Cats can occasionally get hookworms from infected dogs. It’s important to regularly deworm cats and promptly remove stool from the litterbox to avoid spreading the eggs and infective larvae.
They can become infected by both oral ingestion of larvae and through direct skin contact. Ĭats are also at risk of getting hookworms. Also, practice good hygiene by thoroughly washing your hands with soap and water (get those thumbs too!) after touching stool, soil, and other materials that could be contaminated with pet stool. Stool testing your dog, regular deworming, and picking up dog stool right away are the best ways to avoid spreading hookworm infections to other dogs and people. ] It’s best to prevent children from playing in areas contaminated with dog stool. In most cases, infections in humans are easily treatable or resolve on their own in a month or two. Upon contact, larvae burrow into the skin, causing inflammation and irritation. walking in contaminated soil or sand with bare feet). Infection in people occurs from direct skin contact with larvae (e.g. Yes, hookworms can infect humans and other pets, including cats. These inactive hookworm larvae can periodically become active and lead to a “surprise” intestinal infection in the adult dog or be triggered awake during pregnancy to be passed to the mother’s pups either in the womb or via her milk. Whether from oral or skin penetration, some hookworm larvae will migrate and encyst themselves in the dog’s tissues and go dormant. These feeding hookworms mature, mate, and release eggs which are passed in the stool. When they shift feeding locations, the previous locations may keep bleeding because of the anticoagulants leading to more blood loss from the dog. Regardless of how the exposure occurs, hookworms that make it to the intestine will “hook” (attach) to the inner lining where they use potent anticoagulants (blood thinners) to feed on the dog’s blood. Hookworm larvae that enter through the skin migrate to (and injure) the lungs to get coughed up and swallowed into the digestive tract. Hookworm larvae that are swallowed will either migrate out of the digestive tract and into the dog’s tissues or get carried into the intestine where they “hook” (attach) to the inner lining. Another animal becomes infected when these larvae are either accidently ingested (such as when licking dirt from feet) or penetrate the skin (usually through the belly or between the paw pads). After a few days, these eggs hatch into larvae that can remain infective in the ground for a few months. Adult female hookworms release eggs into the intestinal tract of the dog which are then passed in the stool.