What causes pups to get worms?

Question

My little one just had an accident and I went to clean up her poo and there were worms, guess we'll be in the vet first thing in the morning! But anyhow until then, what causes a pup to get them? Can she pass them onto my cat? She has already a dewormer treatment. I am REALLY worried because my vet told me she should be checked because I was pregnant, she didn't have any then. The vet said some are contagious to humans.... I am worried now because I am pregnant, how do i know if they are contagious? How do I know if I have them? How can I contract them. Like I said she will be heading to the vet first thing in the morning! But can anyone put my mind at ease until then?

The person who said from eating cat poo- I totally believe it! I caught the dog yesterday eating cat poo for the first time and here we are just over a day later with worms suddenly..... hmmm makes sense to me.

Answer 1

Those are tape worm segments. They take much longer than 24 hours to develop to that 'shedding' stage.
They are gotten from ingesting fleas..as long as you nor your family eat any fleas, you are safe..Your cat can get them from ingesting fleas as well, so both pets need a wormer...and to get rid of the fleas...

they are NOT the roundworms, as mentioned so eloquently above..those worms appear as moving spaghetti..

Answer 2

If you saw the worms, then I'd guess you saw roundworms. Roundworms can encapsulated themselves in muscle tissue. When a female gets pregnant, the stress CAN allow the roundworms to become active again and pass through the placenta to the pups or pass through the milk to the pups. Pups should be treated at about 2 weeks and in 2 week intervals to kill the roundworms (and the female should be treated too).

Cats can get roundworm and humans can get roundworms but not in the same way. They never reach the intestine but rather go into other tissues and don't pass as easily as it would to another dog. There are OTC dewormers (take the dog and a fecal sample to the vet and make sure you find out what kind of worm and what kind of dewormer they used so you can get some to retreat the dog later).

Good luck with the puppy.

Answer 3

OMG. I can't believe some of these answers. The CDC says that 99.4% of puppies are born with intestinal parasites. Some these parasites (particularly roundworms) encyst themselves within the muscle layer of the puppy. When the puppy grows up and becomes pregnant, these cyst hatch do to a hormone change. They migrate through the placental wall and mammary glands and infect unborn puppies. When the puppies are born, they are already infected with the parasite. Some of these parasites go on with the normal life stages, passing through the upper respiratory tract, coughed up, swallowed then back down through the gastrointestinal tract. Yes, roundworms are zoonotic. That means you can get them through fecal/oral transmit ion. Hookworms can be transmitted through the skin, that's why dogs are not allowed on most beaches. Giardia is a bacterial infection from a stag net or slow-moving water source. No, feeding human food does not give a dog worms. Tapeworms are transmitted through fleas. Dogs and cats can ingest fleas when they are itching. They-tapeworms are not zoonotic. Not the species that dogs and cats carry anyway.

Answer 4

Sometimes, if the pup's mother had worms, then she will have them as well. Worms lay eggs inside of the body, and when an animal with worms defecates, sometimes the eggs are expelled. The eggs can hatch on the ground, and anything walking by can get them. My mom's dog just died with microscopic hook worm. She took the dog to the vet as soon as she showed signs of illness, but she was too young and weak to survive. My mom went to the doctor, just to be safe, and he put her on a dewormer. It's harder for people to tell if they have worms, because they can live with it a lot longer without having any symptoms. You may want to check with your doctor, just in case.

Answer 5

Maybe the worms came from the grass and not from her poo? Just in case, keep your puppy away from your cat. I didn't know that humans could get worms too... Just don't let the puppy sleep on your bed. Everything will be alright, your baby will be just fine. Don't worry too much because its unnecessary stress. Just be cautious with the puppy until the morning.

Good luck!

Answer 6

Puppies usually get worms from the mother. They can also get them from ingesting fleas. They probably can be passed onto a cat depending on what type of worm they are. If you are really concerned that you were exposed to them you should probably call your doctor and explain what happened.

Answer 7

My doggie had giardia. It comes from drinking contaminated water. We can get it too. You can get easily tested for it without harm or discomfort. They will probably just want a sample of your poop. They can look for it that way. My dog was adopted. She lived in the country prior to living with me. She probably drank stream water or some thing like that. She used to steal my food and water. It was thought that I might have gotten it because I was having problems with diarrhea too, but it resolved, so they did not have to test me. The dog was tested when I first got her at the humane center and nothing, then she was tested at the vet still nothing. Then she started having bloody diarrhea and they found she had giardia. Apparently it lies dormant.

Answer 8

Most likely from the mother (if theyre still nursing). I'm not sure if it can be passed onto humans but wash your hands after handling the pup just in case! Good luck.

Answer 9

dogs get worms from fleas and from eating cat poo witch is something that all dogs do. Don't worry I don't think you can get them..... But to be safe yes take her to the vet.

Answer 10

It is a difficult issue. Dogs need to learn to socialize with other dogs. But they could get worms from them.

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