picture of worm from Angel/Judy

by judy
(nanaimo bc)

possible roundworm???

possible roundworm???

okay I figured out how to re-size my photo to forward..hope someone can help identify…I may have submitted a question about this already but I’m not sure if it went through..I found this worm in Angel’s stool this a.m.

I gave her a dose of de-worming meds the vet gave me last visit..she is 14 weeks old and had her first set of shots and de-worming at 8 weeks and again at 12 weeks due for next ones on April 25th..Dr gave her oral meds and gave me a dose for 2 weeks later..So far she has had 4 doses at 2week intervals..Today he said she’s good till we see him..Is this all okay or should I be seeing a vet sooner?

Is there a risk for me to catch them or am I over concerned? I happen to have my vision blurry for the last few days and have read this is a side effect..I’ve never seen a worm in my 2 prior rotties. any advice??

Hi Judy
I think you are probably being a little overly concerned about the worm, but they ARE truly disgusting and if you’ve not seen one before it can be a bit scary!

Most puppies have roundworms (can’t remember the exact figure, but it’s over 90% of them), but regular deworming either done by a vet, or with a medications prescribed by a vet, will take care of them. However, it can take 3 or more doses to completely clear the pup’s system and once the medication has been given you are likely to see more worms rather than less to begin with. That’s because they are being expelled from the pups body due to the treatment.

There is a risk to humans from roundworms, but as long as you follow normal rules of hygiene – ie washing your hands thoroughly after touching your pup and use rubber gloves and baggies when disposing of feces you will be fine. There’s more chance of children ‘catching’ them than adults as kids aren’t as good at hygiene and tend to put their fingers, dirt (and a lot of other stuff) in their mouths leaving them more open to transmitting worms from feces or dirt to their bodies.

There are health conditions that can result from roundworms in a human body, but they are rare, and affect young children more severely than adults. Also – and this is important – the risk is from the eggs shed in the feces, not the worms themselves. These eggs can’t infect a human until they’ve been outside of the dogs body for approx 14 days, and if your pup has had her deworming medication they will likely not survive that long. Even if they do, unless you touch her feces and then put your fingers in your mouth (sorry, I know that’s gross but I want to make it clear how transmission happens) you should be absolutely fine. In my opinion there’s no way you could have been infected by these worms and be showing symptoms of an infection at this point. It’s most likely purely psychosomatic, but if you are at all worried you can talk to your doctor to put your mind at rest.

I expect that you won’t be seeing many more worms from Angel and that the medication your vet has given her is doing it’s job. Hope this helps, best of luck with her.

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Apr 10, 2011

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thank-you
by: judy

Thanks for the response.When I first saw the worm I just knew your site would answer my questions and they did. I did go to the doctor and it was determined I need an eye doctor and it has nothing to do with the worm..lol..silly me.I also got in touch with the people we purchased her from and informed her so she may also treat Angels mom.This may also explain why she has been eating everything in sight as her tummy must be upset passing these worms..Thanks again and I know if I ever need information this is the site to visit..Judy


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