Your Dog May Be at Greater Risk for Worms Than You Know

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50% of dog parks tested positive for whipworm, roundworm, or hookworm1

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1 in 5 dogs tested positive for worms1

What’s Driving the Risk?

Dogs Are Socializing More

45% of US pet owners prefer to live near a dog park or trail2

42% more dog parks exist now in the US than in 20093

More Dogs Are On The Move

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More dogs are being moved from high- worm regions to low-worm regions due to natural disasters and shelter shortages.


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ASPCA transported >40,000 dogs in 20184

Which Worms Are a Risk to Dogs?

Worms in dogs can pose a health risk to your favourite pet. Treating and controlling worms is the best defense for your dog against these potentially dangerous parasites.

  • icon heart and heartworm

    Did You Know?

    Heartworm disease has been reported in dogs in every Canadian province.5 In fact, the American Heartworm Society estimates that more than 1 million dogs in the US currently have heartworm disease.6 It happens when mosquitoes bite and infect dogs with this potentially deadly disease. So, when it comes to heartworm disease in dogs, using heartworm prevention is the best plan of attack.

  • icon hookworm

    Did You Know?

    Hookworms, roundworms, whipworms and tapeworms(A. caninum,T. pisiformis, E. multilocularis, E. granulosus and D. caninum)  live in your dog’s body and grow to adulthood in the intestinal tract. That’s why broad-spectrum protection is important to help keep your dog healthy.

Depending on the intestinal parasite, infections in your dog can cause:

  • Roundworms: Poor hair coat, pot-bellied appearance, diarrhea9

  • Hookworms: Blood loss, anemia8

  • Tapeworms: Perianal irritation, rarely intestinal obstruction12

Some of the above parasites can cause zoonotic disease, which means accidental infection of humans.8-13

Heartworms, Hookworms, Tapeworms, Roundworms And Whipworms In Dogs

Heartworms

Heartworm disease is a potentially deadly infection that starts with the bite of an infected mosquito. From there, the larvae penetrate into a dog’s tissue and migrate to the bloodstream before entering the heart and lungs. Heartworms can live in an infected dog for 5-7 years, so they can produce severe damage in your dog’s heart and lungs over time. Heartworm disease signs for dogs can include:7

Heartworm disease signs for dogs can include:

  • Coughing
  • Exercise intolerance
  • Difficulty breathing
  • Enlarged liver
  • Death
icon heart and heartworm

Test Your Worm IQ: What's Your Dog's Risk?

Do you exercise your dog off-leash? Do you like to walk your dog in the park or on the beach? Does your dog ever try to catch small animals like rodents? All these things affect your pet’s risk of getting parasitic worms. Every situation is different and you may need to deworm your pet as frequently as once a month, depending on your veterinarian’s recommendation.

It takes 30 days or less for some eggs to develop into harmful worms.8,9

Take just 3 minutes to assess your dog's risk and receive a report to take to your vet.

Question 1

Your dog could get whipworms from your daily walk.

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Protect Your Dog From 5 Types of Dangerous Parasitic Worms

Why Worry About Worms?

  • Worms can be responsible for serious health risks to your favorite pet. Intestinal worms, such as hookworms, roundworms, whipworms and tapeworms, can pose a threat to your dog’s digestive system.

  • icon whipworm

    These harmful parasites can cause your dog to have diarrhea, weight loss, anemia and more. Heartworms pose a serious health risk and can be fatal to your dog.

  • icon hookworm

    Unfortunately, worms may be more common than you think and many factors are responsible for their growing prevalence – from natural disasters to changing wildlife populations.

  • icon heart and heartworm

    Treating and controlling worms is the best defense for your dog against these potentially dangerous parasites. Stay informed about the dangers of intestinal worms and heartworms to understand why it’s important to keep your dog protected.

1 Elanco. Data on file. US Study.

2 Better Cities for Pets 2019 Annual Report – Mars Petcare

3 2019 City Park Survey, Center for City Park Excellence, The Trust for Public Land. https://www.tpl.org/sites/default/files/City%20Park%20Facts%20Dog%20Parks%202019_R4.pdf

4 ASPCA Animal Relocation https://www.aspca.org/animal-placement/animal-relocation. Accessed 1 Oct 2019

5 CAPC Maps, Canada. https://capcvet.org/maps/#2019/all/heartworm-canine/dog/canada/. Accessed 26 May 2020

6 American Heartworm Society. Heartworm by the Numbers https://d3ft8sckhnqim2.cloudfront.net/images/pdf/2019HeartwormByTheNumbers.pdf?1548859511. Accessed 26 May 2020

7 American Heartworm Society Current Canine Guidelines. 2018

8 CAPC Hookworms 2016 https://capcvet.org/guidelines/hookworms/. Accessed 27 May 2020

9 CAPC Ascarid 2016 https://capcvet.org/guidelines/ascarid/. Accessed May 27 2020

10 CAPC Trichuris vulpis 2016 https://capcvet.org/guidelines/trichuris-vulpis/. Accessed May 27 2020

11 CAPC Echinococcus spp. https://capcvet.org/guidelines/echinococcus-spp/. Accessed May 27 2020

12 CAPC Taenia spp. https://capcvet.org/guidelines/taenia/. Accessed May 27 2020

13 CAPC Dipylidium caninum https://capcvet.org/guidelines/dipylidium-caninum/. Accessed June 3 2020

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