Other than the canine (and sometimes feline infecting) heartworm, Dirofllaria immitis, which often shortens the life of a pet, there are a few parasites that often cause lethal infections in dogs and cats. The ones in dogs are Hepatozoon canis, Neospora caninum, Angiostrongylus cantonensis, and the common canine hookworm, Ancylostoma caninum, which kills neonatal puppies. The ones that stand out in the case of cats are Cytawczoon felis and the Cuterebra species. It is of interest that most of these lethal diseases are actually zootherionoses, which is defined as a zoonotic-like disease of domestic animals caused by parasites of wildlife. The only one of these parasites that is definitely common in a domestic animal is A. caninum. It is a bit complicated to determine whether the domestic dog can be fully considered the actual ancestral host of JV. caninum, since it might a recent crossover from wild canids (though it is certain that sooner or later molecular biology will get to the bottom of this argument, like many others).
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