# Dogs, pork, and worms **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 30, 2007, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dogs-pork-and-worms/424573 "2007-10-30T14:34:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2007, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dogs-pork-and-worms/424573/1 "2007-10-30T14:34:39Z")
Last night my little girl decided she didn’t like her ham. So she threw a piece to the dogs, whereupon the Scotty grabbed it (beating our much-older Basset hound). I, of course, told Sophie not to feed dogs at the table, especially pork as it gives them worms. Being 6, she did what you would expect 6 year-olds to do: ask “Why” questions to the end of time. Two that I kind of hemmed and hawed at are the basis of this thread: 1. Why does pork give dogs worms? 2. Why doesn’t pork give me worms? Just to let y’all know, the ham in question was very well done - I left it in the oven a bit too long and it dried out (which is why Sophie didn’t like it). We don’t like undercooked pork products, even our bacon is very crispy. Thanks in advance… ---
**Author:** ![you\_with\_the\_face](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/ecccb3/32.png) [@you\_with\_the\_face](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/you_with_the_face)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2007, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dogs-pork-and-worms/424573/2 "2007-10-30T14:54:14Z")
[QUOTE=JohnT] 1. Why does pork give dogs worms? 2. Why doesn’t pork give me worms? [/QUOTE] Cooked pork wouldn’t give dogs or you worms. Raw pork could conceivably give you both Trichinella, but that’s an uncommon issue nowadays. ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2007, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dogs-pork-and-worms/424573/3 "2007-10-30T14:56:11Z")
Pork doesn’t give dogs worms anymore than it gives people worms. That’s to say that, if there are parasitic worms in the pork and it’s not cooked well enough to kill them, then either you or your dog could get infected by eating the pork. But if the pork is cooked enough, both you and the dog are safe. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2007, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dogs-pork-and-worms/424573/4 "2007-10-30T15:16:12Z")
Another old wives tale bites the dust! Who marries these women anyway?? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![awldune](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c77e96/32.png) [@awldune](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/awldune)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2007, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dogs-pork-and-worms/424573/5 "2007-10-30T15:18:32Z")
In fact, aren’t dogs LESS susceptible to infection than humans given the same piece of meat? A dog’s digestive tract is much shorter, so the meat is in the body for shorter period of time. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2007, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dogs-pork-and-worms/424573/6 "2007-10-30T15:24:21Z")
[QUOTE=you with the face] Cooked pork wouldn’t give dogs or you worms. Raw pork could conceivably give you both Trichinella, but that’s an uncommon issue nowadays. [/QUOTE] [nitpick] trichinosis [/nitpick] _Trichinella spiralis_ is the worm that causes it. ---
**Author:** ![vetbridge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b5e925/32.png) [@vetbridge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vetbridge)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2007, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dogs-pork-and-worms/424573/7 "2007-10-30T15:31:57Z")
As others have said, no worry for worms from cooked pork. However, it should be mentioned that [pancreatitis](http://www.vetinfo.com/dencyclopedia/depancrea.html) can be caused by ingestion of fatty meat, with ham high on the list. Each holiday season I see a hand full of cases, some of which are fatal.