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Objectives

1. To examine common small animal parasites.

2. To describe symptoms of external and internal parasites in small animals.

3. To illustrate preventative methods and treatment options concerning parasites.

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Small Animals • Include the following:

– dogs– cats– rabbits– guinea pigs– hamsters– birds

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Internal Parasites • Include the following:

– coccidiosis– roundworms– hookworms– whipworms– tapeworms– heartworms

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Coccidiosis• Is caused by protozoans called coccidia which

multiply in the intestinal tract of animals• Can be species specific• Is excreted in feces and transmitted through the

ingestion of either infected feces or intermediate hosts such as rats

• Affects young animals most frequently• Results in intestinal lesions, impaired growth and

loss of appetite

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protozoan – predominantly single celled organisms housing a membrane bound nucleus and belonging to the kingdom Protista

intermediate hosts – the host in which a parasite undergoes development but does not reach maturity

Symptoms of Coccidiosis

• Include the following:– diarrhea, often with blood or

mucous present– vomiting– loss of appetite– dehydration

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Prevention of Coccidiosis

• Includes general husbandry such as removing all fecal material

• Involves maintaining food and water so it will not become contaminated with feces

• Provide fresh water for animals at all times

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husbandry – the careful management of domestic affairs or resources

Roundworms• Transmitted through nursing and contact

with contaminated feces• Travel through the organs, get coughed

up, swallowed and mature in the small intestines during the larval stage

• Migrate to internal tissues and lay dormant until the host becomes pregnant, then infect the developing fetus

• May go unnoticed due to tendency of being asymptomatic

8asymptomatic – showing no evidence of disease

Symptoms of Roundworms

• Include the following:– expanded abdomen– diarrhea, may have roundworms

present– vomiting, may have roundworms

present– lethargy– loss of appetite

9lethargy – state of being drowsy, dull and unenergetic

Prevention of Roundworms

• Includes bottle feeding of newborn animals• Involves treating pregnant and nursing animals

along with their babies regularly with a de-wormer• Consists of spraying the animal’s living area with

diluted bleach• Requires killing rats and mice as rodents are

potential carriers

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de-wormer – medicine used to cure an animal of worms

Treatment of Roundworms

• Requires regular administering of de-wormer • Should be administered under the direction of a

veterinarian• Cleans the infected animal’s system• Causes animals to excrete the roundworms,

which should be immediately cleaned up as they could re-infect the animal

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Hookworms • Are blood sucking parasites residing in the

small intestine• Are transmitted by eating infected larvae

which live in the environment and are passed through feces or by penetrating the skin and entering the blood stream

• Cause death due to anemia and low protein levels

• Act asymptomatically

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anemia – a condition in which there is a deficiency of hemoglobin, the oxygen carrying component of blood

Symptoms of Hookworms

• Include the following:– black, tarry diarrhea– dark stool– lethargy– anemia– vomiting– irritated skin where hookworms

penetrated the body13

Prevention of Hookworms

• Requires the quick removal of feces

• Includes treating newborns biweekly for the first eight weeks and adults every month

• Involves testing animals with anemia or a history of hookworms at least once a year

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Treating Hookworms

• May require hospitalization or a blood transfusion

• Involves placing animals on different kinds of medication, including heartworm preventative medication which has been proven to kill hookworms

• Requires long term surveillance as the hookworms infiltrate the blood stream and may remain in the body after initial treatment

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Whipworms • Live in the cecum of animals and act as

blood sucking parasites• Infect animals through the ingestion of

whipworm eggs in soil and other items coming in contact with feces

• Become infective one month after the eggs are shed

• Act asymptomatically• Are rarely seen in cats

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cecum – a pouch where the small intestine and large intestine meet

Symptoms of Whipworms

• Include the following:– diarrhea, may include fresh blood– weight loss– anemia

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Prevention of Whipworms

• Involves quickly removing feces• Includes maintaining a long

term plan of surveillance and treatment

• Is difficult in animals previously infected due to high resistance of eggs which were laid in the environment, especially soil

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Treating Whipworms

• Is possible through various oral medications

• Requires administering medication at three week or three month intervals due to the life cycle of whipworms

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Tapeworms • Are the most common internal

parasite encountered• Are transmitted through

intermediate hosts, usually fleas, who obtain the egg and then are eaten by another animal

• Are long and flat and attach to the animal’s intestines

• Act asymptomatically and rarely cause serious disease

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Symptoms of Tapeworms

• Include the following:– abdominal pain– hunger– mild weight loss– worms in feces

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Prevention of Tapeworms

• Involves maintaining a strict flea control program

• Includes preventing the ingestion of rodents

• Requires keeping animals from contact with intermediate hosts carrying tapeworm larvae

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Fun Fact:

Tapeworms in dogs can grow

over 20 inches in length

Treating Tapeworms

• Is possible through many medications

• Is normally treated with an injection to rid the infection within 24 hours

• Rids the animal of current infection but does not prevent future infections

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Heartworms • Are transmitted through

feeding mosquitoes who deposit larvae

• Inhabit the heart and large vessels in the lungs when mature

• Are the most damaging parasites in dogs

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Symptoms of Heartworms

• Include the following:– coughing– exercise intolerance– weight loss– difficulties breathing– obstructed blood flow by dying

worms

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Prevention of Heartworms

• Involves administering heartworm prevention medication

• Begins when animals are about six to eight weeks old

• Involves keeping animals indoors, but it is not enough alone for prevention

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Treating Heartworms

• Involves injecting the animal, usually dogs, with a poison to kill the heartworm

• Is usually not possible for cats since the medication may cause worse effects than the disease

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Fun Facts: Heartworms

can live in dogs for up to seven

years

External Parasites

• Include the following:– fleas– ticks– earmites– sarcoptic mange– demodectic mange

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Fleas• Are small, wingless, bloodsucking insects acting

as parasites on warm blooded animals• Feed on hosts, mate and then lay hundreds of

eggs• Repeat life cycle in three weeks under favorable

conditions• Can go for two months without feeding

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Symptoms of Fleas • Include the following:

– itching– patches of hair loss– red, irritated skin– anemia occurs with large

infestations

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Prevention of Fleas • Indoors includes frequent vacuuming

and washing of materials where animals spend a lot of time

• Outside includes spraying areas frequented by animals with insecticides

• Involves using flea control shampoo and collars

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Treating Fleas • Involves regularly following all

preventative measures inside, outside and on an animal

• Includes applying medication to the irritated portions of skin on an animal

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Fun Fact: Fleas can

jump up to four feet high

Ticks • Are small parasitic arachnids which feed on the

blood of mammals, birds and reptiles• Carry diseases which can be transmitted to

animals and humans• Complete life cycle by mating, engorge from

feeding, then drop to the ground to lay eggs in the environment

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arachnids – invertebrate animals characterized by four pairs of segmented legs and a body divided into two sections

engorge – fill to excess with fluid, such as blood

Symptoms of Ticks• Include the following:

– red, irritated skin where ticks attach– anemia in severe cases– contracting Lyme disease

disease characterized by fever, joint and muscle pain and weakness which can lead to heart and kidney problems in animals

– contracting Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever disease characterized by high

fever, headache and joint pain

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Prevention of Ticks • In animals and humans involves

staying away from wooded or grassy areas as well as leafy debris

• Includes using tick preventing medication and shampoo as well as regularly checking and promptly removing ticks

• Prevention of Lyme disease is available by administering a Lyme disease vaccine

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Treating Ticks • Requires the quick removal of any ticks

found on an animal• Involves administering medication to the

site of infection • Includes using oral medication which

combats the diseases they cause

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Sarcoptic Mange • Is also known as scabies• Is caused by mites burrowing under

the skin• Is transmitted through direct contact

with mites or another infected animal

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Symptoms of Sarcoptic Mange

• Include the following:– severe itching– dry, wrinkled areas of skin– hair loss– lethargy– crusty sores

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Prevention of Sarcoptic Mange

• Involves maintaining good hygiene and health of animals

• Requires keeping animals from freely roaming in grassy or woody areas

• Includes limiting the contact animals have with each other as scabies is easily transmitted

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Treating Sarcoptic Mange

• Can be accomplished through bathing infected animals weekly using anti-parasitic soap

• Involves treatment with anti-parasitic medication and antibiotics if secondary infection has occurred due to scratching

• Can be accomplished through ridding the house of mites which involves regular vacuuming and cleaning of areas animals inhabit

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Demodectic Mange • Is caused by a parasitic mite called

demodex living in the hair follicles and oil glands of animals’ skin

• In adults is usually a sign of another disease compromising the immune system as most animals are able to suppress demodex

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Symptoms • Include the following:

– itching– red, irritated skin– small areas of hair loss on face and

front legs– skin oozing serum– may contract bacterial infection

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serum – pale yellow liquid coming from the separation of blood into its liquid and solid forms

Prevention of Demodectic Mange

• Consists of maintaining the overall health of animals

• Includes providing animals with a good diet and clean environment

• Involves supporting an animals immune system by vaccinating, sterilizing both the animal and its environment and practicing pest control

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Treating Demodectic Mange

• Involves feeding oral medication daily for several weeks

• Can be difficult if the animal is excreting serum or an infection has occurred

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Earmites • Live on the surface of the ear canal skin• Are barely visible to the human eye and

appear as little black specks resembling coffee grounds

• Are transmitted through social interactions between infected animals

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Symptoms

• Include the following:– scratching at the ear– ears become red and inflamed– crust may appear on or around the

ears– abscesses around the ears

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abscess – localized collection of pus in part of the body

Prevention of Earmites

• Involves checking ears regularly as earmites reproduce rapidly

• Consists of checking ears after animals interact with one another

• Includes monitoring animals’ behavior to see if there is excess head shaking or ear scratching

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Treating Earmites

• Includes applying medicinal oils or insecticides into the ear canal

• May involve oral medication depending on severity of infestation

• Is continued for several days in order to break the life cycle

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Assessment1. The most common internal parasite is the

a. roundworm

b. flatworm

c. tapeworm

d. whipworm

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Assessment2. Whipworms live in the _______ of

animals.

a. liver

b. kidney

c. cecum

d. small intestine

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Assessment3. What is an intermediate host?

4. What internal parasite is transmitted through feeding mosquitoes?

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Assessment5. What is the condition in which there

is a deficiency of hemoglobin in blood?

6. What is the careful management of domestic affairs or resources called?

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Assessment7. Symptoms of hookworms include an

expanded abdomen.

a. true

b. false

8. Sarcoptic mange is also known as scabies.

a. true

b. false

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Assessment9. Tapeworms can be transmitted through a

mothers’ milk.

a. true

b. false

10. Demodectic mange may cause the excretion of serum.

c. true

d. false

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Resources• (1998-2006). Retrieved October 9,

2008, from Long Beach Animal Hospital: lbah.com

• (2005-2008). Retrieved October 9, 2008, from Companion Animal Parasite Council: www.petsandparasites.org

• (2008). Retrieved October 9, 2008, from Rural Area Veterinary Services: ruralareavet.org

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Acknowledgements

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Project Coordinator:Meghan Blanek Production Manager:

Dusty Moore

Executive Producers:Gordon Davis, Ph.D.,

Jeff Lansdell

Production Coordinator:Brandon O’Quinn

Graphic Designer:Ann Adams

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