How will my dog act if he has worms?

When you find that your dog, who has been with you day and night, suddenly becomes listless, his once lively eyes are dim, or he has little interest in the plate when he should be enjoying the food, this may not be a simple depression, but a dangerous signal of parasites in the body. Dogs will not speak of their pain, but the "language" they weave with their behavior hides their concerns about their health and their expectations for help from their owners. Understanding these subtle changes is an important prerequisite for protecting your dog's health. ​

Intestinal parasites are one of the most common health threats to dogs. Different types of parasites, such as roundworms, hookworms, tapeworms, and whipworms, can cause varying degrees of damage in dogs. In the early stages of infection, many owners may not notice obvious abnormalities until the dog's behavior changes significantly. The most intuitive manifestation is often abnormal fluctuations in appetite and weight. Dogs, who used to have an amazing appetite and were excited when they saw food, began to be careless about food and even refused to eat. Even if they force themselves to eat, it is difficult to maintain a normal weight. Instead, they become thinner and thinner, and the outlines of their ribs and spine gradually become clear. This is because parasites compete for nutrients in the intestines, consuming a large amount of nutrients in the food that the dog consumes, resulting in the dog being unable to meet its own growth and activity needs even if it consumes enough food. ​

In addition to changes in diet and weight, the dog's excretion status will also become an important basis for judging parasitic infection. Dogs infected with intestinal parasites often have unformed feces, sometimes soft and muddy, and sometimes blood or mucus in the stool. In the feces, you can sometimes see white rice-like tapeworm segments or long and thin roundworms like noodles. When a dog frequently makes a defecation posture but cannot defecate smoothly, or still shows restlessness and licks the anus after defecation, it is likely that it is anal itching and discomfort caused by parasites. These seemingly simple excretion abnormalities hide serious problems such as intestinal mucosal damage and digestive dysfunction. If not treated in time, they may also cause more serious intestinal diseases.​

Behavior changes are also a significant feature of dogs infected with parasites. Dogs that were once full of energy and keen to play with their owners suddenly become lazy and sleepy, spending most of their time in a corner and losing interest in toys and games. This is not only an external manifestation of physical weakness, but also a result of systemic discomfort caused by parasitic infection. Some dogs also have symptoms of abdominal distension, especially when puppies are infected with roundworms, the abdominal swelling is particularly obvious, like a round ball. This is the result of a large number of parasites gathering in the intestines, causing intestinal expansion and increased abdominal pressure. Dogs will feel abdominal distension and pain, and their movements will become slow and clumsy. ​

When parasitic infections affect the dog's respiratory system, the situation becomes more difficult. Parasites such as lungworms invade the lungs and cause respiratory symptoms such as coughing and wheezing. The dog's cough is no longer crisp, but becomes deep and frequent, sometimes accompanied by difficulty breathing, panting with the mouth open, and shortness of breath. These symptoms will be more obvious after exercise or excitement. Severe respiratory infections may even endanger the dog's life, causing them to suffer pain with every breath. ​

Faced with the discomfort caused by parasitic infections, dogs' emotions will also undergo a huge change. They become sensitive and fragile, easily frightened, and their originally docile and well-behaved personalities may become irritable and angry. When the owner tries to stroke or touch them, the dog will show resistance or dodge. This is not alienation from the owner, but the pain in the body makes them unable to withstand the touch of the outside world. Some dogs will also have pica, chewing non-food items such as soil and paper. This is because parasitic infections cause nutritional imbalance in the body, and dogs try to supplement the missing nutrients in this way. ​

The various behaviors of dogs after being infected with parasites are their "help signals" to their owners. Every silence of loss of appetite, every painful cough, and every uneasy movement are telling of physical discomfort and inner fear. As owners, we need to use keen observation and deep care to capture these subtle changes in time and provide professional medical help to dogs. Regular deworming, keeping the living environment clean, and preventing dogs from coming into contact with dangerous environments where they may be infected with parasites are the key to preventing parasitic infections.