There can be many causes for the different species of worms. In most cases, it's ingestion of the eggs. This can be from other dogs, eating bugs, undercooked meat, etc. There are also worms that can be passed from the mother to the pup (i.e. Toxicara cani) during pregnancy. Stomach worms are caused by parasite called, Physaloptera spp. The worms are typically transmitted when an animal ingests the infective larvae that are residing in an intermediate host.
Types of worms:
The most common ones in dogs are roundworms, hookworms, whipworms, tapeworms, and heartworms. Roundworms and hookworms are found most commonly in puppies and sometimes in adult dogs. Whipworms, tapeworms, and heartworms are seen more in older dogs.
Detection:
The most common symptoms of dog worms are
- Dull coat
- Weight loss
- Appetite loss
- Pot-bellied appearance
- Coughing
- Low energy level
- Diarrhea
- Vomiting
As far as dog eating the grass is concerned, the Veterinary researchers have given a lot of theories but the bottom line is nothing can be said with surety. However, many theories say that this might be the case of worms. So, I would recommend you to go for blood and stool tests as they are the most effective ways to detect worms.
Cure:
Treatment usually involves a deworming medication. My pup had been dewormed twice. It would take 7-9 days for the worms to be killed. Killing heartworm involves giving the dog a 2 week dose of Doxycycline. The most potent worms are the heartworms as they actually get into the heart and circulatory system and the dog may get killed as the treatment involves harsh, arsenic-based drugs.
Dewormers don't kill all kinds of worms. So, if your dog was dewormed for roundworms, hookworms or whipworms previously, then it's still possible to have tapeworms. It's also possible to reinfect with any parasite after treatment because eggs and larva remain in the environment.
