Puppies are born with roundworms after contracting them from their mother's uterus during gestation. These worms look a lot like spaghetti or angel hair pasta.Īdult dogs get roundworms from ingesting roundworm larvae, usually from contaminated soil or infected prey (such as a mouse or other small mammal). The adult roundworm is round, white to light brown in color, and several inches long. They are especially common in puppies.Īdult roundworms live in the intestinal tracts of their hosts, consuming that host's food. Roundworms ( Toxocara Canis, Toxascaris leonine) are the most common intestinal parasites in dogs. They remain attached to the intestine of the host using the hooks and suckers present on the head.Science Photo Library/ERIC GRAVE/Getty Images Tapeworms do not have a well-developed digestive system. Tapeworms have segmented bodies and each segment is known as proglottid. They live in the intestinal tract of many species, including dogs, cats, and even human beings. It has a simple brain (ganglia) and nervous system, arrow-like head, and two eyespots. It is hermaphroditic (having both male and female sex organs).

Planarian is also known as Dugesia and lives in freshwater. Cestoda (tapeworms) and Trematoda (flukes) are parasitic. The class Turbellaria (planarians) is free-living. There are four major classes of flatworms such as Cestoda (tapeworms), Turbellaria (planarians), Trematoda (flukes), and Monogenea. They are ribbon-shaped and are flattened dorsoventrally.

Flatworms have bilaterally-symmetrical flat bodies. Parasites live in the host body and can be harmful to the host.

Most flatworms are free-living, however, some are parasites. They can be found in freshwater, marine, or damp terrestrial environment. There are more than 20,000 known species of flatworms. Flatworms are members of the phylum Platyhelminthes.

Types of intestinal flat worms