Skin worm in dogs – signs and what to do
Book a vet visitBook a vet appointment if you think your dog has this – a vet needs to confirm it and plan the treatment. Skin worm (Dirofilaria repens) is a worm infection spread by mosquitoes, and people can be infected too.
What you can do now
- Contact your vet
- Note when it started, how often it happens and what else you see
- Take a photo or short video to show the vet
- Let your dog rest somewhere calm
Don't
- Do not give any human medicine
- Do not wait if it gets worse
What it is and how it spreads
Dirofilaria repens infections have been documented in dogs that had never left Germany, Austria, Italy, Czech Republic or Poland.[1] Skin-worm infections are relatively more frequent than heartworm infections in northern France, Hungary and Ukraine.[2] Skin-worm infections occur in southern, central and eastern Europe and are spreading north.
Signs
How pets pick it up
Where in Europe it occurs
| Country | Occurrence |
|---|---|
| Italy | Common (endemic) |
| Austria | Present |
| Czechia | Present |
| France | Present |
| Germany | Present |
| Poland | Present |
What the experts say
“Vor allem In Nordfrankreich und in Ungarn oder der Ukraine treten mittlerweile Infektionen mit Hautwürmern im Vergleich zu Herzwurminfektionen ( Dirofilaria immitis ) verhältnismäßig häufiger auf.”
“D. repens infections in dogs that had never left Germany, Austria, Italy, Czech Republic or Poland have been documented.”
Not sure how serious it is?
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Common questions
Can people be infected too?
Yes. Skin worm is zoonotic, which means people can be infected too.
Can it cause movable lumps under the skin?
Yes. Affected animals can develop movable nodules in the tissue under the skin.[2]
Has it been found in dogs that never left their country?
Yes. Infections have been documented in dogs that had never left Germany, Austria, Italy, Czech Republic or Poland.[1]
Sources
How this page was made: written with the help of AI from the sources below, then checked claim by claim against those sources. Urgency levels follow OkPaw’s fixed safety rules. It is guidance, not a diagnosis. How we write our pages
Other parasites in dogs
Tick-borne encephalitis (TBE)Babesiosis (Babesia vulpes / B. microti-like)Canine monocytic ehrlichiosis (Ehrlichia canis)Castor bean / sheep tick (Ixodes ricinus)Cat flea (Ctenocephalides felis)
Dog Tapeworm / HydatidFox tapewormGranulocytic anaplasmosisHarvest mite
HeartwormInfectious cyclic thrombocytopenia (Anaplasma platys)Leishmaniosis (Leishmania infantum)