# Round Worm



## skrodlada (Dec 17, 2008)

Found out yesterday that my dog is infected with round worm. I gave him his first dose of the medication from my vet yesterday and now he is pooping out dead worms does that mean the medication is working? Also he is caged up and I'm afraid to go near him or play with him or have him out of his cage until I get the ok that they are all gone. Am I allowed to have him out and running around? I'm so scared of getting it myself or them being in my apartment. Also after the second dose of the medication will they be ALL GONE?! Can I go back to having my normal puppy and play with him and give him kisses and so on without the worry about having these things inside of him?

I'm so upset about this. We have come to the conclusion that the breeder either lied about the de-worming or it didn't take.

I'm so lost and ready to give up.. what should I do now?


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## marmar (Dec 5, 2008)

skrodlada said:


> Found out yesterday that my dog is infected with round worm. I gave him his first dose of the medication from my vet yesterday and now he is pooping out dead worms does that mean the medication is working? Also he is caged up and I'm afraid to go near him or play with him or have him out of his cage until I get the ok that they are all gone. Am I allowed to have him out and running around? I'm so scared of getting it myself or them being in my apartment. Also after the second dose of the medication will they be ALL GONE?! Can I go back to having my normal puppy and play with him and give him kisses and so on without the worry about having these things inside of him?
> 
> I'm so upset about this. We have come to the conclusion that the breeder either lied about the de-worming or it didn't take.
> 
> I'm so lost and ready to give up.. what should I do now?


Take a deep breath, roundworms are relatively common and you and your dog will be just fine. Yes, dead worms in his feces means the deworming medication is working. There are a few ways pets can be infected with roundworms and other parasites - with roundworms it is most common that the dog eats poop from another infected animal, or they eat an animal (like a mouse, etc) that is already infected. The poop has larvated eggs in it, which develop, migrate through the liver and lungs, then get coughed up, swallowed, and they develop into adult worms in the dog's intestine. Gross, yes, and it sounds scary, but in most pets not heavily infected the damage caused by the larvae migrating through tissues is not so serious that you should be losing any sleep over it, as long as you treat to kill the worms (which you are!) When a dog eats, say a mouse that was infected, the larvae just develop in the dogs intestines. Puppies can also be infected from their mothers in utero, and possibly by drinking her milk (but I believe this applies to cats more and not to dogs.)

After you give the second dose (and wait a few days) the best way to find out if the treatment worked is to take a fecal sample into your vet. They can check for eggs in the feces. If there are eggs, there are still adults inside producing them. Many people, especially with pets that are more likely to be eating little critters outside, or poop, will check fecal samples for worms regulary to make sure their dogs don't get re-infected. Just keep in mind that a "negative" sample without eggs doesn't guarantee your dog doesn't have worms - sometimes the adults aren't shedding eggs, so you have to check again later in the reproductive cycle. 

To keep it under control, make sure you keep poop picked up in your yard, and try to prevent your dog from eating critters and poop. Also many of the monthly heartworm and flea/tick meds out there also protect against intestinal parasites. Your vet can tell you which ones to use if you aren't sure.

Yes, people can get roundworms from dogs, but unless you are eating your dog's poop or getting it in your mouth somehow, you should be fine 
If his mouth is clean (of poop & dead critters) you shouldn't have to worry about that either.

Don't necessarily jump to any conclusions about the breeder - maybe they did deworm, but used a drug that didn't work on roundworms, or your dog got re-infected after the treatment. Worms are very common in puppies and it sounds like you have things under control, so don't worry!


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## noisebug (Nov 22, 2008)

What Marmar said. Also, worms are very common... a lot of people get puppies with worms, this was my experience.

http://www.dogforums.com/2-general-dog-forum/40396-worm-phobia-deworming-our.html

Just remember to clean up all his poop right away. The worms need to be disposed off, because the drugs often sedate, not kill them. Though this depends on the drug.

You can play with your puppy even though he has worms, just don't lick/eat his poop and you are OK. 




> I'm so lost and ready to give up.. what should I do now?


Chin up, nothing to give up. Just remember the pooping & scooping is making your puppy feel 100x better. You will notice his energy soon.


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## skrodlada (Dec 17, 2008)

I've only seen the worms twice, once when he puked them up and I took him to the vet and the day AFTER I gave him the pill there was ONE in his stool. But nothing more.


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