Worms!

Leroythedobe · 02-24-2008, 05:20 PM

ill get straight to the point...leroy had a worm coming out of his butt yesterday. Since it is the weekend there is not a vet open around, so we bought over the counter liquid wormer til we can take him to the vet on monday. Anything else we can do?

**Burns** · 02-24-2008, 05:24 PM

Do you have children? Be careful because some parasites are zoonotic (can be passed to humans). Try to clean your yard of all the dog poo, which may contain infective forms of certain intestinal parasites.

If it's tapeworms, you'll need to determine the source (flea vs rodent). Fleas are probably more likely in dogs, so make sure you have all the animals in your household on a monthly flea preventative (and preferably dewormer as well).

Other than that, you'll have to wait til your vet opens to get some prescription dewormer (and flea treatment). I would also take in a stool sample for them to check for other parasites that the general dewormer may not cover.

Good luck!

**ReDobie4xtina2** · 02-24-2008, 06:05 PM

Oh no, worms! I have never had experience with this, but I would follow Burns advice. I know how long the wait for Monday is... when our dogs ever needed Vet care it's always been on the weekend, go figure. Good Luck!

DobieLove02 · 02-24-2008, 06:06 PM

oh man! i just went through a worm scare with Drake. Luckily he was clear and it was a "false alarm" Good luck!

JavasMom · 02-24-2008, 06:32 PM

Once the de-wormer kicks in be sure to scrub his crate and wash his bedding.

Did anyone else see the Dr. Oz/tapeworm episode on Oprah? 'Yuk' doesn't even begin to cover my reaction to that thing in the jar....

Good luck and hope your boy feels better soon!

**Lucagirl** · 02-24-2008, 07:13 PM

If it looks like a grain of rice, or a flat segment he probably has tapeworm, roundworms are more like spaghetti - hope your'e not eating right now! Roundworms don't talways show up in the stool, although after a deworming you will likely see them. I've also seen dogs vomit them as well.

Scoob · 02-24-2008, 09:47 PM

Don't know for sure unless I saw the worm, but I would bet it would be a tapeworm. You should be treating with a monthly flea/tick product -- those can be squeezed onto the skin of the dog, but make sure you get the solution all the way to the skin. Since the dog already has worms, you'll have to use a dewormer, available at pet stores. In addition, you should be treating with a monthly heart worm pill. Most heart worm pills kill round worms, hook worms etc...Check with your vet on Monday. Please let us know the results. Thank you.

Scoob

**Retta** · 02-25-2008, 01:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Leroythedobe

ill get straight to the point...leroy had a worm coming out of his butt yesterday. Since it is the weekend there is not a vet open around, so we bought over the counter liquid wormer til we can take him to the vet on monday. Anything else we can do?

If you see the worm, it is most likely tapeworm. It looks like a stretchy, iridescent piece of rice. They have a med called Droncit, that you give them once and it gets rid of the worm. He could have other worms also, but usually you don't see them, unless they are sooo bad the start coming out in the stool. Usually roundworms, etc. But his coat will be ragged and he will have a bloated look. Reg worming meds won't get rid of tapeworm. If your dog eat rabbit stool, or any wildlife droppings, and fleas, carry tapeworm too. Mice, all kinds of vermine. So if you live in an area that your dog is exposed to these things, you should keep some Droncit on hand. There is also a natural type of tapeworm med you can get in the catalogs, but not sure how good they are. Wash his bedding, your hands alot, and anything else he came in contact with, if it can be washed, wash it!.

**dobermansrule** · 02-25-2008, 01:22 PM

have the vet give a dewormer for the appropriate worm determined by stool sample. Then, put him on a monthly wormer like Sentinel. Be advised, worms like roundworm stay in the dog for life in an encysted form in muscle tissue. Stress can hatch the encysted larvae to a new worm bloom... so the importance of staying on a monthly wormer. And if you have kids, especially, and you want a good scare, read up on zoonotic parasites, like worms. The larvae are very persistent, live in all kinds of harsh environments, and basically infest your yard (or wherever wormy poop was laid) for basically ever. I think these larvae things will survive the next nuclear blast.

**Doberdog** · 02-25-2008, 02:18 PM

Quote:

The larvae are very persistent, live in all kinds of harsh environments, and basically infest your yard (or wherever wormy poop was laid) for basically ever. I think these larvae things will survive the next nuclear blast.

Someone could make a horror movie about this. Yuk. Q had a tape worm awhile back and more recently my older dog, Shaver, had a tapeworm. They get heart guard and frontline every month but we live in the country and I'm sure they eat stuff they should not. If you see a tape worm come out alive, it is just a piece of the end of it and looks flat, about the length of rice, but you can see it wiggle. They are very gross.