However, almost all puppies are born with roundworms, so even those that appear healthy will usually have some worms inside them. Heartworms are more often diagnosed in adult dogs. These are worms that actually live inside your dog's heart, causing coughing and exercise intolerance.
Are puppies automatically born with worms?
Puppies and kittens are born with intestinal worms. This occurs because worms resting within the mother's body are stimulated to grow by hormones secreted during pregnancy. The newly developed worms within the mother pass through the placenta (transplacental) and into the young before they are born.
Do newborn puppies need to be dewormed?
Worming the puppies: Pups should be wormed for the first time at 2 weeks of age, then at 4, 6, 8, 10 and 12 weeks old (fortnightly until 12 weeks of age). After this they can be wormed monthly until they are 12 months old.
How come puppies are born with worms?
Your dog may be infected with roundworms from the time it is born because often the mother passes the worms to the puppy while it is still in her body. Roundworms can also develop in a puppy after it is born when the puppy eats larvated eggs from the environment or drinks worm larvae (young worms) in the mother's milk.
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