Worms....

[KitKat71688]

Does anyone have experience with this or know the chances or getting worms from your pets? We found out about a week ago that our puppy has round worm and gialdia worms. We have two cats and he HAD to have gotten the worms from the cats because he was dewormed about 100 times during his first few months  at basically every vet appointment he was given worm medicine. I should also mention the way he got it from the cats was probably from eating their poop. We try and keep the litter box away from him but because of a joint problem with one of the cats we couldn't keep a gate up to keep the dog out, so we had just been making sure the door to that room was closed enough that he couldn't get in. But of course the cats open it all the time and the dog sneeks in. Either way we have since found a much better solution where we can have the gate up but still give both cats total access to the littler box.

Anyways, the cat's have also been de-wormed several times but I guess they got the worms again? We aren't sure how long they have had the worms and are concerned that there is a possiblity that we have contracted the worms from the animals? I don't know how likely this is to happen but when I spoke with the vet he did say there is a "slight" chance that we could have round worm from the animals. Does anyone have experience with this? Are there any signs or symptoms I should be looking for? We are going to get tested but I'm currently pregnant and don't want this to cause any problems with the pregnancy. Can someone please help?

[KitKat71688]

Wow, thank you so much. Luckily I really don't feel any of these symptoms (aside from being pregnant). And my husband takes care of the litter box and always washes his hands afterwards. We don't have any children yet this is out first so that's a good thing. Even though we don't feel these symptoms I think we are both going to go to the doctors just in case. Thanks again for the post!! Very helpful!

[ginger899]

Symtoms of roundworm infestation in humans are:
•Weight loss / inability to gain weight
•Diarrhea
•Loss of appetite
•Abdominal discomfort / pain
•Fatigue
•Irritability
•Malnutrition (in children)
•Insomnia (in adults)
•Anorexia nervosa (in adults)
•Allergies

You should not clean out the cat litter tray if you're pregnant. If you're forced by circumstance to do it you should wear surgical gloves (dispose of them afterwards) each time, and a face mask, as contaminated dust can rise up from the litter.
Always wash hands in hot water and soap thoroughly after cleaning the cat litter, and after handling anything to do with dirt or soil from the garden. In fact, wash hands well after using the bathroom, or before eating or preparing food.
Children should be supervised about this too, as they play in the dirt and play with pets, and won't think about putting their fingers in their mouths straight after, so it's best they are trained to always wash hands after playing with the cats or dog.
Yes, a little dirt is a good thing. But unfortunately worms can be caught these ways.

I'd say if you feel any of the above symptoms, I would see your doctor.