Intestinal worms can also pose a great health risk to your pets and family. Hookworms, whipworms, roundworms, and tapeworms are preventable and easily treatable. Knowing the signs and symptoms of these four common intestinal worms can help you know when to call your veterinarian for a visit.

Common, general symptoms of intestinal worms can include: 

• Diarrhea

• Vomiting

• Weight loss

• Poor coat appearance

• Lethargy

• Dehydration

• Dark red or blue blood in the stool

• Pot-bellied appearance

Whipworms

Description: The least common of the four main intestinal worms, the whipworm is tiny, threadlike, and larger at one end. Unlike hookworms and roundworms, the whipworm lives in the large intestine and can cause chronic diarrhea. 

Dogs or cats? Both

Symptoms: Bloody and/or chronic diarrhea, weight loss, anemia, and dehydration are common, but some dogs may show no clinical signs.

How pets get whipworms: dogs biome infected through ingesting whipworm eggs in a contaminated environment. 

Prevention/Care: Make sure to keep your pet’s usual area clean of poop on a weekly basis. Treat young puppies and kittens for worms with their first vaccinations as early as 6 weeks, or as early as 2 weeks in extreme cases.

Can humans get whipworms? According to the AKC, “Humans have their own species of whipworm, called Trichuris trichiura, that is spread through human feces. Luckily for us, it is so rare for humans to get whipworms from dogs that the Companion Animal Parasite Council does not consider dog whipworms to be a zoonotic threat.”
You can read more about whipworms here: https://www.cdc.gov/parasites/whipworm/gen_info/faqs.html