The process by which the hookworm reaches the intestines is most interesting. The egg, or embryo, is deposited in fecal matter within the intestines. It hatches, or develops, after being exposed to air and moisture, usually within twelve to twenty-four hours, if the temperature is above seventy or eighty degrees Fahrenheit. In about eight days, under favorable conditions, such as being on warm, wet ground, it attains full growth (microscopically) and is ready to infest, which it does by boring through the skin or mucous membrane of the mouth into the blood canals, and is carried along with the blood currents to the lungs; then it bores through the walls of the blood canals into the air sacs and crawls up through the windpipe to the throat, and then passes directly to the intestines, either by crawling or being swallowed with food or water, attaches itself to intestinal.membranes and begins a life which lasts from six to ten years, unless expelled. It subsists entirely upon the blood which it sucks. After it is attached, it grows to a length of one-third to one-half inch, the female being somewhat larger than the male, as shown in illustration. She is very prolific and one dog which is infested will pollute a vast area of ground by reason of rains washing or spreading the feces containing thousands of eggs or embryos.

The presence of hookworm is hard, almost impossible to detect without the use of a microscope, unless the investment is quite heavy, then rapid decline is noticed, such as general weakness or paralysis of the legs or hindquarters.

Symptoms

Rough hair; sometimes a cough; as a rule the appetite continues fairly good; languid; eyes become bloodless and listless; gums pale, generally a creamy white. Excretion sometimes natural, again loose, again of a dysentery nature, frequently a little drop of blood or two. This may be examined by the average layman many times with the naked eye and from the fact that he "doesn't see any" the conclusion is arrived at that the dog is free of hookworm. Many times a dog in apparently the best of health is infected with these terrible pests, his strong constitution overbalancing the damage that Mr. Worm is doing. This won't last always and sooner or later he will pay the price.

While a microscopical examination will reveal the eggs, it occasionally happens that the worm itself is shown in feces under certain conditions. Of course, a microscopic examination of the feces for the ova is the one, absolute, certain way of determining a dog having them.

This worm has been discovered in dogs, cats, foxes, badgers and human beings, adults as well as children. This is mentioned with the view to impress upon all interested the necessity of being alive to the true situation, in order to prevent the scattering of the disease and to show the chances of it being scattered.

The worm attaches itself to the walls of the intestine and lives about seven years. Remember, kennel owners, the worm does not incubate in the intestine, but simply deposits its thousands of eggs there, which are passed out on the ground in the excrement. I have dissected six-week-old puppies and found many hookworms. This was, no doubt, brought about by the dam lying out on the ground, her teats being attacked by the freshly hatched worm, and brought to the suckling puppies. They were treated in the ordinary way for worms, but this will not kill hookworms.

If hookworm is found in one dog in the kennel, it is safe to assume every dog in the kennel is infected, and should be treated.

The following most valuable article is from The American Field, written by Edward Martin, M. R. C. V. S.:

"Until quite recently hookworm disease in the dog, also known as pernicious anemia, uncinariasis, etc., has been but slightly recognized. This is probably owing to neglect on the part of owners of dogs and veterinarians to make careful post-mortem examinations, and again, to the fact that young dogs infected with hookworm generally carry round worms and tapeworms,' and it is to the effects of these that death, when it occurs, is attributed.

The hookworm parasite, technically known as Uncinaria, inhabits the small intestines of dogs and foxes. When mature they attach themselves to the mucous membrane and live entirely on the blood they extract. For the purposes of this article they may be described as an extremely fine round worm, white or grayish in color, from one-third to seven-eighths of an inch in length, and about as thick as a fine sewing needle. As they can seldom be seen in the stools it may be advisable to describe their appearance on post-mortem examination of their host.

Dogs dying from this disease are generally emaciated, and when the patient has lingered long covered with bedsores. The gums are pale, often spongy and ulcerated, the teeth covered with a dark green deposit, with a pronounced odor. On opening the abdomen the mesenteric glands are generally found to be enlarged and dark in color, due to irritation set up by the poisonous products of the parasites. The outer surface of the stomach and bowels, as a rule, show little or no changes; in aggravated cases there may be a few dark red or purple spots.

To find the parasites the stomach and bowels should be taken out and slit up. The parasite does not often occur in the stomach, but may be found firmly attached to the wall in any part of the small intestines. The mucous membrane of the intestines should be examined in a good light, inch by inch, with a magnifying glass, and if necessary washed with running water to clear away mucus, partly digested food, etc.

The parasite can be recognized curled up in a spiral or lying straight in groups of four or five' to a dozen. They may be evenly distributed throughout the small intestine. If the examination be made shortly after death, each parasite is found firmly attached in the center of a red, inflamed spot; wherever the contents of the bowels are cherry colored from blood staining the parasites can be found most numerously. The whole of the small intestine is, as a rule, inflamed and thickened. In many cases round worms and tapeworms are also present, especially in young dogs.