My puppy has worms, but he's always indoors. How is this possible?

Hello. Puppies technically are not actually born with worms, but if the mother dog has an undiagnosed case of hook & roundworms, these can pass to the puppies when they nurse. The immune system in a puppy takes time to develop & mature, so worms are always a big problem in them. That is why we recommend deworming the puppies starting at 2 weeks after birth & repeating this every 2 weeks until the puppies are weaned. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Yes, puppies can become infected with intestinal parasites 'in utero' (before being born), through nursing or from their environment. You can submit the stool sample to your veterinarian to diagnose intestinal parasites. Begin a deworming protocol when the pup is two weeks old.

Just in case, make sure your veterinarian is confirming the presence of roundworms (tapeworms can sometimes be confused for roundworms). If tapeworms are present, Koda will need a special medication. The two most common reasons for persistent infection with roundworms are not yet clearing the infection he was born with (yes, they can be infected in uterus) or your yard is contaminated with roundworm eggs (one study showed roundworm eggs remained infective for 20 years). Continue with the routine dewormings and start him on a heartworm prevention like Interceptor. You should also alert your vet who may change the deworming schedule. Remember that these worms can also spread to humans so make sure to practice good hygiene. Here is a link with more helpful information: https://www.petcoach.co/article/roundworms-toxascaris-leonina-toxocara-canis/ I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.

The vaccinations that Storm would have received 2 weeks ago will not have treated any pre-existing worm burden. Worms in puppies is very common and it is possible that Storm had worms prior to playing with the other puppy. They are easily treated and I would recommend contacting your veterinarian so that they can prescribe a suitable course of deworming for your puppy.

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!

Worms can be transmitted from dog to dog, although generally the eggs have to be present in the stool for a couple of days before they can infect another dog. I would recommend taking the puppy to your veterinarian so they can determine what type of worm it is. If Shaka is on heartworm prevention there might not be any other treatment required, but your vet might want to check a stool sample or start a dewormer for Shaka if there are eggs in his stool as well. Not all dogs will pass recognizable worms in their stool, but if there are worms in the intestinal tract there should be eggs on a stool analysis.

The worms in Herbie's vomit indicate he does have intestinal worms. You often don't see worms in the poop unless there is a very heavy infestation of them. The eggs are what are deposited in the feces, and those can only be seen with a microscope. Herbie needs a deworming treatment, and I recommend Panacur which you can get OTC. He will need another deworming treatment two weeks after the first to kill all the worms, and then will need one once a month until he is six months old. After that, he will need a deworming treatment every three months.