PARASITES INFECTING CATS

AND DOGS
Hadley lowery
Dickinson veterinary clinic
Mrs.Click ISM fall 2016

Some information in this

presentation comes from outside
sources

PARASITES IN CATS AND DOGS

Hadley lowery
Ms. Maelynn Solberg is a veterinary assistant.
Veterinary assistants are very underrated. They are the
backbone to the clinics success. They deal with the
customers, clean the animal cages, treat the animals
after surgery and so much more.
Dr. Zamora attended college at Texas A&M where he
studied veterinary medicine.
Dickinson veterinary clinic
Parasites infecting cats and dogs
ISM-fall 2016, Mrs. Click

PARASITES IN CATS AND DOGS

What is ISM?
ISM stands for Independent Study Mentorship; its a course where
students have the opportunity to mentor with a professional in the
field of work that theyre interested in.
My project is about parasites in cats and dogs, to be specific,
heartworms roundworms hookworms and whipworms. It is about
how the various parasites affect cats and dogs , and discusses their
lifecycle. I chose this topic because my mentor suggested it to me
due to her being very knowledgeable on parasites.

HOOKWORM:THE EFFECTS

Hookworm is a small parasite that uses its hook shaped mouth

to connect itself to the intestines of its host and suck the blood
directly from the blood vessels of the animals intestines
They usually target puppies
Anemia
Dehydration
Death
Ingesting , By. "Trifexis (spinosad + Milbemycin Oxime)." About
Intestinal Parasites. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Oct. 2016.
http://www.trifexis.com

HOOKWORM

I.

Hookworms are spread by the secretion of feces from an

animal with hookworms; their feces infects the soil because
the feces is where the eggs of hookworms are layed

II. The hatched hookworms are then able to attack the organism
by getting into open wounds the ingesting of an egg or
transferred from the mom to the baby during nursing
III. They then travel to the intestines where they latch onto blood
vessels
"Sabin."Breakthrough for Hookworm Vaccine Development. N.p.,
n.d. Web. 09 Oct. 2016.
Subject, By. "Intestinal Worms & Heartworm." Intestinal Worms &
Heartworm. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Oct. 2016

WHIPWORM:THE EFFECTS

Whipworms are parasitic nematodes that infest an animals

intestines
Dehydration
Bloody diarrhea
Death
Weight loss
Ingesting , By. "Trifexis (spinosad + Milbemycin Oxime)." About
Intestinal Parasites. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Oct. 2016.
http://www.trifexis.com

WHIPWORMS

I.

Eggs are released inside of the animals intestines

II. They are then passed to the soil from feces

III. An animal can become contaminated by licking its paw or
playing with a toy that came in contact with the
contaminated feces
IV. After being ingested, they are sent to the gastrointestinal
track where they cling to the wall for 2-10 days to mature,
then move to the cecum
Subject, By. "Intestinal Worms & Heartworm." Intestinal Worms &
Heartworm. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Oct. 2016

ROUNDWORMS

Roundworms are nematodes that infect an animals intestines,

meaning they live off of the nutrients of the host organism
Roundworms are also zoonotic meaning they can be transferred to
humans, they infect the eyes organs and even the brain
Infect mostly puppies
Most common, most pets will get them at least one time in their life
Signs dont always show, if infestation is out of hand, signs such as
pot-belly vomiting worms, and pooping out worms
By Joining PetMD, You Agree to the Privacy Policy. "PetMD,
LLC."Intestinal Worms in Dogs & Cats. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Oct.
2016.http://www.petmd.com

ROUNDWORM
I.

Transmitted to the soil through feces

II. Passed to the dog by ingesting an egg

III. The eggs then hatch inside the dogs stomach
Other possible ways
IV. The baby lactates off of the infected mother, thus passing the worms
through the milk
V.

The parasites will wait for a pregnant mother to reach her final
stages of pregnancy, then they will attack the fetal puppies or
kittens

By Joining PetMD, You Agree to the Privacy Policy. "PetMD, LLC."Intestinal

Worms in Dogs & Cats. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Oct. 2016.
http://www.petmd.com
Frazer, Jennifer. "Nematode Roundworms Own This Place." Scientific
American Blog Network. N.p., 06 Aug. 2013. Web. 09 Oct. 2016.

HEARTWORMS
Heartworms are small parasitic worms that cause blockages of flow in the
heart while feeding off the nutrients in the blood and are passed to
animals by mosquitos
Weight loss
Coughing
Lethargy
Vomiting
Difficulty breathing
heartworms in cats do not usually live to the adult stage like they do in
dogs, therefore cats dont get severe cases and usually only have about 3
at once
"Heartworms in Dogs and Cats - 1800PetMeds." PetMeds Pet
Education. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Oct. 2016.<http://www.1800petmeds.com >

HEARTWORMS
I.

The heartworms are able to reproduce with each other and create microfilia

II. The mosquito picks this up and when they bite another animal they give it
heartworms
III. The heartworm then begins traveling to the pulmonary vessels and lungs

Treatment:
o.The animal is x rayed to see if its heart pulmonary vessels and lungs are
inflamed, they also check their white blood cell count
o.Heartworm positive dogs are hospitalized and injected with melarsomine
(Rx) then they are give another dosage 24 hours later , this dosage is very
strong and can actually kill the dog. Thats why the animal must be
hospitalized
. "Heartworms in Dogs and Cats - 1800PetMeds." PetMeds Pet Education.
N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Oct. 2016.<http://www.1800petmeds.com >

HEARTWORMS

PRODUCT: WHEEL OF UNFORTUNE

I plan on creating the
bottom sketch. It is a
spinning wheel that
shows the lifecycle of
intestinal parasites.

CONCLUSION

A parasite is an organism that lives in or on another organism of a

different species often called the host; the host is where the
parasite obtains its nutrition Whether theyre intestinal parasites or
heartworms, all parasites can impair an animals way of life.
A big thanks to the following people
Ms. Maelynn Solberg for being my mentor and teaching me
about the field of veterinary medicine.
Dr. Carlos Zamora for allowing me to intern at his office.
Mrs. Click for supporting and guiding me as my teacher and
helping me choose a product idea.
My parents Kathleen McCumber and Gary Lowery for supporting
me in the duration of my time at my mentorship

WORKS CITED
Ingesting , By. "Trifexis (spinosad + Milbemycin Oxime)." About
Intestinal Parasites. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Oct. 2016. http://
www.trifexis.com
"Heartworms in Dogs and Cats - 1800PetMeds." PetMeds Pet
Education. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Oct. 2016.<http://www.1800petmeds.com
>
By Joining PetMD, You Agree to the Privacy Policy. "PetMD,
LLC."Intestinal Worms in Dogs & Cats. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Oct. 2016.
http://www.petmd.com
Subject, By. "Intestinal Worms & Heartworm." Intestinal Worms &
Heartworm. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Oct. 2016.http://www.onlynaturalpet.com
"Sabin."Breakthrough for Hookworm Vaccine Development. N.p., n.d.
Web. 09 Oct. 2016.
Frazer, Jennifer. "Nematode Roundworms Own This Place." Scientific
American Blog Network. N.p., 06 Aug. 2013. Web. 09 Oct. 2016.