• Mother dogs often transmit reoundworms to their puppies.mother dog with puppy image by Phaedra Wilkinson from Fotolia.com
  
  

Conventional Deworming Schedule

• Puppies can get roundworms from their mother while in the womb or through milk. Puppies have low resistance to roundworms. The conventional roundworm worming schedule is to deworm the puppies for every two weeks when they reach 2 weeks old. The last dose can be given at 2 months of age.
  
  

When They Are Infected

• It is theoretically possible for a female dog to not pass on roundworms to her puppies. Stool samples from the puppies can be sent to the vet when the puppies are 2 weeks old to see if there are any eggs. If eggs are found, treatment can begin. Most puppies become resistant to roundworms when they are 6 months old.
  
  

Bottom Line

• It is possible that a female dog that has never had roundworms can give birth to puppies that are not infected with roundworms, but the chances of this happening are slim because roundworm eggs can also be picked up in soil or in meat. Any new puppy bought, found or adopted should be assumed to be infected and dosed in the conventional manner.