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Old 12-14-2009, 08:50 AM   #4
bjh
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Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Southeast Texas
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My vet does not believe in automatic worming. All vets are different. I would never just automatically worm pups without knowing if they had worms. Not all pups have worms. None of mine have checked positive for worms in years. Was the momma checked for worms before she had pups? Has she every had hook worms? Hook worms are the most serious type of worm a pup can have and they can cause a puppy to get sick at a early age. My recommendation would be for you to wait until the pups are a bit older and then take in a stool sample for the vet to check. If the momma dog has been well cared for and has been worm free then it is unlikely the pups will have worms. If the momma dog has been allowed outdoors a lot and in areas where other dogs roam then it is possible she could pick up worms and pass them to the puppies. The most common worm for newborn puppies is the roundworm, here is a very interesting article on them.
Dog Roundworms (Ascarids, Toxascaris leonina, Toxocara canis)

Another thing to be aware of that the pups can get is coccidia. Coccidia are small protozoans (one-celled organisms) that live in the intestinal tracts of dogs and cats. Pups are not born with the coccidia but the pups can ingest the coccida after they are born if the momma dog happens to be a carrier of coccidia and the pups came in contact with some of her feces. One of the early signs of coccidia is diarrhea or icky poops. Regular worming medicines will not kill the coccidia, the pups would need a sulfur drug like Albon. If caught early coccidia is easy to treat but if left untreated it can be very costly and deadly for the pups.
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