06/01/2025
Tape worms and fleas go together and most of the 2 in 1 flea/worm treatments don’t treat ALL worms. That’s why it’s important to make sure you are using an ALL WORMER treatment. These are also available as spot on treatments if your cat is hard to dose orally 😉👍
VET TALK TUESDAY
CAN I CATCH WORMS FROM MY PET?
Intestinal worms in dogs, cats, puppies and kittens are very common, and they can cause some serious illness in humans. “Allwormers” from veterinary clinics control infection in dogs and cats for the five main intestinal parasites which are:
• Roundworms
- Mainly from faeces, causes nodules in humans which contain larvae of the parasite.
- Nodules occur in liver, lungs, kidneys and brain, sometimes affects eyes requiring removal.
- Soil can be contaminated with parasite eggs, pregnant and lactating bi***es often heavily infected. Soils in parks and playgrounds can be contaminated where children play. Also infection via contaminated cat litter boxes if hygiene poor.
• Whipworms
- Direct transmission between dogs and humans is rare because the species differ..
• Hookworms
- Infection in humans causes “cutaneous larvae migrans” – an intensely itchy red and inflamed eruption in human skin. Lungs can also be invaded.
- Believed approx 50% infections occur at the beach.
- Humans can also get enteritis from adult hookworms. Signs include abdominal pain.
- Humans are infected by larvae via the skin (barefeet in gardens and beaches, parks and playgrounds).
• Tapeworms
- Develops in fleas and lice. Pets and children infected by ingestion of insects. Tapeworm develops in the gut of humans. Tapeworm segments exit our pets and humans from a**s in the faeces, and also empty eggs which can be ingested. Young children are particularly at risk. The eggs hatch, embryo enters wall of intestine and migrates to organs such as liver, skeletal muscle and heart.
• Hydatid (Echinococcus)
-The hydatid tapeworm (Echinococcus granulosus) poses a more serious risk compared to common tapeworms like Dipylidium caninum. It can infect humans and cause a condition known as hydatid disease or echinococcosis, which can have severe health consequences.
- When humans ingest Echinococcus eggs, the larvae can travel through the bloodstream and form hydatid cysts in organs such as the liver, lungs, brain, or other tissues.
Symptoms: The symptoms depend on the location and size of the cysts and may include:
▪ Abdominal pain or swelling.
▪ Cough, chest pain, or difficulty breathing (if cysts are in the lungs).
▪ Neurological issues or headaches (if cysts are in the brain).
Complications: If a cyst ruptures, it can cause severe allergic reactions or secondary infections.
Many supermarket brands only cover 2 or 3 of the parasites, commonly leaving out tapeworm coverage. Check all labels to ensure your pet is covered.
Don’t forget that tapeworms are also connected with the flea cycle – so if you are seeing either worms in poo, eggs around bottoms, or fleas on your pets, you must worm and flea treat your pet to break the cycle.
We recommend good personal hygiene at home, washing hands after playing or handling pets, plus regular intestinal worming of adult pets every 3 months (more often for farm pets, pregnant or lactating bi***es, puppies and kittens).
Please speak to your pharmacist about products for intestinal parasite control for the family.
