can puppies get heartworms from mother?

Answer 1

Okay, let's see if I can maybe clear up where some of the confusion came from here.

No....puppies can NOT get actual heartworms from their mother. If any DVM told you they could, one of 3 things happened:
1. They were talking about hookworms and roundworms (which live in the GI tract, not the heart), and you just misunderstood.
2. They slept through pretty much all of our parasitology courses in veterinary school.
3. They gave you an incomplete answer, which I'm about to explain below.

Dogs get heartworms from one source and one source only....and that is from the bite of a mosquito which happens to be harboring the infective stage of the heartworm larvae, which they picked up from another dog...and then it underwent the transformation in the mosquito's body that is necessary before it is able to infect another dog.

Adult heartworms make 'babies' called microfilaria....which circulate in the blood, merely waiting for a mosquito to pick them up so they can progress to the next part of their life cycle. Those 'baby' heartworms (microfilaria) can NOT grow into adult heartworms unless they go through a mosquito FIRST. You can even inject them from one dog into another via a blood transfusion, and they CANNOT grow into adult heartworms in the receiving dog....period. All they can do is swim around in the blood, waiting until they are picked up by a mosquito. They can do this for up to about 2 years before they just die.

With me so far???

Okay....now let's take a mother dog who has heartworms in her heart, and microfilaria swimming around in her blood. The microfilaria can cross the placenta and enter the pups' bloodstream through the shared blood circulation. But that is no different than the example I gave above with the blood transfusion. So, yes....puppies can be born with 'baby' heartworms (microfilaria), but those microfilaria CANNOT grow into adult heartworms inside that puppy. It's simply not possible. That puppy IS a source of infection to other dogs, however....if a mosquito comes along and bites it, and then after larval transformation that same mosquito bites another dog. Like I said, those microfilaria can live in that pup's bloodstream for up to 2 years. If tested, the pup will show positive on a direct blood smear or Difil test....which tests ONLY for the microfilaria. (I don't know of anyone who even still does that test for diagnosis anymore....if they do, they are hopelessly out of date.) That same pup will test negative on the test we use that tests for antigens from adult heartworms....because they aren't there.

We normally start pups on heartworm prevention at 4-6 weeks of age, to protect them from mosquito bites carrying infective heartworm larvae from other dogs. At the same time, that heartworm preventative (especially Interceptor and Sentinel; to a lesser extent, Heartguard) will clear any microfilaria the pup obtained from its mother after the first or second dose, occasionally causing slight lethargy as those microfilaria start dying off.

Since more and more heartworm cases in the U.S. are now 'occult'....meaning that the adult heartworms are incapable of producing microfilaria....we don't see this nearly as often as we used to. And even back then, it was really only a concern when the daily heartworm preventatives (a different drug altogether) were used.

Clear as mud now? LOL.

Answer 2

Due to the variation in responses, I doublechecked my answer with http://www.heartwormsociety.org/FAQ.htm and found it to be correct. The microfilariae MUST develop from L1 stage through stages 2 & 3 within the mosquito to be able to mature into adult hearworms in another dog.

No. And yes, in a roundabout way. The heartworms are NOT transmitted from dam to pups as-is.

If the mosquito bit the mother dog and the heartworm larvae went through the required life cycle within the mosquito and then the mosquito bit the pup, then yes, technically the heartworms were transmitted from mom to pup.

The more likely scenario is that mom has heartworms and the pups are infected by a different infected mosquito, also giving the pups heartworms.

Keep in mind that the heartworms take a certain amount of time to pass from the infecting stage within the blood to migrate into the heart and develop into actual worms. That's why young pups, usually under 4-5 months of age, aren't always tested for heartworms prior to being put on preventative. IF the pup had been infected prior to being put on preventative, the hearworms would not be in the heart-infecting stage at that point and the preventative would kill the larvae in the blood.

Okay, short answer, probably not.

Answer 3

How Do Dogs Get Heartworm

Answer 4

This Site Might Help You.

RE:
can puppies get heartworms from mother?

Answer 5

puppies heartworms mother

Answer 6

Dog training are excellent and very helpful to build you a stronger relationship with your dog. Read more https://tinyurl.im/c5slr

After I started training my dog, he became very attached to me and loves to stay by side as long as he can. But just going to them won't help. You have to practice what they teach you outside of the class and you need to keep up with it at least every now and then after the class ends otherwise they'll just go back to previous habits. This course is a really good place to go for dog obedience classes. It get's your dog around other people and dogs to socialize while getting the training you need. As for electric collars, I would say to not get one. In my experience, they're only a negative effect on your dog. I mean of course you're going to need to correct your dog, but being positive and encouraging your dog works a lot faster and easier.

Every dog is different, so unless you have a german shepherd or a really smart dog, it might take a while to train her. You might get frustrated with her, but go easy. She's still a puppy and has a lot of energy. A backyard or somewhere to run will help her get rid of a lot of energy that might cause her to misbehave from boredom.

Answer 7

A natural way for dogs to communicate is to bark at things they find or see, usually which are interesting or a threat to them. If you have a dog that barks too much, then you want to find a way to calm down the instinct by offering the best dog training. While you want to make sure your dog can express themselves sometimes by barking, you also want to focus on not letting the noise become a burden. Following are some of the dog training tips that help your dog to stop barking while establishing basic obedience rules for the home.

Start young. If you have an older dog that hasn't been trained to stop barking, it is difficult to stop. You want to make sure that you train puppies not to bark if they are doing it too much. The younger you start training them, the easier it will be for them to understand the dog training commands.

Understand what barking is for. Barks from a dog are used for several reasons. You want to make sure you understand why they bark and whether this can be prevented. Some common reasons for barking are from the dog being bored or lonely. If there are distractions that the dog feels are a threat, they may also bark. You can prevent dogs from barking by giving them extra attention or by getting another pet.

Reward them when they stop. Just like other types of obedience training, you can easily stop your dog from barking by showing them when to be quiet. This is known as one of the best dog training methods. Dog training commands and words such as saying quiet, with a voice that has a low tone, will easily stop your dog from barking. Once they do stop, you can reward them by telling them good in a higher tone and by giving them a treat. However, you need to do this instantly after they stop so they understand what the reward is for.

Anti bark collars. If your dog instinctively keeps barking at everything, then you can get a collar for extra training. When the dog barks, a stimulus or scent is set off which causes slight discomfort for the dog. If you aren't around and your dog starts barking, it will immediately stop them.

Know when to train. You want to make sure you don't leave your dog in a position where they can't express themselves. Even if you have neighbors who don't like the dog barking, there are certain times where they should be able to speak. Knowing when to apply commands and training and when to let them bark helps them to feel comfortable while allowing you to apply limitations.
The ability to offer the best dog training is one that is reliant on consistency and understanding your dog. If you have a pet that naturally wants to bark, then finding a way to monitor the behavior is the best step to take. Following these dog training tips can help you to establish better behavior with your dog while allowing them to express themselves at the right time.

Before You Spend MORE Money On Expensive Dog Trainers or Products,
Watch This Video First!

https://bitly.im/h04u4

Discover the powerful dog training secrets to eliminate over 30+ common behavioral dog and puppy issues with step-by-step instructions from one of the world's most skilled dog trainers!

Answer 8

No. They get them from mosquitos.

HEY, person below me....... read the site you just put up. NO WHERE does it say what you are saying. The FIRST part where it says it can be present AT BIRTH is for HEART DISEASE......not HEARTWORM.

Answer 9

If the mother has heartworms when she is pregnant, yes, the puppies can have heartworms. Heart worms are orginally given to dogs from mosquitos, but they can be transferred dog to dog as well.

Answer 10

some puppies can and do get certain worms from their mothers milk, but it is believed that the heart worms actually come when doggies, and pups drink water that have been infested with mosquito eggs, which are ingested by the pets who drink the egg infested water, also mosquito bites may cause heart worms as well, so I `m told.