Everything you read says that yes, like 90% of pups are born with worms, but that hasn't been the case with any of my litters. I always take a fecal samples of Moms about a week after whelping. If she has worms then, and only then, do I treat the puppies. I again take fecal samples of the pups at 8 weeks (sooner if they look like they have a potbelly) to be sure they don't have them or have gotten rid of them if I have done worming treatments.
Worms can be dormant in the lining of the mother's intestines and don't become active until the later stages of pregnancy and then are passed on to the pups through the milk. So even if you worm your mom prior to pregnancy and she has a negative test for worms prior to pregnancy, there is still a chance the pups can have worms. |