Types, Life Cycle and Method of Infection for Hookworms in Dogs
The medical condition caused by a dog being infested with hookworms, is actually caused by a parasitic infection. Parasites are organisms that thrive by feeding off a "host", from which they steal nutrients, food, blood, or other substances. Some parasites are external (such as ticks and lice), while some parasites are internal ( such as hookworms and tapeworms). Since hookworms are an internal parasite, they habitate inside a host's body in order to obtain nutrition.
Internal parasites are more difficult to treat than external parasites, since it's harder to discern when the parasitic infection has been completely eradicated. There are three species of hookworms that can possibly infect dogs:
Ancylostoma caninum
Ancylostoma braziliense
Uncinaria stenocephala
Out of these three species, Ancylostoma caninum is by far the most common hookworm to infect dogs. All of these species of hookworm undergo a similar life cycle, which is defined by the method by which a dog becomes infected with hookworms.
Life Cycle and Method of Infection
First, an adult hookworm in a host organism begins to lay eggs. Since adult hookworms usually reside in the small intestine, these eggs are passed into the fecal matter of the host. Once the egg-infested feces exit the host, the eggs hatch into larvae. These larvae then seek to infect new hosts, usually by either penetrating the skin of a host, or by being ingested by a potential host.
In most dogs, hookworms penetrate a dog's body through the feet, when a dog passes by their location. Once the larvae enter a dog's body, they then seek to find a place to mature. Some larvae migrate directly to the intestinal area, while some larvae seek to reside in a dog's lungs (in which case, a dog will develop symptoms such as severe coughing). Any larvae in the lungs are usually swallowed by a dog, in which case they mature into adults in the intestines. It is possible for a hookworm larvae to lie dormant prior to maturation, and only mature after a long period of time. In most cases, the time from a hookworm infection in a dog to the maturation of adult worms, is fourteen days.
If a dog comes into contact with another dog that is infected with hookworms, this is not necessarily enough for direct transmission of hookworm larvae to occur. However, it is very possible that dogs in close contact will transmit parasitic organisms, especially in closed-quarter environments.
This is most commonly seen in animal shelters, kennels, and other areas where many dogs are in close contact with one another.
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