

If your pet happens to have worms, it will need a dewormer for treatment. Since a false negative is possible, you may need to visit us again with your pet for an accurate diagnosis. The process sally requires a stool sample that is sent to the lab and a test that looks for the presence of eggs or worm segments. When you visit our office, our veterinarian will begin with a pet exam to determine a diagnosis. If your pet has a pot-bellied appearance or a dull coat, it might have roundworms. Since a roundworm eliminates nutrients from your cat or dog, it can affect your pet’s growth if it is still young. These parasites will eat the partially digested food contents in your pet's intestines. Roundworms classify as an intestinal worm as well and look like earthworms. Black and tarry stool, vomiting, and a decrease in appetite may occur from hookworms. When the hookworms are left untreated, it can lead to anemia in your pet. While the worms is relatively small, it uses that hook-like mouthpart to feed on the blood from your pet's intestinal walls. Hookworms are also intestinal parasites and receive its name from the hook-like portion of his or her mouth. If you notice that your cat or dog has pieces that look like rice in their feces, it may be infected with tapeworms. As a result, tapeworms can cause a nutrient deficiency in your pet. The parasites can infect your pet's intestines and feed off of the nutrients from the food that is being digested within the intestines. Tapeworms are long, flat, white, and resemble a tape measure. To learn more about these common parasites and why treatment is important, keep reading below! At Trinity Pet Hospital in Laguna Hills, CA, we offer treatment that can offer your cat or dog relief and help it live a long and healthy life. Tapeworms, roundworms, and hookworms are all parasites that can infect your pet and affect their health.
