Worms

[Guest MaxAndMazy]

Max and/ or Mazy have worms - white ones. Someone threw one up last night that was about 1.5 inches long .We know what to do with them - our vet will give us drontal to both dogs and as long as we can keep our resident poop eater from eating the poopcycles we can get rid of the worms.

 

Lately I have caught our 20month old DD drinking face first from the water dish. Yes, this is gross and we are discouraging it (after we took pictures). Can DD catch worms from drinking from their dish if they have worms?

[Aerosmom]

Max and/ or Mazy have worms - white ones. Someone threw one up last night that was about 1.5 inches long .We know what to do with them - our vet will give us drontal to both dogs and as long as we can keep our resident poop eater from eating the poopcycles we can get rid of the worms.

 

Lately I have caught our 20month old DD drinking face first from the water dish. Yes, this is gross and we are discouraging it (after we took pictures). Can DD catch worms from drinking from their dish if they have worms?

 

After you took pictures . I'm not positive, but I think the worm eggs are excreted in the poop. Someone else could probably pipe in with accurate info. Good luck.

[Guest MaxAndMazy]

Max and/ or Mazy have worms - white ones. Someone threw one up last night that was about 1.5 inches long .We know what to do with them - our vet will give us drontal to both dogs and as long as we can keep our resident poop eater from eating the poopcycles we can get rid of the worms.

 

Lately I have caught our 20month old DD drinking face first from the water dish. Yes, this is gross and we are discouraging it (after we took pictures). Can DD catch worms from drinking from their dish if they have worms?

 

After you took pictures . I'm not positive, but I think the worm eggs are excreted in the poop. Someone else could probably pipe in with accurate info. Good luck.

 

Yes, after I took pictures . We need some good ammunition pictures for her first date when she's 25 . If the eggs are in the poop and Mazy ate poop outside then came in and drank from the water dish - could the eggs then be in the water dish as backwash?

 

[greysandmollie]

I "thought" if they are tapes that they and would assume their eggs are exposed to air it kills them.

 

I would call you vet to be sure. I am sure your daughter will love you when she brings her first boyfriend home and you whip out the pics of her and the dog dish!

[Batmom]

If they're tapeworms (flat, ribbonlike), no she can't catch them, even if she ate the poop! Tapeworms require an intermediate host, The Flea. You (or your dog) can only get tapes by eating an infected flea.

 

Don't recall if people can get roundworms -- would have to look that up.

[silverfish]

Theoretically yes. But bear in mind that people and children have lived with dogs for millennia and for the most part, those who grow up with pets are healthier than those who don't.

 

Over here there are two types of worm which can be a problem: toxocara canis (roundworm) and a fairly rare tapeworm called echinoccocus multilocularis. The roundworm is mostly harmless but can be a problem for young children if the ingested eggs migrate to the wrong part, for instance the eye, where the larvae can cause blindness. The tapeworm is more serious because the larval form encapsulates in various parts of the body and continues to grow, so you get hydatid cysts in muscle (not a particular problem), liver, lung or brain, for instance (much more of a problem).

 

My take on kids and dogs is that you worm regularly and stay vigilant. After that, try not to worry too much.

 

It sounds as if the worm you saw was a roundworm, but I'm not an expert on US parasites. I'd worm promptly (and regularly) and gradually teach your DD better drinking habits.

[Batmom]

Ah, if they're vomiting them up, they're probably rounds, not tapes. And people can get them (altho I didn't go to the cdc site, off the second link below, to see how easy that is).

 

http://marvistavet.com/html/roundworms_in_...___puppies.html

http://marvistavet.com/html/roundworms_in_humans.html

[Guest MaxAndMazy]

This worm was skinny, white and round, and about 1.5 inches long. Thanks for your advice! I'll be calling the vets as soon as they open!

[silverfish]

I "thought" if they are tapes that they and would assume their eggs are exposed to air it kills them.

 

Nope, sadly not. Worm eggs are remarkably difficult to kill.

 

Tapeworm segments are reproductively active, that's why they wiggle - in fact they are pretty much nothing but reproductive organs. The eggs are inside the segments, thousands of them, and when the segments dry out, the eggs are preserved nicely until 1) something eats the segment, or 2) the dry segment breaks open and scatters the eggs, and then something eats them.

 

 

[Guest LynnM]

Yes people can get roundworms and hookworms. Both are completely treatable and more common in humans than most people want to think. If you think about it.... Strongid isn't banana flavored to appeal to dogs

 

Hookworms are the nasty one... they can do some real damage and are picked up by walking barefoot (they enter the body through the feet).

 

A word of advice... if you do suspect your kid has picked up a parasite (pinworms are much more common among suburban/city kids than hooks/rounds), go to the most rural country doctor you can find or ask the health department in a rural and/or poor neighboring county. Many town doctors don't know much about treating parasites.

 

Lynn

[Guest greyvettech]

If they are tapeworms, they will look like small grains of rice in their stool- They get infected with tapes by ingesting a flea with the tapeworms larvae (it requires an intermediate host) Roundworms (which will cause vomiting/diarrhea/lethargy) can be contracted outside by other dogs stool (like, if an animal eats it, for instance).Same for hookworms(these attach to the dogs intestines )(eww)..Tapes can be treated with droncit 34.I would rec treating hooks and rounds with Panacur or anthelban suspension.Also, hookworms, can not be seen in the stool like rounds only the eggs underneath the microscope..rounds can be seen in the stool and/or vomit...Your best bet, is to get them all treated with panacur and droncit 34..

[Guest LindsaySF]

It sounds like a roundworm. Tapes are very rarely, if ever, vomited up.

 

Pinworms are a strictly human parasite. No animals involved.

 

Dog hookworm larvae can penetrate the feet and cause a rash, but it ends there. The immune system takes care of it. In order to actually get adult hookworms in your intestine you have to be infected with the human species of hookworm.

 

The same with roundworm. Humans only get the actual worm from other humans. But dog roundworm larvae can end up in the muscles if you unintentionally ingest the worm eggs (which are shed in feces). The larvae get "confused", and migrate to strange places (eye, brain, etc). Basically what Silverfish said.

 

 

 

 

 

~Lindsay~

[Guest LynnM]

I didn't see where the OP posted from... around here the human specific species of both rounds and hooks are endemic. Hooks are still a serious problem in the more rural areas.

 

Lynn

[Guest greypack]

Both roundworm and tapeworm CAN be passed on to humans. The most common cases of these are children because kids don't care about hygiene, in addition to the fact that they are very curious and eager to explore everything by placing it into their mouth.

 

I do not know what kind of worm that you are dealing with. Its seems that others above are thinking tapeworm.

If it's tapeworm, the chances of infecting your little one are lower, since it does require that they swallow an infected flea. But it does happen. Again, mostly in children.

 

Roundworm infection is more common, as the eggs can survive a long time outside of the body. Humans can become infected by direct contact with, or ingestion of, poo, contaminated soil, sand, or plants (such as contaminated grass in one's yard). An untreated infection usually leads to permanent nerve and vision damage. Pretty serious.

 

I would save the worm from her vomit and have your vet ID the worm. Then let the pediatrician know that you believe that your child may have been exposed to X worm species.

 

Even a doc with little to no experience with parasites in their patient population did once study them in med school and does have the resources to easily look up what to do. Hopefully your doc would be humble enough to do that.

[Guest greyvettech]

It sounds like a roundworm. Tapes are very rarely, if ever, vomited up.

 

Pinworms are a strictly human parasite. No animals involved.

 

Dog hookworm larvae can penetrate the feet and cause a rash, but it ends there. The immune system takes care of it. In order to actually get adult hookworms in your intestine you have to be infected with the human species of hookworm.

 

The same with roundworm. Humans only get the actual worm from other humans. But dog roundworm larvae can end up in the muscles if you unintentionally ingest the worm eggs (which are shed in feces). The larvae get "confused", and migrate to strange places (eye, brain, etc). Basically what Silverfish said.

 

 

 

~Lindsay~

 

 

Reptiles can carry pinworms ex:bearded dragon, geckos, chameleons..all those creepy creatures...lol

I agree, we have never seen an incident of vomiting up tapes....

Edited March 23, 2008 by greyvettech

[Guest dogloverdeb]

Both roundworm and tapeworm CAN be passed on to humans. The most common cases of these are children because kids don't care about hygiene, in addition to the fact that they are very curious and eager to explore everything by placing it into their mouth.

 

I do not know what kind of worm that you are dealing with. Its seems that others above are thinking tapeworm.

If it's tapeworm, the chances of infecting your little one are lower, since it does require that they swallow an infected flea. But it does happen. Again, mostly in children.

 

Roundworm infection is more common, as the eggs can survive a long time outside of the body. Humans can become infected by direct contact with, or ingestion of, poo, contaminated soil, sand, or plants (such as contaminated grass in one's yard). An untreated infection usually leads to permanent nerve and vision damage. Pretty serious.

 

I would save the worm from her vomit and have your vet ID the worm. Then let the pediatrician know that you believe that your child may have been exposed to X worm species.

 

Even a doc with little to no experience with parasites in their patient population did once study them in med school and does have the resources to easily look up what to do. Hopefully your doc would be humble enough to do that.

 

[Guest dogloverdeb]

Both roundworm and tapeworm CAN be passed on to humans. The most common cases of these are children because kids don't care about hygiene, in addition to the fact that they are very curious and eager to explore everything by placing it into their mouth.

 

I do not know what kind of worm that you are dealing with. Its seems that others above are thinking tapeworm.

If it's tapeworm, the chances of infecting your little one are lower, since it does require that they swallow an infected flea. But it does happen. Again, mostly in children.

 

Roundworm infection is more common, as the eggs can survive a long time outside of the body. Humans can become infected by direct contact with, or ingestion of, poo, contaminated soil, sand, or plants (such as contaminated grass in one's yard). An untreated infection usually leads to permanent nerve and vision damage. Pretty serious.

 

I would save the worm from her vomit and have your vet ID the worm. Then let the pediatrician know that you believe that your child may have been exposed to X worm species.

 

Even a doc with little to no experience with parasites in their patient population did once study them in med school and does have the resources to easily look up what to do. Hopefully your doc would be humble enough to do that.

 

 

 

I concerned about my son being infected with roundworm as he still sucks his thumb - hard to keep those hands clean constantly. Does anyone know when systems would first appear or if a blood test exists to catch this early?

[ahicks51]

The helminths of dogs don't enjoy humans too much; Ancylostoma caninum is of modest risk to people, as is Uncinaria stenocephala. Worst case scenario is they colonize the child's gut, but they require a phase outside of the host to reproduce. Unless replenished, many will be gone within a year.

 

The incidence of a number of autoimmune diseases- mainly multiple sclerosis- is lower in southern states (exposure up to the age of 12). Most are virtually unknown in tropical countries to which hookworms are endemic. It is thought that perhaps a combination of diet, vitamin D (from sunlight), and exposure to internal parasites (the so-called "hygiene hypothesis") may be responsible.

 

Ergo, while it is unwise to allow great risk in the form of huge numbers of parasites- as might be the case of individuals who walk barefoot in sewerage, as is done in some third world countries- there is a very good chance a small number of intestinal parasites may actually do some good, with absolutely no clinical signs whatsoever. In fact, the recommendation from the CDC is not to treat light infestations of Necator americanus- the most common human hookworm.

[Guest neworleansmama]

Most pediatricians are very familiar with worms. When my son was little his grandmother thought he had worms since he couldn't stay still. My pediatrician said "I never argue with grandmothers" and wormed him.

 

I've had digestive troubles a few times and saw a gastroenterologist who said let's worm you before we spend a lot of money on tests--presto the symptoms went away both times.

 

And watch "Monsters within you" on Animal Planet to thoroughly scare yourself about parasites!