What if a visitor's dog has worms? Can they infect my family?

Hello, & thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. It is possible that little Billy has roundworms, but with just common sense precautions, your family will be fine. Parasites are sometimes a part of pet ownership, so as long as everyone remembers to wash their hands after playing with Billy, & especially before eating, all will be fine. It was a good idea to crate him until a fecal analysis can be done, but once the appropriate wormer is given you can relax. Take care.

Hi, thanks for using PetCoach! Your children would have to get Max's stool in their mouths or mucous membranes. As long as you pick up his stool and cleaning up after any accidents that usually prevents any infections in children. Kids can also get it from eating contaminated dirt. They should always wear shoes and sand boxes should be covered to prevent cats from using it as a litter box. I hope this helps! https://www.cdc.gov/parasites/toxocariasis/gen_info/faqs.html

I am guessing that these worms might be tapeworms. If this is the case the types of tapeworms dogs get are not contagious to people. There are some other types of worms (like roundworms or hookworms) that could potentially be transmitted to people although they do not cause intestinal infections like they do in dogs. I would recommend having her dog examined by a veterinarian to determine the type of worm, and then having your daughter contact her OB. Tapeworms are usually transmitted either through fleas or ingesting animal tissue containing the worm cysts so they would not be directly contagious to your dog. You should make sure all pets are on a good flea preventative. Hookworms or roundworms would be contagious through feces in the yard but your dog would be covered if he is on a good heartworm and parasites preventative.

Thank you for your question. If you have treated Dot with a dewormer for roundworms from the pet store, are cleaning up her fecal material and washing hands, then you are doing about everything you can do. That being said, fresh fecal material is not infectious. It takes 30 days for the eggs to become infectious. So if you have not had Dot this long, it is not a concern, but that is why you don't want to leave the feces laying around. Also, I recommend you bring in a stool sample to your first veterinary visit so they can check for parasites. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

There are certain worms that can be transmitted from dogs to people, but it's not easy. However, there is a particular concern with kids getting Toxocariasis. If the worms were diagnosed by a veterinarian, then she should be able to find out the species of worms that were discovered and let you know if they are a concern. Below is a link to some good information about the risk of transmission of the common worm for puppies to have. cdc.gov/parasites/toxocariasis/gen_info/faqs.html I hope that helps and all is well with everyone.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! It sounds like Koga has roundworms. The eggs of intestinal parasites are shed in his poop not from his fur. You need to clean up the stools as soon as he goes to prevent contamination of the environment. Your son should be ok as long as he isn’t eating the poop. Just make sure to wash his hands after he plays with the puppy or before he eats. You will need to treat Koga twice (3 weeks apart) and the you should be all set. Good luck and kisses to Koga!

Just make sure that you wear gloves and/or wash your hands if you clean up any of your dogs feces. If your puppy has an accident in the house make sure you thoroughly clean the area. It might be a good idea to confine her to an area that is easy to clean until you know she is negative for parasites. Take a fecal sample to your vet after she is finished treatment to make sure she is negative for parasites