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Ticks, Fleas & Parasites terms
Parasites: ticks and Lyme disease, fleas, heartworm, worms, screwworm in pets and parasite preventives.
Fecal test A laboratory check of a dog's stool for parasite eggs and organisms such as roundworm, hookworm, whipworm and Giardia. Fleas Tiny blood-feeding insects that cause itching, can trigger allergic skin disease and carry tapeworm, and infest the home as well as the dog. Giardia A microscopic intestinal parasite picked up from contaminated water or feces that can cause soft, greasy diarrhea, mainly in puppies. Heartworm disease A serious parasitic disease spread by mosquitoes in which worms grow in a dog's heart and lungs, and which monthly prevention can stop. Hookworm A small intestinal worm that attaches to the gut wall and feeds on blood, causing anemia in puppies, and can burrow into human skin. Lyme disease A bacterial infection spread by blacklegged ticks that causes fever and joint pain in some dogs, and rarely damages the kidneys. Roundworm A common intestinal worm that often infects puppies, frequently from the mother, and can pass to people, especially children. Tapeworm A flat intestinal worm, usually caught by swallowing an infected flea, that sheds rice-like segments seen near a dog's tail. Ticks Blood-feeding arachnids that attach to dogs outdoors and can carry diseases such as Lyme disease, ehrlichiosis and Rocky Mountain spotted fever. Whipworm A parasite of the large intestine whose eggs stay in soil for years and which can cause chronic, mucus-covered diarrhea in dogs.