because once it is attached to the body it is shaped like a hook.

Hookworms attach them selves by a means of teeth into the intestinal lining. The teeth allow the hookworms to attack themselves like a hook to the body and then the hookworm starts to feed off of the dog. This harms the body because the hookworm damages the wall of the intestines while it is feeding on the dog.

The way that hookworms continue the blood flow is that they secrete a chemical which stops coagulation. It can mean life threatening anemia and hemorrhaging should the hookworms continues to plague your dog with this heavy blood loss.

Eggs will be laid in your dog’s stomach and intestines by a mature hookworm. A dog will pass the eggs in their feces, once outside for a week, they hatch. The larvae make their way to the intestine where they hatch into hookworms after a few weeks if the feces is eaten by another dog.

Typically through the paws, the larvae can penetrate the flesh of the dog and make their way to the stomach. They can travel through the bloodstream to get to the lungs of the dog; this is where the hookworms dig through the alveoli walls. This will get them to the dog’s stomach when the dog coughs to expel the hookworms and then swallows them again.

Puppies nursing from an infected mother can get the hookworms. A puppy being developed in the mother’s womb can be infected before even being born. Diarrhea, bloody stool, anemia, weakness, emaciation, and swollen, red skin are all symptoms caused by hookworms.

It is a necessity to take your dog to the vet when treating hookworms. Tablets and injections kill hookworms as the first step in a dog’s cure. Your dog will probably be malnourished and suffering anemia after the hookworms are dead, your vet must treat this as well. The type of weather in your area will need a certain product; your vet should be able to prescribe this.

Make sure to removes all feces from your property when your dog or any other dog defecates. Such steps will help prevent an infestation of hookworms.

Article by Kelly Marshall of Oh My Dog Supplies – the discount dog bed source