Q: I recently heard that a parasite found in puppies and kittens
can infect people and cause serious illness. It’s called a
roundworm. I only thought these kinds of infections occurred in
foreign countries, not here at home. Is this true? How dangerous is
this?
Q: I recently heard that a parasite found in puppies and kittens can infect people and cause serious illness. It’s called a roundworm. I only thought these kinds of infections occurred in foreign countries, not here at home. Is this true? How dangerous is this?
A: It’s true, all right. There are several animal parasites here in Northern California that can infect people. The one you mention, the roundworm, is common in dogs and cats in this area. Roundworms are mostly seen in puppies and kittens, causing loose stools, indigestion and general unthriftiness.
Infected animals typically have a dull hair coat and distended abdomen, and they just don’t seem to grow properly.
Sometimes infected patients have a cough. Adult dogs and cats usually have immunity against roundworms, but there are exceptions. I have seen several older dogs infected with this parasite.
Mature roundworms reproduce by releasing thousands of microscopically small eggs which are passed in feces from an infected animal.
If another dog or cat licks his foot after stepping in this infected stool, he can ingest these eggs and the life cycle continues. Within a few weeks, the new host will begin releasing more eggs in his stool.
Roundworms seem to prefer animals as hosts, but occasionally these parasites can be found in the intestinal tract of humans. Children are the most susceptible because of their immature immune system.
How does a child become infected? Let’s say he plays with an infected puppy, then eats a sandwich or some other finger food.
If the dog has parasite eggs in its mouth or on its fur, and if the child doesn’t wash his or her hands before eating, there’s a chance those eggs could end up on his hands and then ingested as he eats his food.
In children, roundworms can migrate out of the intestine to almost any other location in the body (a phenomena called Visceral Larval Migrans).
Wandering worms can do damage almost anywhere, including to internal organs, the eyes, or even the central nervous system. The resulting kidney failure, blindness, or paralysis is devastating. Yet this is all very preventable.
Any newly-adopted puppy or kitten should be properly examined and treated if it has roundworms.
This is very important to avoid a potentially horrible disease.
Be sure your veterinarian discusses this with you when your young pet is given its initial vaccines. And always stress good hygiene to children.
Simply washing hands before each meal can help prevent infection from roundworm or many other diseases.
Q: Our neighbor recently took Max, one of our cats to the vet and had him neutered. We had not planned on doing this procedure and he never talked to us about it. We have had many problems with this person for many years. Why would a vet do this procedure to someone’s cat without permission? We think we should sue both the neighbor and the vet that did the procedure. What else can we do?
A: Sorry to hear that you have such an unfriendly relationship with your neighbor. It sounds as though you might need to have someone mediate your disputes with this individual.
I’m not qualified to give you any legal advice about your cat’s surgery. But I do think you have some legitimate concerns.
You should consult with an attorney to see what your best recourse might be.
I can tell you this: when a person brings an animal into a clinic for treatment, an oral contract is made with the vet to treat this pet.
This agreement is done with the person who brings in the animal, the assumed owner.
Many veterinarians have clients sign a pre-surgical release when a pet is taken to the hospital.
This form discusses surgical and anesthetic risks. A client’s signature on this form implies that he or she is the rightful owner of this pet making this decision.
Veterinarians have to assume that the person bringing in an animal is the owner and guardian of that pet.
So unless the vet that neutered Max knew he was your pet, there is little way he or she could have known your neighbor was doing something wrong.
Q: Our dog, Melissa, recently had a lump removed from near her rear end. It turned out to be a malignant melanoma. Our vet was surprised by this diagnosis and now wants to go back and do more surgery. He says he needs to make a wider surgery incision in the same area. Is this the right thing to do?
A: Your story clearly illustrates the importance of biopsy and histopathology. Only with these diagnostic tests can we be certain what a tumor might be.
Malignant melanoma tumors on the skin don’t all look alike. Some can look very different from others. Visual diagnosis is nearly impossible. So I’m glad you and Melissa’s vet had these tests done.
Melanomas are best treated by wide surgical excision to get rid of any microscopic cancer cells that might be left behind.
If Melissa’s veterinarian feels that the previous surgical excision was not extensive or deep enough, a second surgery is definitely a good idea.
By the way, I always recommend that clients with questions or doubts consider a consultation appointment with a veterinary oncologist.
These specialists see many more cases of melanoma than any general practitioner.
Their experience and special training in the diagnosis and treatment of cancers often gives them special insight and ability in properly treating these diseases.
Consider asking your veterinarian for a referral appointment to help you better understand Melissa’s treatment options.
Pete Keesling is a veterinarian at San Martin Veterinary Hospital and co-hosts Petpourri, a weekly show about pet health on KTEH in San Jose and a bi-weekly column for South Valley Newspapers. If you have any questions about pet care, please mail them to Vets, 30 E. Third St., Morgan Hill, CA 95037.
