Please, pick up your dog's poop: Hookworm infections likely on the rise across Tampa Bay
In addition to throwing away your pet's waste, a veterinarian advises keeping the animal on a monthly preventative treatment.
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- Keep a close watch on your pets: Hookworm infections appear to be on the rise across Tampa Bay.
According to the Companion Animal Parasite Council, there have been 1,268 reported positive cases of hookworm in Pinellas County so far this year versus 1,201 cases last year.
Hookworm is a parasite that literally hooks itself the intestinal lining of its host, whether animal or human. It feeds off blood vessels for survival, causing a range of symptoms to anemia, diarrhea, weakness and in some extreme cases, death, according to the American Kennel Club.
In other counties across the Bay:
- Hillsborough: 1,217 hookworm cases so far this year versus 1,509 cases last year
- Manatee: 206 cases so far this year versus 212 cases last year
- Pasco: 943 cases so far this year versus 772 cases last year
- Sarasota: 573 cases so far this year versus 577 cases last year
You can check out the map on the CAPC's website.
Kelly Long, a veterinarian at Central Animal Hospital in St. Petersburg, said her office has noticed an increase in hookworm disease and giardia -- another intestinal parasite -- so far this summer compared to last year.
This year has been rainier than normal, about 8 inches above average at the Tampa airport, with much of it falling in late spring and summer. From the added precipitation to warmer temperatures, the conditions are prime for parasites, Long said.
Plus, more pets are out and about.
Owners are asked to keep their animals on a monthly prevention prescription and keep up on fecal tests to confirm the presence of parasites. And perhaps the easiest step to take: clean up after your pet after they poop.
It's easy for a healthy animal to become infected by sniffing or eating contaminated feces or soil.
"Unfortunately, not all owners follow these recommendations," Long said.
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