This page quotes a published document. Everything below in quotation marks is copied word for word from https://capcvet.org/guidelines/trematodes/, published by CAPC and retrieved on 2026-09-16. The quotations are excerpts; the document itself is linked and is the authority. Nothing has been reworded.
This page quotes the Companion Animal Parasite Council guideline for Trematodes, section by section: the opening sentences of 7 sections, copied without change and linked to the guideline, which was retrieved on 2026-09-16. The guideline itself is the authority and carries the full text.
The guideline
Companion Animal Parasite Council, Trematodes, at https://capcvet.org/guidelines/flukes/. Retrieved 2026-09-16. Each heading below is the guideline’s own, and the quotation under it is how that section begins. The full section, and the species tabs where the guideline gives them, are on the linked page.
Species
Canine Paragonimus kellicotti Alaria spp. Nanophyetus salmincola Heterobilharzia americana Feline Paragonimus kellicotti Alaria spp .
Disease
Disease in dogs and cats due to infection with trematodes varies and depends upon the species of trematode involved and the organs and organ systems affected. Paragonimus kellicotti adults develop in cysts in the lung of both dogs and cats; animals infected with P. kellicotti may be asymptomatic or can present with a variety of respiratory signs, including coughing, dyspnea, pneumothorax, bronchiectasis, and hemoptysis.
Prevalence
Trematode infection in dogs and cats is rare compared with infection rates for nematodes and cestodes. However, because of the severe disease associated with some trematodes, awareness and control of these parasites is essential in certain geographic areas, e.g., N. salmincola in the Pacific Northwest and Pla. fastosum in the coastal southeastern United States and Hawaii.
Diagnosis
Trematode eggs are less buoyant than those of nematodes or protozoa; unless high-density sucrose flotation is used, diagnosis of infection by fecal examination requires concentrating the ova present in feces by sedimentation rather than flotation. Once identified in fecal sediment by the characteristic opercula, eggs of the different trematode species can be further differentiated by morphologic characteristics, including size.
Treatment
There are no products labeled for treatment of trematodes in dogs and cats; however, praziquantel, epsiprantel, and fenbendazole have been reported to be effective. Although albendazole has been reported to be effective in treating trematodes in dogs and cats, its use in small animals is not recommended because of potential associated side effects such as bone marrow toxicity.
Control and Prevention
Prevention of predation and scavenging activity by confining dogs on a leash or in a fenced yard and keeping cats indoors will limit the opportunity for dogs and cats to acquire infection with trematodes. To avoid Heterobilharzia infection, dogs should not have contact with water through such activities as swimming in canals or ponds.
Public Health Considerations
Dogs and cats infected with trematodes do not pose a direct zoonotic infection risk to people. However, people can acquire infection with N. salmincola following ingestion of metacercariae in undercooked fish.
Continue reading public health considerations on capcvet.org
Sources
- capc-flukesCAPC · retrieved 2026-09-16
“Disease in dogs and cats due to infection with trematodes varies and depends upon the species of trematode involved and the organs and organ systems” (Disease)
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