Little Black Worms In Dog Water Bowl : 7 Menacing Facts

It can be quite alarming to discover that there are little black worms in your dog’s water bowl. Once you discover the presence of these worms, you will want to know what exactly they are, where they come from, whether they can harm your dog and what you need to do about them. Read on, for answers.

The little black worms in dog water bowl are most likely mosquito larvae. They could also be fly larvae or larvae of other insects. It is unlikely that they would harm your dog too much. But the dog may suffer from stomach upsets if it happens to drink the water with them.

Of course, if the black worms in water bowl happen to be mosquito larvae, and they grow into adult mosquitos, then they can be quite problematic.

That is because the mosquitos can be vectors for, among other things, heartworms that can greatly injure the dog’s health.

The fact that you are finding little worms in dog water bowl may be an indication that you are allowing water to sit there for too long.

Therefore the discovery of black tiny bugs in dog water bowl is not something you should take too lightly.

It may mean that you need to do more, in terms of mosquito control. And it may also mean that you need to be changing the water in your dog’s bowl more frequently.

What Are The Little Black Worms In Dog Water Bowl?

Upon discovering the presence of little black worms in your dog’s water bowl, the first question you are likely to be having is as to what exactly they are.

You would therefore be asking yourself, what are the little black worms in water bowl? What is swimming in my dog’s water bowl, and looks like black worms?

So, indeed, what are tiny black worms in water? In fact, are they worms at all? Can worms be in a dog’s water bowl?

The true position is that what look like little black worms in dog water bowl are, in all likelihood, larvae. In most cases, they turn out to be mosquito larvae.

But fly larvae in dogs water bowl do at times also take the ‘black worms’ appearance.

And black larvae in water bowl could be those of many other insects.

In most cases though, it is mosquito larvae in dogs water bowl that look like black worms.

Note that what we are making reference to are cases in which the worms in water bowl are specifically black. If the color were different, then they would be different things.

For instance, small white worms in water bowl are typically Gordian worms. Thus if you found white worms in dog food bowl or water bowl (the latter especially), you would think more in terms of Gordian worms.

So that would be the implication, in case of finding white worms in dog water bowl.

Finding brown worms in dog water bowl would mean that there is a possibility of them being roundworms. Those often take the form of tiny brown worms in water bowl, and they are very worrisome.

But our focus is on little black worms in dog water bowl.

Why Are There Little Black Worms In Dog Water Bowl?

Another question you are likely to have, upon discovering the presence of little black worms in your dog’s water bowl is as to why they are there.

So you will keep on asking yourself, why are there little worms in my dogs water bowl? I found tiny black worms in the water dish, how did they get there?

As noted earlier, the tiny black worms in pet water tend to be larvae of insects such as mosquitos, flies and others.

The presence of such little black worms in water bowl means that there are adult insects (such as mosquitos) around. It is those adult insects that are laying the eggs, which then grow into larvae: the little black worms in dog bowl.

So that is the explanation for why there are little black worms in dog water bowl.

If you found black little worms in dog water bowl after rain, this would be the explanation.

Even in the case of finding little black worms in cat water bowl, this would be the most likely explanation.

Insects such as mosquitos like to lay their eggs in stagnant water bodies. From a mosquito’s perspective, the dog water bowl is a reasonably ‘huge’ body of stagnant water.

Thus the mosquito lays its eggs near there. The hatchlings then grow into larvae: which manifest as the little black worms in dog water bowl.

They take the appearance of tiny worms or tiny bugs in water bowl. But they are actually mosquito or other insect larvae.

Where Do The Little Black Worms In Dog Water Bowl Come From?

Should you find black little worms in your dog’s water bowl, you will naturally want to know their source.

Thus right after the why are there worms in my dogs water bowl question comes the one on where the worms are coming from.

As we have already explained, the black little ‘worms’ in your dog’s water bowl are, in all likelihood, mosquito and other insects’ larvae.

They come from adult insects, which lay their eggs nearby – with the insect egg hatchlings growing into larvae that look like little black ‘worms’.

So they come from the surroundings.

Should you find tiny worm like bugs in water bowl, that would be the most probable explanation for their source.

Of course, if these were genuine worms (like Gordian worms, roundworms and so on), we would need to venture into a discourse on the question of how do worms get in dog’s water bowl.

And if they were maggots, that would necessitate a different discourse. We would be answering the why are there maggots in my dog’s water bowl question.

The same would apply, in case of you finding other things such as little black worms and maggots in your dog’s water bowl.

But our focus here is on little black worms in dog water bowl specifically.

Such black worms in drinking water bowls are usually larvae of insects such as mosquitos, flies and so on.

They come into being when such insects lay their eggs in the water bowls. The hatchlings from the eggs then grow into larvae, whose appearance is akin to that of small black bugs in dog’s water bowl.

Do The Little Black Worms In Dog Water Bowl Come From The Dog?

If you happen to discover little black worms in your dog’s water bowl, your biggest worry will be on whether the worms are coming from inside your dog.

That would be anyone’s major concern, upon finding black small worms in dog water bowl.

Even if one found the tiny bugs near dog water bowl, there would be that concern: on whether the bugs are coming from inside the dog.

Thankfully, the little black worms in the dog’s water bowl are typically not coming from the dog. On the contrary, they come from the surroundings.

Insects (such as mosquitos or flies) in the surroundings lay eggs in stagnant water pools – including the dog water bowls.

Those eggs then grow into larvae, which look like small black worms.

Therefore if you find black little worms in water outside, that would be their most likely source. It is unlikely that they are coming from inside the dog.

Even if what you found were red worms in dog water bowl, it wouldn’t be very likely that they were coming from inside the dog’s body.

You are unlikely to find segments of dog worms in water bowl. When segments of dog worms come out, that is normally through the dogs’ feces.

What Happens If My Dog Drinks Water With Little Black Worms?

If my dog drank water with worms in it, I would (understandably) be very worried about its likely fate.

Thankfully, dog’s digestive systems are tough. Normally, when dog’s drink water with these sorts of little black worms, the worms are easily broken down by the strong acids in the dogs’ bodies.

Therefore even if you suspect that your dog drank the water with the little black worms, you don’t need to worry too much.

In the wild, dogs drink much worse waters.

But then again, if it is the first time the dog is getting exposed to such ‘worms’, then there may be a little stomach upset. This is akin to what happens every time that the dog gets exposed to anything new.

So, in all likelihood, the worst that is likely to come out of your dog drinking the water with the little black worms is a stomach upset.

Will The Little Black Worms In Dog Water Bowl Harm My Dog?

The little black worms in your dog’s water bowl are unlikely to harm the dog too much.

Even if the dog drinks the water with the worms, the worst that may happen is a stomach upset. Still, you don’t want your dog getting a stomach upset.

Therefore upon discovering the worms, the best you can do is get rid of the water. Then clean the water dish, before putting in new clean fresh water.

Then again, supposing the little black worms are mosquito larvae, and they grow into mature mosquitos, then they can harm the dog considerably.

As mature mosquitos, they may bite the dog, and possibly even infect it with heartworms.

What Can I Do About The Little Black Worms In Dog Water Bowl?

The most important question that one will normally have, upon realizing that there are little black worms in their dog’s water bowl is on what to do about the worms.

So, indeed, how do you get rid of worms in a dogs water bowl?

One approach you can use is that of changing the water in the dog’s water dish regularly. Don’t allow it to sit for too long. If it sits for too long, it becomes ‘stagnant’ water, into which insects like mosquitos lay eggs.

You can also use a pet-friendly insecticide. This is to get rid of the insects in the surroundings which are laying the eggs that, as larvae, appear like small little worms.

Indeed, if you research on how to get rid of small black worms in dog’s water bowl, you will see that most sources recommend the insecticide approach.

It can be a reliable solution to the mosquito larvae dog water bowl problem.

You could also consider switching from water bowls to water fountains. Some cat owners find this solution useful, and as a dog owner, you may consider it too.

So that is where a cat owner who keeps on finding insect larva in cats water dish opts to switch to a water fountain.

The presence of such larvae or worms in cat water fountain is highly unlikely.

So you switch from using a dog water bowl to using a dog water fountain.

But whatever you use, you need to be cleaning it thoroughly and regularly.

Remember, other than these largely harmless worms, there are other more harmful bugs that a dog could get from drinking water from dirty dishes.

Final Verdict – Little Black Worms In Dog Water Bowl

The little black worms in dog water bowls are typically mosquito larvae. But larvae of other insects such as flies can also take the appearance of little black worms.

Insects – such as the mosquitos and flies in question – like to lay their eggs in stagnant pools of water. To them, a dog water bowl is a ‘stagnant pool’ as well.

The hatchlings from the insect eggs then grow into larvae, which look like little black worms.

Thus contrary to many dog owners’ fears, the ‘worms’ don’t actually come from inside the dogs.

If the dogs happen to drink the water with the insect larvae (which look like worms), they do sometimes suffer from stomach upsets.

That is why upon finding a dog water bowl with such larvae (which look like little black worms), it is advisable to empty the water. Then clean the bowl thoroughly, and thereafter put in clean fresh water.

If the worm-like mosquito larvae grow into adult mosquitos, they may bite the dogs, and possibly even infect them with heartworms.

You can prevent the proliferation of insect larvae (that look like little black worms) by changing dog water regularly. So you need to ensure that the dog water doesn’t sit in the bowl for too long.

Further, you need to be cleaning the dog water bowl regularly.

Take care of your surroundings, to make them inhospitable to insects such as mosquitos.

What if the problem in which you keep on finding little black worms in dog water bowl becomes too persistent? In that case, consider switching to a dog water fountain.

The fountain keeps the water in constant circulation, meaning that things like insect larvae or even genuine worms are unlikely to inhabit it.

As a pet lover, make sure to learn about pet more and give your pet dog a good and comfortable life!

Rajkumar Ravichandran

Welcome to Learn About Pet. My name is Rajkumar Ravichandran and I love all pets, travel, and amazing food. I write about my passion and personal experience caring for multiple pets in this blog! ❤️