Esophageal worms

ESOPHAGEAL WORM (SPIROCERCA LUPI)

This spiruroid nematode has a tropic and temperate distribution including the Gulf Coast and Southeastern United States. It gets to its final host (canids and wild cats) via coprophagous beetles, such as the dung/scarab beetle. It also may be transported via paratenic hosts such as
lizards, chickens and mice that the dog might eat.

After ingesting either the beetle or a paratenic host that had eaten an infected beetle, Spirocerca lupi L3 larvae (larvae in the third stage of development) penetrate the dog's stomach wall and use the arteries of the thorax and intestinal system to distribute themselves within the host. In
the esophagus, the adult worms cause nodules to form, which become cancerous in about 10 percent of the infected dogs.

Additionally, the esophageal worm has been implicated in inflammation of the joints between the thoracic vertebrae.

The worms are killed with fenbendazole or ivermectin.

Submitted by Joy - excerpts from Dog World Magazine

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