Variety of intestinal parasites

As their name suggests, intestinal parasites are a wide group of parasites that live and reproduce in the GI tract of animals. Such parasites lay microscopic eggs that then spread in the environment through stools and can infect other animals, and in some instances, even humans.

he first thing that comes to mind when we hear intestinal parasites are worms. It is true that there are many intestinal worms (roundworms, flatworms, hookworms, whipworms, etc.), but intestinal parasites include more than just worms in pets. Some protozoa (small unicellular organism), like Giardia and Coccidia are intestinal parasites.

No matter their type, intestinal parasites are pretty common in pets. Young animals are more often affected. About half of puppies younger than 6 months, and over a third of kittens up to 6 months of age, could be infected by one species or another of intestinal parasites. More than one out of four domestic dogs and cats, regardless of age, evacuate parasitic matter, contaminating the surrounding environment with microscopic eggs that are infectious for animals and humans.

The thing is, most infected animals won’t show any symptoms… The problem is more common than we think. To protect the health of our beloved animals, and protect our own health as well as those around us, it is of the upmost importance to adopt a systematic and routine deworming schedule.