The most common consequence of roundworms is growth reduction. Since roundworms eat partially digested food in the intestinal tract, if there are large numbers of roundworms, they will rob the growing puppy of vital nutrients. "The most common consequence of roundworms is growth reduction."
How does roundworms affect the animal?
How do roundworms affect my animal? Most often pets show no signs of infection. Some animals can have vomiting, loss of appetite or weight loss. Heavy infections (large numbers of worms) in young puppies and kittens can cause death.
What damage do roundworms do?
In most cases, these “wandering worms” cause no symptoms or obvious damage. However, in some cases they can cause damage to tissue. Sometimes they affect the nerves or even make their way to the eyes. In some cases, they may cause permanent nerve or eye damage, even blindness.
How do roundworms harm dogs?
Roundworms live in the intestines, depriving the puppy or dog of nutrients from his food—thus symptoms of a heavy roundworm infection can include signs of malnutrition such as weakness, weight loss, and stunted growth. Potbellied appearance.
What do roundworms do for the environment?
Nematodes enhance soil quality in four major areas: regulate the populations of other soil organisms, mineralize nutrients into plant-available forms, provide a food source for other soil organisms and consume disease-causing organisms. Nematodes are important nutrient mineralizers.
