What is this bug, and How do I get rid of it?

by Kyle
(Iowa)

I found a tiny worm-like bug. It came off my dog. He has been scratching a lot and whimpering. I put flea stuff on him, but it's not doing anything, so these aren't fleas.

These little worms curl into balls when touched. They are very thin, and about 1/16 of an inch long. They are reddish brown and appear to have some hair on them.

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Hi Kyle,

I love your question. :) "What is this bug and how do I get rid of it?" I get that question or a variation quite often, but I'm not always able to give a positive ID on some of the bugs, parasites, or worms that are described.


You use the phrase 'they' so I assume you are referring to more than one worm on your dog. Are you finding them in the dog's feces at all, or just on the skin/coat of the dog?


If these reddish brown worms are in the stool, it would probably be a good idea to take a stool sample to the vet for identification or even just capture a few of the worms off the skin and take them in.


If you can take a photo, you can upload it here, and perhaps someone can identify it for you.


A couple of simple things you can do for your dog apart from that is to get some organic apple cider vinegar and put a tablespoon in his drinking water.


Also, put some of the vinegar (you can dilute it 50/50 with water) in a little spray bottle and spray the dogs coat to help with the itching.


Another little thing you can do is sprinkle some Brewer's Yeast on your dogs food. I remember years ago my parents would give our dogs brewer's yeast to help cut down on their flea problems, etc.


Your dog may have intestinal worms, but to be honest, your description doesn't sound like any of the common intestinal worms that dogs tend to get.


Sorry I can't be of more help. I don't have extensive knowledge on animal parasites. I did try to locate the information for you elsewhere online, but was unsuccessful in finding a solution (though others report having the same type of worm in different parts of their house).


If you do find out from the vet or elsewhere exactly what this creature is, please come back and let us know. We're definitely interested.


To your good health! (and your dog's)
Angie