I am sure you must have been about roundworm in puppies or maybe you suspect your puppy has roundworms and you came to find out more about it, don’t worry you are in the right place. In this post, we would be learning everything about roundworms in puppies.
As someone whose dog has been pregnant and given north more than twice, I would like you to know that roundworm is very common in puppies.
What are roundworms in puppies?
Roundworms are long, white, roundworms that look like boiled spaghetti, they belong to the family of ascarids, and the small intestine is the main place they like to stay.
Sometimes they can be in other places but they mostly live, reproduce, and thrive in the small intestine. When they move to other places like the liver and lungs through the bloodstream, they get caught up in mucous, coughed up, and re-swallowed to go back to the small intestines.
The genus specie name of roundworm in puppies is Toxacara Canis or Toxascaris leonina.
Roundworms are the most common of the parasitic worms found in puppies. They feed on partly digested food in the small intestine.
A large percentage of puppies get infected with roundworms at one point in their life.
Roundworms can be contracted by your puppy in different ways, making them easy to spread and hard to control.
Two main roundworm species can be living inside your puppy, the Toxocara canis and Toxascaris leonina. Toxocara canis is more dangerous and it can be passed from your puppy to you.
Toxocara canis is usually white or light brown and is a few inches long.
Symptoms of roundworm in puppies
Potbelly
Diarrhea
Vomiting
Weight loss
Presence of roundworm in vomit or feces but it is not in all cases
Dull hair
Weakness
Modes of infection of roundworm in puppies
From pregnancy: the mother of your puppy could give it roundworms due to the worms living dormant in her muscle tissues.
During a female dog’s pregnancy, the L3 larvae move transplacentally to the fetus where they stay in the babies’ livers till they are born then they move to their intestines.
Most puppies with roundworms are infected during pregnancy.
Eating the worm’s eggs and larvae: your puppy could get infected with roundworms from eating fecal matter, eating animals that are infected with L2 larvae, or eating other contaminated materials.
Breastfeeding: during breastfeeding arrested L3 larvae and dominant larvae migrate through the milk of the mother to the puppies and remain in their intestine to grow.
Most people think that roundworm in puppies is the breeder’s fault but from what I explained above, you can see it’s not.
The life cycle of roundworm in puppies
When the eggs get inside your puppy, they hatch and turn into larvae, if your puppy was contaminated with larvae already, the larva would spread through your pup’s liver and up their windpipe.
If your puppy was infected through the nose by inhaling the eggs or larvae and not by swallowing, the larvae would get caught up in mucous, coughed up then swallowed into the intestine, where they would grow into adult worms.
The adult worms then lay their eggs and the cycle continues.
Diagnosis of roundworm in puppies
If your puppy is suspected to have roundworms, your vet would carry out a fecal/poop exam.
Your vet would put your puppy’s poop into a little, add some sugar water, spins it all up, and puts a slide on top and because the eggs float in the sugar water, they float up and stick to the slide.
Your vet would put the slide under a microscope and he would be able to see all the eggs.
Even if there are no eggs found in your puppy’s poop, your vet may still administer a roundworm treatment because the fact that eggs were not present in the poop could be that the worm has not started producing eggs or your vet did not get a good sample.
In some cases, the puppy would poop out or vomit the roundworms but if you don’t see your pup poop or vomit roundworms does not mean he/she does not have them.
Treatment for roundworm in puppies
If your puppy has roundworms, your vet would prescribe a dewormer for him/her, they are a lot of dewormers out there and they are easy to use.
Your vet may decide to be the one to administer the dewormer, or it could be something you can hide in a treat or put in your puppy’s food.
Some very effective dewormers I have used are Fendenazole known as Panacur and pyrantel pamoate also known as strongid.
Puppy parents and vets on Reddit and Facebook dog groups have recently been talking about a dewormer called Heartgard, they say it is effective and kills roundworms monthly.
Heartgard works by paralyzing worms which are then expelled in the feces or digested.
Natural remedies for roundworms in puppies
Diatomaceous earth (food grade) for roundworm in puppies
Diatomaceous earth is made of single-celled honeycomb-structured algae organisms with silicon exoskeletons called diatoms.
it is basically a type of algae mineral that is rich in silica.
It kills roundworm and some other worms in your puppy and it works for me any time I use it.
You should always ensure that the diatomaceous earth you are going to use for your puppy is food grade.
Dosage: ½ a teaspoon for 20lbs of body weight, give it to your pup for 7 days, stop for 7 days, and repeat.
You can mix it in water.
Pumpkin seeds for roundworm in puppies
Studies have shown that pumpkin seed is an effective natural dewormer. Make sure you use unsalted pumpkin seeds.
Dosage: ¼ of a teaspoon or 2 or 3 seeds ground up well for 10 lbs of body weight. Give it to your puppy once a day for 21 days.
FAQs about roundworm in puppies
Can roundworms kill a puppy?
Yes, roundworms can kill a puppy. Though this is not common, if your puppy has a severe roundworm infection and is not attended to on time, he/she may die.
How easy is it to get roundworms from a puppy?
You could get roundworm from your puppy by just coming in contact with contaminated soil or feces which could lead to ingestion and infection with roundworm eggs or larvae.
You could inhale roundworm eggs through your nose into your lungs.
How long does it take to kill roundworms in puppies?
The time it takes to kill roundworms in puppies would depend on the dewormer you use, most dewormers kill roundworms within 2 to 3 days. Natural dewormers may take longer.
Is it normal for puppies to get roundworms?
Yes, it is very normal for puppies to get roundworm, it is almost inevitable for a puppy not to have a roundworm infection at some point in their life.
Do roundworms hurt puppies?
Yes, roundworm hurts puppies. Unlike adult dogs who have strong immune systems and can live normally with roundworms, puppies cant.
Roundworms can cause malnourishment and other complications in puppies.
How often do you deworm a puppy with roundworms?
You should deworm your puppy every two weeks until they are 12 weeks old, then they should be dewormed monthly until they are six months of age. Deworming should be done with supervision from your vet.
How do you know when roundworms in puppies are gone?
After deworming, Your dog would take a fecal exam to check if they are eggs in your dog’s poop.
Important information
I am not a vet, any advice shared in this post is from my personal experience, deep research, advice from puppy parents, and vets in the Reddit and Facebook dog groups that I am a member of.
Some puppies die yearly because of roundworms due to the ignorance of their owners, please share this post with groups or people that may need it, you could just save a puppy’s life without knowing.
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