Worms in coastal dogs
Hookworm larvae need warmth and moisture to survive in soil. The coast supplies both continuously, and the larvae go through human skin as well as dogs.
Written for Kenya · last reviewed 2026-08-29
Why the coast is worse
Hookworm is the reason this page exists.
Hookworm larvae develop in soil, and they need warmth and moisture to do it. Dry them out or cool them down and they die. Warm damp sand keeps them alive, and coastal Kenya has a great deal of warm damp sand.
Upcountry advice treats hookworm as one item on a list. Here it deserves to be near the top, because the environment works in its favour every day of the year, and because it does not stop at the dog.
It goes through skin, including yours
This is the part coastal families most need to know. Hookworm larvae actively penetrate skin. In dogs they enter through the paws and belly. In people they enter through bare feet.
In humans they cannot complete their life cycle, so they wander under the skin instead, producing an intensely itchy raised winding track. It is called cutaneous larva migrans, and it is a common enough coastal complaint. Children playing barefoot in sand that dogs use are exactly the exposed group.
So on this coast, deworming your dogs is a household health measure. Alongside it:
- Pick up dog faeces promptly, and do not let it sit in sand.
- Keep dogs off the patch of the compound where children play.
- Sandals on the beach where dog traffic is heavy.
The weight trap
Dewormers are dosed by body weight, and the tablets sold at agrovets are one size. What changes is the number of tablets.
Owner weight estimates are consistently low. A 40kg dog given one tablet gets a fraction of an effective dose, the worms survive, and the owner reasonably concludes the product does not work.
Weigh the dog. Most clinics will do it free and it takes a minute. And accept that at KES 100 to 250 per tablet, deworming a large dog properly costs several times what it costs for a small one. That is arithmetic, not a clinic overcharging you.
The schedule
Puppies every two weeks until twelve weeks, monthly to six months, then every three months for most adults.
A coastal dog with daily beach access sits at the frequent end of that. If your dog is on sand every day, among other dogs, in ideal larval conditions, three-monthly is a baseline rather than a target, and some dogs need worming every six to eight weeks. Ask us about your dog’s actual routine rather than applying the general rule.
What this costs in Kenya
| Treatment | Typical range | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Deworming tablet | KES 100–KES 250 | PER TABLET; dosed by weight, so a large dog needs several |
| Routine consultation | KES 1,000–KES 3,000 | Not always needed for routine worming |
Indicative market ranges for Kenya, reviewed 2026-08-29. This is not a quotation. Prices vary with your pet’s weight, the brand of vaccine or drug used, and whether the visit is at a clinic or at your home. Ask for a figure before treatment starts, any vet should give you one. Quoting one tablet as the cost of deworming a dog is misleading: a 40kg dog may need four or five.
Why this is different in Kenya
- Hookworm larvae survive in warm moist sandy soil and die in dry or cold conditions. Coastal Kenya is close to ideal habitat for them, and beach and compound sand holds them far better than Nairobi's drier ground.
- Hookworm larvae penetrate human skin, producing cutaneous larva migrans. Children playing barefoot in sand where dogs defecate are the ones at risk, which makes coastal deworming a household matter, not only a pet one.
- Beaches here carry heavy dog traffic, much of it from free-roaming dogs that are never dewormed, so the environmental burden is continuously topped up regardless of what you do at home.
- Dewormers are sold over the counter at agrovets throughout the coast and are dosed by weight, so underdosing is extremely common. The tablet is priced per tablet and a large dog needs several.
Common questions
How often at the coast?
Puppies every two weeks to twelve weeks, then monthly to six months. Adults every three months as a baseline, but a coastal dog with daily beach or sand access is at the frequent end of that, and some need it every six to eight weeks.
What is that itchy track on my child's foot?
Very possibly cutaneous larva migrans, from hookworm larvae in sand. It is a human medical matter, so see a doctor. Then deworm the dogs and stop them using the area children play in.
Can I just buy tablets from the agrovet?
You can. The two failures are underdosing, because people buy one tablet for a large dog, and using the same product every time, which misses part of the worm range.
Does the sea kill the larvae?
Salt water is hostile to them, but the damp sand above the tide line is not, and that is exactly where dogs and children spend their time.