Worms in dogs are commonly found in the intestinal tract and sometimes in the heart. Professional treatment and owner prevention are critical to the well-being of your canine companion.

We received a question on the All About Worms Facebook page about worms that are harmful to dogs. The question…

A concerned reader wrote to us recently about a long, black worm he found in his house. He is worried that his dog has “a terrible worm of some kind.” We are of course highly sensitive to his concerns, but the reader makes no explicit connection between his dog and the long, black worm he found. He merely mentions that he came home (and presumably found the worm) and is worried about his dog. He didn’t mention any behavior of the dog that implies it has a worm infection, nor did he say he saw the worm come from the dog’s body. We are therefore slightly puzzled why he immediately linked the worm he found to his dog. In any case, he only asked us to identify the long, black worm, so hopefully in helping with this we can provide some guidance.

A reader wrote to us about hookworms, or what are believed to hookworms, afflicting his dog. Having observed the worms, which the reader described as 1/4 to 1/2 of an inch long with rounded (or perhaps “hooked” is the better term) ends, he asked what hookworms look like. We’ll address this specific question, but we’ll also say a few remarks about hookworms in general, just in case some of our readers are not familiar with this common parasitic worm found in dogs (and other mammals, including humans, for that matter).

Garlic, wheat bran and pumpkin seeds are considered common organic dog worm cures by some, unfortunately, most organic “cures” do not work.

Heart worm is most common in dogs, but it can also affect more than 30 additional species of animals including cats, wolves, coyotes, ferrets, and even sea lions. Heart worm can affect humans as well.