Do all female dogs get whipworm from there newborn pups?

Question

My boxer just had a litter of 8 sweet little things...took her and the pups to the vet the other day to get everything checked out and they told me she had whipworm probably caused by her pups. Just want to know do you think she got it from them or is it something she had before she got prengant. I take my boxers to the vet 2 a yr or more if somthing is wrong with them. Just want to know... thanks

I had took her to the vet about 4 months before she got pregnant and know she was healthy. I talked to the vet about mating her then and he told me she was in good health to do so. I took her in twice during her prenancy and was told everything was fine no stool was taken at both visits. Should I change vets kind of sounds like it.

Answer 1

You must have misunderstood.

Whipworms are not caused by puppies in any way, shape, form, or fashion. They are obtained from ingesting (eating or licking) infested feces or dirt. If a female dog has whipworms for a long time without showing symptoms (as many do for years before ever getting sick with them), the stress of pregnancy and birth can cause them to become symptomatic. The prepatent period on whips is 3 months....meaning that it takes 3 months from the time of ingestion until they show up on the fecal tests. So....your dog HAD to have had them before she even got pregnant, since the gestation of a dog is only 9 weeks (2 months.) That's yet another reason why prenatal care is so important before breeding a female dog, and throughout her pregnancy. They could have been found and eradicated during a routine prenatal exam, which should include a fecal test at every visit. Dealing with those worms was a real hardship on her body, robbing it of essential nutrients (and blood) that she needed to grow those puppies inside of her. It's at least a good thing that your DVM found them when he/she did...because left undetected during nursing, they could have dragged your mama dog down enough to actually kill her.

No worms are ever 'gotten' from being pregnant. Where some people might misconstrue that is in the case of the roundworm lifecycle. Those worms are capable of lying dormant in a dog's tissues for years (and won't show up on tests other than a muscle biopsy.) Pregnancy 'reactivates' them and causes overt infestation, however....which is then passed on to the pups through the placenta and nursing. That's how they (the worms) perpetuate their life cycle....pretty 'smart' of them, huh? (This dormancy stage is NOT true of whipworms, btw.)

Heartworm preventatives (which your dog should have been on throughout her pregnancy anyway) like Interceptor and Sentinel are designed to prevent both whips and rounds....but NO heartworm preventative is ever 100% on whips, and they don't have any effect on the tissue larval stages of rounds.

Congrats on your new babies, btw! :-)
Make sure you take them in every 2 weeks until they go to their new homes.


ETA: A female dog should be examined (and a fecal test done, no matter what type of heartworm preventative she's on) no more than a couple of weeks before breeding. A lot could have happened in those 4 months. That's like anywhere from 1-4 years in the lifespan of a human. It sounds like you DID do *your* part in taking her in at least twice during her pregnancy (the norm is 1 visit before breeding, and 3 during the gestation....but you'd have no way of knowing that if your DVM didn't tell you.) Had they done the fecal tests during those visits, however, they probably would have picked up the whipworms (notice I didn't say *definitely*...since whips don't show up on every test even when present, for too many reasons to get into here.) I don't know enough about your DVM to advise whether to change or not....but I must say that I am disappointed in a colleague for not adhering to BASIC medical recommendations of canine reproduction by at least doing a fecal check at each prenatal visit. I'm assuming you've already had the tails and dewclaws done. Did they check all the pups for rear dewclaws at the same time? Cleft palates? Atresia ani? Heart murmurs? Umbilical hernias? Open fontanelles? Those are all things that should be looked for during the first postpartum visit, if you want a DVM who takes a proactive approach to your dogs' care, rather than just waiting to respond to anything you notice that's a problem.

I disagree with the poster following me. As medical professionals, it is OUR responsibility to educate our clients when they call/come in as to what their dog needs....and that means every little thing. That's what we went to school for so long for, and how clients benefit from our years of experience. That's what we are paid by them for. The owner's responsibility is to make that call/visit, ask questions, and follow appropriate recommendations.

Answer 2

You should take a stool in every 6 months to be on the safe side and to keep your dog healthy. Owners have to take some responsibility as a vet can not tell them every single thing to do. Its bad enough that they have to send reminders to get vaccinations, this is something that owners should be able to remember to do once a year. So no you shouldn't blame this on you vet. The mother most likely passed them to the pups is they are young and have not been anywhere besides with the mother, They pick them up from the ground then lick their feet. A mother dog as you know cleans up after her pups.

Answer 3

Why does your canines throw up? could it particularly is the familiar of nutrients you're feeding her? in case you feed a nutrients that includes corn (maximum manufacturers obtainable from the food market are customarily corn) than she could be having a no longer common time digesting the corn and that is why she's vomiting. because of the fact corn is so no longer common to digest, plenty if it comes out in the canines's feces. some canines think of of it as yet another meal and could consume their very own poop. bypass to a puppy furnish keep and ask an worker for a advice for a nutrients that does no longer contain wheat, corn, soy or by products (that are additionally no longer common to digest very nearly each and every physique who says their canines (or cat ) throws up, says it particularly is because of the fact the animal eats too rapid yet they do no longer positioned any theory into WHAT their canines is eating . Kibbles and bits is an quite poor high quality canines nutrients loaded with man made flavorings, preservatives and meat-by products. All of which may make any canines vomit. try a much better, extra digestable nutrients and notice if the priority stops. you haven't any longer something to loose and a extra healthy canines to income.

Answer 4

The mother dog didn't actually get the worms from her pups. They were in a dormant state inside of her body and being pregnant reactivated them. She should be wormed on the same schedule as the pups. If you are worried about your other dogs, drop off a stool sample and have it checked.

Answer 5

Pups get worms from the mother, not the other way around. The pups can infest the mother after they are born and as she cleans them, but no, originally the worms came from the mother. She had them before they were born.

Answer 6

WHAT!!! i never herd of such a thing, i've been breeding dogs all my life and have never herd of pups giving mom worms, maybe mom giving pups worms, are you sure thats what your vet said?i cant wait to read your answers

Answer 7

i dont think so...