Fecal-contaminated communal water bowls can make a welcoming home for many intestinal worm parasites like roundworms, hookworks, and whipworms. These intestinal worm parasites can cause anything from irritation to serious illness.
Whipworms are a type of worm in dogs that lives in the cecum (the beginning of the large intestine) and colon, where they pass their eggs into the dog's feces. Dogs get whipworms from ingesting an infested substance, which can include soil, food, water, feces, or animal flesh.
You can get hookworms and other parasites from dog saliva.
Certain intestinal parasites can be carried in dog saliva, and though it's rare, they can be transmitted to humans.
Giardia intestinalis is also a common parasite found in drinking water. Both Cryptosporidium and Giardia intestinalis are found in the fecal matter of an infected person or animal. These parasites can be spread when someone swallows water that has been contaminated with fecal matter from an infected person or animal.
Internal parasites can be passed through a shared water bowl. Tapeworms, for example, can enter a pet's mouth when they groom themselves after defecating. From there, the tapeworm larvae can and up in the water bowl next time they take a drink.
Once inside the body, the tapeworm head attaches to the inner wall of the intestines and feeds off the food being digested. Pieces of the tapeworm break off and come out of the body in feces (poop), along with the eggs they contain. If this infected poop gets into soil or water, it can infect other people or animals.
For homes with dogs, or dogs and cats, it's generally safe and just fine for the pets to share water bowls. In nearly all situations, the pets will not be at risk of passing on diseases, bacteria or viruses through sharing bowls. Bacteria, germs and viruses may be passed through water.
Cryptosporidium is a parasite present in lakes and rivers through sewage and animal waste. This can survive a long time in the water without a host. With treatment, this disease usually takes one to two weeks to subside. A cryptosporidium infection can be life-threatening for those with a weak immune system.
In fact, the mere act of swimming in the algae-contaminated water can be enough to cause skin rashes. Another issue with stagnant water is the potential for dogs to contract a bacterial infection known as leptospirosis.
But parasites can easily sneak into our tap water supplies too. Both here in the United States and abroad, even if your tap water is running clear, that doesn't mean it's entirely safe. The microscopic parasite Giardia, for example, is found in every region of the US.
According to WebMD, intestinal parasites like hookworm, roundworm and giardia can be passed from dog to human through licking and kissing, as can ringworm, a fungal skin infection. Salmonella bacteria which causes food poisoning, can also be passed from your dog to you, and vice versa.
Sometimes they are passed shortly after the puppies are born, through a mother's milk. Dogs and cats infected with these worms contaminate an area by passing worm eggs or larvae in their feces (poop). A dog or cat can be infected when they swallow dirt with dog or cat feces that has worm eggs or larvae.
There's no evidence that routine deworming of people in the general public is indicated, so that would extend to vets.” In most cases, a person has to ingest parasite-laden feces in order to contract worms from an animal. Good common sense and hygiene greatly reduces the risk, Weese said.
Transmission of intestinal worms (hookworms, roundworms, and whipworms) commonly occurs when your dog ingests contaminated soil or feces containing eggs or immature worms (larvae) that have been passed from other infected animals in the environment.
Some of the most common ways to contract worms in dogs include: Drinking contaminated milk from the mother during nursing. Rolling in, sniffing, eating, stepping in or licking contaminated soil. Consuming infected prey like rodents, birds, and reptiles.
Pets need constant access to clean water – water should be changed at least once daily. Keep your pet's bowl full and make sure to fill with fresh water every single day. It's also important to keep your pet's water bowl clean.
In most cases, yes, says Dr. Ann Hohenhaus, a staff veterinarian at the Animal Medical Center in New York City. But if the water crisis in Flint, Michigan, is any indication, not all tap water is safe. “If you wouldn't drink this water, you shouldn't give this to your dogs,” says Hohenhaus.
You can get giardiasis if you swallow Giardia germs. Giardia spreads easily and can spread from person to person or through contaminated water, food, surfaces, or objects. The most common way people get sick is by swallowing contaminated drinking water or recreational water (for example, lakes, rivers, or pools).
Aquatic earthworms closely resemble terrestrial earthworms. They have long, moderately muscular, cylindrical bodies composed of ring-like segments. Most aquatic earthworms range in length from 1-30mm long, although some may be as long as 150mm.
Swallowing contaminated water
The most common way to become infected with giardia is after swallowing unsafe (contaminated) water. Giardia parasites are found in lakes, ponds, rivers and streams worldwide, as well as in public water supplies, wells, cisterns, swimming pools, water parks and spas.
It's okay to have a community water bowl, but each dog should get their own helping in a separate bowl. Ideally, each dog gets their meal at the same time and finishes at the same time. But that's rarely reality. Some dogs devour their food while others graze.
Intestinal parasites are contagious to other animals and humans. Because they primarily inhabit the GI tract, larvae, or eggs, are passed in the feces. The infective larvae then inhabit the soil around the feces, leaving other dogs, and children, vulnerable to accidental ingestion and subsequent infection.
How do dogs get worms? Many intestinal worms spread their eggs via their host's stool. So, if your dog is interested in the poop of other dogs, cats, and wild animals, they could get infected that way. Plus, wherever dogs or other animals go to the bathroom, worm eggs can be left behind in the soil.
The worms that have been reported to have been found in tap water are midge larvae, flatworms, roundworms (otherwise known as nematodes), and rotifers. The typical size of parasitic worms or helmiths, such as flukes, tapeworms, hookworms, ascris, pinworms, trichina worms, and filaria worms is 30-50 microns in diameter.