hi there i recently bought an 8 week GSD puppy, the breeder said he had been wormed but im a bit un convinced, not to say the breeder was lying as im sure he would, but would it be safe to worm him again or would i be better leaving him? im a bit concerned as i got 3 small children and the pup loves licking and playing with them. can dog worms be passed on to humans? is it dangerous for them? cheers tasha

Hi tasha, when did the breeder say the pup was wormed and what with? He should have been wormed at least 3 times before you got him. If you aren't sure it will do no harm to worm him again. I worm pups every 2 weeks until they are 12 weeks old, then every month until they are 6 months after which they go on the adult schedule.

Dog worms can be passed to humans as larvae which migrate through the body (toxocariasis) not as worms in the intestines. No one knows how frequent this is but it is not common and serious problems like ocular toxocariasis are very rare. There is a tiny theoretical rsk of picking up toxocariasis from a licking pup, but the real risk is from accidentally ingesting infected faeces.

ok thanks think i might do that then as it sounds rather scary lol. the breeder said he was just wormed and i think he was using johnsons syrup. is this good or do you reccomend i use something else?
                                        many thanks tasha

It was supposed to sound the opposite of scary :) I wouldn't use Johnston's syrup. Go for Dronal puppy liquid (until he is 12 weeks, then change to Drontal Plus) or use Panacur. You can get these from your vet or buy them on line from a company like hyperdrug.com

Hi Tasha! Your best bet is to contact your vet and get some proper worming medicine for him, suitable for his age and weight. The pet-shop ones are better than nothing, but not the best.

ok lovely will take him to vets on tuesday then, ive been reading up alot on petshop bought worming tablets etc on here, not so good! lol just a scary thought,those larvae in the body! not that im in the habit of eating dog poo but my youngest might, he's picking up habits off the pup lol

As long as any poo in your garden is picked up within 24 hours, the grass is safe. :)

To put it into perspective, I asked on here a few weeks ago if anybody (membership about 5000) knew firsthand of a person who'd contacted any illness directly from a dog. Not one case of illness from parasitic worms.

Yes, the possiility's there. But you could also be run over by a bus. You avoid the risk by a) everyone worming their dogs properly and b) looking both ways before you cross the road.

Hi, If I was you I would take no notice of what the breeder told you with regard to worming,going by what you said.If dog owners realised the terrible problems that worms cause in all dogs then they would get them done properly on time without exception.
Using shop wormers,what these do is to slough off some old dead or dying worms into the gut and, then the owner says on seeing the next poo"Ah! there are the worms,success!" this is totally wrong as the shop preperations do not kill the live and migrating eggs.These then hatch again into young worms and you can imagine the rest! Worms are parasites that cling to the insides by suckers,so they also cause internal ulcers to form.This why many young pups have tender tummies,and these young pups may also need antibiotics AS WELL as well as the wormer to heal the ulcers,all bought from the Vet.
Panacur paste is very good for young pups,you cannot overdose,even if you go over the marked out lines for weight etc. Also it is good for Giardia infestions that mimic gastro enteritis - sometimes ongoing for months and months.You can also use Drontal for pups,or Drontal + for the older pup and dogs.Don't underdose as this is a waste of time. Some pups DO get tapeworms and this is not rare,especially if the Dam was not wormed properly BEFORE giving birth. Also Drontal given twice on 2 consecutive days will kill off a stubborn Giardia infection,it will not harm the dog,the germs harm the dogs not the wormers.
Pups need worming every 4 weeks up until 6 months and then every 3 months.Older dogs that are in contact with farmlands or rodents need cleaning out every 3 months with Drontal +PS..Don't forget the Frontline or Advantage "spot on" for fleas.It is quite expensive but worth every penny,as this prevents the cycle of worm and fleas continuing.

wow, yes i do see your point im taking him to the vets tomorrow and am going to ask for drontal, i think i used that with my last dog and never had no problems :) thanks again

Would you recommend drontal plus for 22wk old pup weighing 21kg? I always use this on my older dog & vet said he would use it on the pup next time - due this week. I don't suspect he has tapeworm but can it do any harm to use drontal plus anyway?
Advice appreciated

Hi Bint,
I will be using drontal on my next worming session in 2 weeks. My dog is 22k and 18 weeks old I'm sure he will be on the plus one now as he is over 20 kilos. It works by weight with the other brand we have had from the vet so I am assuming it would be the same with drontal. The reason I am changing over is because drontal does all worms including heart worm (or so I was led to believe)
Em

My OH has recently changed our dogs onto Drontal wormer, he's very knowledgable about all the science behind these things and about the animal medicine manufacturers, so I just do as I'm told (for once :-) )