Experts Warn Pet Owners to be Vigilant of Hookworms, a Parasite Immune to All Treatments

Hookworms are one of the most frequent parasitic infections found in pets worldwide. Unfortunately, all FDA-approved medicines used by veterinarians to kill these parasites have been proven ineffective.

Previously, doctors would use an ointment that contained both a dewormer and a corticosteroid to treat patients. But, unfortunately, that won't work against these drug-resistant hookworms, according to Kaplan.

But all hope is not lost.

In another recent study, Kaplan and Pablo Jimenez Castro, the study's lead author and a recent doctoral graduate from Kaplan's lab, discovered that these multidrug-resistant dog hookworms appear susceptible to emodepside. This dewormer is currently only approved for use in cats in the United States. However, a veterinarian should only use this cat medication on dogs because it necessitates veterinary knowledge and supervision.

The American Association of Veterinary Parasitologists has created a national task group to address the issue of medication resistance in canine hookworms, based in part on Castro's study.

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