In utero or through their mother's milk: Puppies frequently get worms from their mother. If the mother is infected with worms, she can pass them to her pups in-utero or through her milk.
How do puppies get worms from their mother?
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.
Are puppies normally born with worms?
Symptoms for intestinal worms are more obvious in puppies: They might vomit or have diarrhea, and may also have a pot-bellied appearance and a dull coat. However, almost all puppies are born with roundworms, so even those that appear healthy will usually have some worms inside them.
Why do puppies have worms when they are born?
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.
How do puppies end up with worms?
Dogs can get worms when they ingest eggs or larvae that they find in feces, soil, or even in fleas that they lick on their own fur. The worm larva will then hatch and attach to your dog's intestinal wall where it can grow into an adult worm (petmd.com).
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