[ruppard]

Our puppy is still having live worms coming out after several wormings. I had no idea that they come out alive. How easily can our family catch them?

[docv]

My best advice would be to call a vet (which I am not).

I do know not all worms that infest animals will affect humans. It depends on what type of worms your puppy has.

A common misconception is that when an animal is dewormed... they are being treated so as to not have worms. This is not the case. Deworming an animal simply keeps them from giving the worms to their human companions.

Also, giving an animal meds that are intended to prevent worms will not cure them of ones that are already in them... and it could be harmful to the animal.

Your best course of action is to obtain a stool sample with the worms in them and take it, and your puppy, to the vet so they can figure out exactly what is going on.

If the meds you have been giving the puppy came from your vet and he/she has not obtained a stool sample or run further tests... then you need to seek a different vet. (This advice came from my vet!)

Good Luck :o

[labman]

I think ring worms are the only ones transmitted to people. That is by eggs too tiny to see, not live worms. It would be best for an adult to clean up the stools and wash their hands. I do not disagree with docv.

[docv]

There are worms other than ringworm that affect humans. Soldiers deal with them after being in the field for long periods where personal hygiene is sometimes hard to keep up with. They notice them in their stools (just like the puppy) and are treated with a short course of meds to fix it.

I agree that the adults should only handle the stool... but it would be best to keep children away from the puppy until the worms are gone as well.

Again, your best course of action is to get the dog to the vet.

(post when you get this cleared up... Your family and dog have been on my mind since I read your post. Mostly because I recently just lost my pup to the parvo virus, I hate to think of your pup having issues as well) :(

[Ceilidthbear]

Hi Ruppard!
It's not uncommon for puppies to shed live worms, even after they are given medication. Most parasites such as worms go through several different life stages while they are in the environment and in the host animal. The medications are only effective in getting rid of one or a couple of life stages, therefore, only some of the parasites are killed in one treatment. The rest go on to mature and the puppy will need to be treated again. Another possibility is that the environment is contaminated and the puppy is being reinfected by contact with eggs or larvae. What type of worms are coming out and how (in stool or vomit)? Are the worms white and spaghetti like or are they small and like tiny grains of rice. The rice like worms are actually only segments of a larger worm (tapeworm) and these require a specialized medication to get rid of them. The good news is that people cannot catch these kind of worms. The spaghetti worms are roundworms and, as you wondered in your question, roundworms are zoonotic (can be transferred to humans). Humans will not get adult worms (phew!) but if the eggs are eaten by accident (these come out in stool) the larvae that develop inside the human body may travel around through tissues and can cause some problems. This is called "visceral larval migrans". As always, using proper hygiene after handling pet stool and cleaning up stool in the yard and accidents in the house promptly will prevent infection. Youngsters are more prone to infection since they tend to be a little more careless with hygiene and putting things in their mouths. Take care (as always) to supervise contact between children and pets and mind that children wash hands and are not in contact with the puppy's stool or anal region. Also, make sure your puppy is not eating his/her own stool as this will cause reinfection.
As an aside, ringworm is not a worm at all but actually a fungus. It is found in the soil and it is not uncommon for children and baby animals to pick it up. It can also be transferred from host to host by contact with the ring shaped lesion it causes on the skin.