Worms in Skylar's stool

[Stacer]

I just got back from a walk with Skylar and found two white worms/larvae in her poop. They're slightly longer and thicker than a grain of rice, white and they have little legs. I'm completely revulsed by the sight of them *shivers*, but I saved them in a ziploc and they're in my fridge along with a chunk of her poop.

I just called the vet and of course they're closed. She's due for another round of revolution, today in fact, but it doesn't appear to treat worms in dogs other than heartworm. I've heard that Revolution isn't the best and maybe Advantage is a better product.

Is this something that I should take her to the emergency vet for? I'm thinking not, but our vet office doesn't open until Wednesday. Maybe I should call the ER Vet and ask about the worms. Yeah that 's what I'll do.

[Stacer]

I called the ER vet and they said to keep an eye on her and look at her next poop. It could be something that she's gotten into. If there's any vomiting or diarrhea or if she's lethargic I'll bring her in right away, otherwise I can wait until my vet reopens on Wednesday.

[Chaser]

That sounds about right - they're not anything that is terribly detrimental over a day or two. Just yucky! I wouldn't worry too much about it. I think what is problematic is when people don't pay much attention to their dog's poop and it goes unoticed for a long time....leading to weight loss (and I would think some extent of nutrient deficiency). Sounds like you're on top of it so they can get cleared out Wednesday

Re: Advantage I am pretty sure it only treats fleas. I personally think Revolution is a good product because it covers fleas, heartworm, and some ticks. I don't think intestinal parasites are something that receives long-term prevention/treatment in the same way heartworm and fleas do. I am pretty sure they just get treated as they happen, so I don't think there is any monthly medication for them.

[Stacer]

Thanks Chase Mom, good to know regarding the Advantage.

I just really freaked out when I saw the little buggers, completely took me by surprise. I actually thought it was one really long one at first then when I got home I smooshed the poop around a bit and saw that it was two, a bit of a relief, but still revolting.

[hazelrunpack]

Generally, if you're seeing worms in the stool, they've been in the dog for a while. So if Skylar isn't showing any bad symptoms, it's fine to wait until Wed to get some meds. Almost sounds like tapeworms from your description.

Poop in the fridge! Welcome to the ranks of dog people!

As for monthly treatments, Heartgard treats some types of worms, but it's not foolproof--we got a refund from Merial last summer when 3 of the dogs tested positive for hooks, which it was supposed to protect against.

Our guys get into so much wildlife poo that we just routinely deworm them with Panacur every 3 months during the warm season. We buy the stuff by the tub. It's expensive, but it's expensive to do the fecal exams for 8, too...and they were always coming up positive. So we just opt to treat without testing now.

Of course, if we see something suspicious in someone's stool, we do take it in for testing. There are some worms that aren't affected by Panacur. But it still takes care of the bulk of what's common around here.

[Stacer]

I couldn't imagine having to deal with poops from 8 dogs with worms, you may as well get a separate fridge for various doggy related samples.

I didn't realize that dogs needed to be wormed that frequently. Good to know. I also didn't know that when they show up in the poop it means she's had it for a while. How long do you think? Is there an average time it takes from ingestion to being expelled?

[hazelrunpack]

It depends on the worm...but, for example, with hookworms (if I'm recalling correctly) the eggs are ingested; they hatch and live in the intestine for a few weeks; burrow through the intestinal lining, into the bloodstream and into the lungs for a while; then get coughed up and swallowed back to the intestine where they produce eggs that get pooped out... It can take a number of weeks for the whole cycle. And, since worms can be at different stages of the life cycle depending on when the eggs were ingested, you have to do two treatments for them about 3 weeks apart.

One thing to worry about with hookworms is anemia because there is a certain amount of intestinal bleeding that occurs with an infestation. But typically, the dog would have to have a very heavy infestation for a long time for anemia to occur.

Tape worms sometimes cause weight loss because a heavy infestation of worms can suck up all the nutrients before they get out of the dog's intestines into the blood. But again, it usually takes a long while before the effects are noticeable.

If you think about it, all wild animals carry a burden of internal parasites. As long as they're in fairly good health otherwise, they do okay.

So... TMI?