Whipworms reside in the cecum, which is inside your dog's body where the small intestine and large intestine meet. Dogs become infected with whipworms by swallowing infective whipworm eggs in soil or other substances that may contain dog feces.
Can whipworms be transmitted to other dogs?
Unlike some other common intestinal parasites in dogs, whipworms cannot be transmitted via other species/hosts or between mother and offspring before birth or during nursing. Infection does not require direct contact with another dog.
How are whipworms transmitted?
How is whipworm spread? Whipworms live in the intestine and whipworm eggs are passed in the feces (poop) of infected persons. If the infected person defecates (poops) outside—for example, near bushes, in a garden, or field—or if the feces of an infected person is used as fertilizer, then eggs are deposited on the soil.
How do dogs contract whipworms?
Dogs become infected by eating the whipworm eggs in the soil, usually during grooming. Not all dogs show signs of a whipworm infection, but those that do may have diarrhea with blood and mucus, dehydration, and weight loss. Whipworm infections are diagnosed by finding parasite eggs during a veterinary fecal exam.
Where do whipworms in dogs come from?
Adult whipworms lay their eggs in the large intestine, where they are then passed into the dog's stool to infect the environment. The eggs mature to an infective state, or embryonate, in the environment, and are ready to re-infect the host or infect a new host in 10-to-60 days.
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