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Old June 30th, 2008, 02:17 PM
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Worms in Skylar's stool

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.
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Old June 30th, 2008, 02:23 PM
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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.
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Old June 30th, 2008, 02:51 PM
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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.
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Old June 30th, 2008, 03:15 PM
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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.
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Old June 30th, 2008, 03:17 PM
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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.
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Old June 30th, 2008, 03:40 PM
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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?
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Old June 30th, 2008, 03:54 PM
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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?
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Old June 30th, 2008, 04:05 PM
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oh, and I forgot to add--if Skylar isn't regularly getting into icky stuff, you may not need to treat for worms that often. We just have an abundance of raccoons, rodents, and other varmints around and the dogs' systems are overwhelmed. Usually, Heartgard Plus works against hooks...but it was overwhelmed by the sheer magnitude of the parasite load...

Ahhhhhh...country living!
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Old June 30th, 2008, 04:05 PM
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I agree with everyone here, and don't panic Waiting until Wednesday will be fine. When I brought my puppy in for her first vet check they found hookworm eggs in her feces, so she is being treated for that now. Had her first round of medication, have to wait a bit until the next round is started. Worms are usually only a threat when they are left untreated for a long time. You are on top of it, so the vet will be able to figure out what kind of worm and give the appropriate treatment. Wishing good vibes for her!
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Old June 30th, 2008, 04:10 PM
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I was thinking a tapeworm too. When Chase was about 6 months he started eating everything in sight for a couple weeks (when typically he is a self-regulating eater) but he wasn't gaining any weight at all. Then after a few weeks of that the "grains of rice" showed up and we figured it out and got to the vet. Until we saw the worms we didn't guess the problem, since he'd been dewormed at the vet a few times prior - but apparently tapeworms need a different medication than the one he had already gotten.

There really is a lot of contact with excrement in dog ownership isn't there? Have you had to chase after Skylar to get a urine sample yet Stacer? THAT is interesting let me tell you....
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Old June 30th, 2008, 04:14 PM
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Lol, I just had to get a urine sample from Nova this afternoon. Frequent and strained urination... think she has a urinary tract infection. Heading to vets soon to get her checked out
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Old July 1st, 2008, 01:27 PM
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Talking

As Hazelrunpack says welcome to the ranks of dog people.

Where else could a discussion on dog poo be so informative and funny at the same time.

I agree with what everyone says, this is the first year that I have had problems with worms. All 4 of my guys have ended up with worms at some time or the other.

Hazelrunpack, do you get the panacur at the vets?????

I also live in the country with a smorgasboard of wild poo for my four guys.
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Old July 1st, 2008, 01:36 PM
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Yep, Sylvie, the vet special orders the Panacur for us--we just take a whole tub. Lasts us about a season. But we have 8 dogs that get 3 treatments a season...with 4 it would last twice as long
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Old July 1st, 2008, 01:46 PM
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Thank you Hazelrunpack

I will contact the vet this week, as I have never heard of it. Better to be safe than sorry is my moto
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Old July 1st, 2008, 04:38 PM
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So far I haven't had to put my hand in the line of fire to get some urine. I'm sure I won't be spared the experience though, lol.
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Old July 1st, 2008, 04:46 PM
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Quote:
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So far I haven't had to put my hand in the line of fire to get some urine. I'm sure I won't be spared the experience though, lol.
You could always get the vet tech to do it for you
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Old July 2nd, 2008, 10:01 AM
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So far I haven't had to put my hand in the line of fire to get some urine. I'm sure I won't be spared the experience though, lol.

the vet. will collect the sample. They just stick a needle into the bladder and get the urine on the spot.

I brought one of my cats in for a possible urinary infection. The Vet. said that he would need a urine sample. I was wondering how the heck I could get a urine sample from a cat. Before I even knew what was going on the Vet. had flipped the cat over, stuck a needle in, and removed a sample.

Last edited by Hazmat; July 2nd, 2008 at 10:05 AM.
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Old July 2nd, 2008, 11:13 AM
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With dogs it's a little easier (although the vet can needle-extract urine if necessary).

We just put out dogs on a leash when we want the sample and follow them around with a clean Cool-Whip container. When they squat or lift their leg, we use the container to catch the urine, then transfer it to something smaller (a clean 35mm film cannister is perfect for transport! ) and take it in for analysis. You only need about a teaspoon for a urinalysis. Only hitch is that if it'll be longer than a couple hours before you can get it in to the lab, you should refrigerate it.

They also make sponge collectors--just a sponge on a stick that you hold in the urine stream, bag up and send in.

So no worries, Stacer. It'll be lots of fun and a whole new experience for ya!

And always remember: potty washes off skin really easily!
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Old July 2nd, 2008, 12:01 PM
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Stacer , if it's tapeworms , there could be fleas too , oh and the cats won't be spared , check them too.
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Old July 2nd, 2008, 03:20 PM
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Thanks for all the pee catching advice

I'm off to the vet at 5:30 so maybe I'll ask her to check for fleas as well. And maybe ask for some cat dewormer too, just in case.
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Old July 2nd, 2008, 06:48 PM
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We went to the vet this evening. I brought the poop with worms and a fresh poop from today. They tested the poop and it came back negative for all parasites and the worms that were in the poop were maggots. The vet was at a loss to explain how the maggots could get into the poop, she said they were partially decomposed. They were definitely in her poop, they didn't stick to her poop after it hit the ground.

It's a mystery. Perhaps a fly crawled up her bum and laid some eggs, they hatched but couldn't survive up there and then she pooped them out?
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Old July 2nd, 2008, 06:49 PM
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I just used the word poop 8 times in my last post
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Old July 2nd, 2008, 06:53 PM
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She didn't eat some dead animal or thier poop did she?

btw Yay for no worms!
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Old July 2nd, 2008, 06:59 PM
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If they are maggots wouldn't it mean there is an infection somewhere? Don't maggots feed off of decaying matter?
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Old July 2nd, 2008, 07:01 PM
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Are there botflies in Ontario? Could it be botfly larvae?
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Old July 2nd, 2008, 07:04 PM
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She didn't eat some dead animal or thier poop did she?

If she had, the maggots wouldn't have come out the other end intact, they would have been digested, which is why the vet was baffled.

I'm pretty sure she hasn't eaten anything dead anyways, she's always on leash and whenever she stops to sniff something for longer than a few seconds I make sure it's not something she shouldn't be getting into
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Old July 2nd, 2008, 07:08 PM
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Geez rainbow, I hadn't thought of that. The vet took a look at her bum and everything looked normal.

As for the botflies, I sure as hell hope we don't have them in Ontario. I'm pretty sure we don't, aren't they mainly in South America?
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Old July 2nd, 2008, 07:10 PM
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I remember someone on the forum from the States and his dog had them but don't know about Canada. I do remember that they were hard to diagnose though.
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Old July 2nd, 2008, 07:15 PM
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I found this from
http://www.ontariogenomics.ca/educat..._factsheet.asp


Quote:
What is a botfly?
Botflies are a family of black flies that lay their eggs on mammals. In some cases, larvae then hatch from the eggs and burrow into the skin, where they grow to one to two centimeters long! Other types of botfly eggs hatch in the intestines of a mammal that has licked and ingested eggs left on the surface of its skin.

Botfly larvae eventually leave their mammalian host and complete their life cycle—developing into pupae and adult flies—in soil.

Only one species of botfly, Dermatobia hominis, affects humans. The D. hominis female lays its eggs on a mosquito; the mosquito may then deposit the eggs under a person’s skin when it bites that person. Other botflies use houseflies rather than mosquitoes as vectors to transport their eggs. Eggs carried by a housefly are triggered to hatch when the housefly lands on a warm body.

What’s the difference between parasitism and symbiosis?
Symbiosis or symbiotic relationships occur when two unrelated organisms live together and associate closely in order for one or both to survive. Symbiotic relationships arise from two species co-evolving over time; both species change in ways that complement the other. At least one organism benefits from the relationship, while the other may benefit (mutualism), be unaffected (commensalism), or be harmed (parasitism).

In the case of botflies and humans, the botfly is in a parasitic relationship with the human, in that its larvae feed off and grow within the human host. The botfly benefits from the relationship while the human is harmed by the relationship.

Ticks also are parasites that mainly affect mammals, feeding on mammals’ warm blood. The tick benefits from this relationship, but the host can be harmed by blood-borne diseases like Lyme disease or Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever.

The relationship between a botfly and mosquito or housefly is an example of commensalism, as the botfly larva benefits by being transported to its host by the mosquito or housefly, while the mosquito or housefly is not harmed by its insect hitchhiker.

So ...
Yes, certain botflies do use houseflies, mosquitoes, and less commonly, ticks, to transport their eggs to mammalian hosts.
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Old July 2nd, 2008, 07:15 PM
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Are you sure the worms were actually in the poop & that Skylar didn't just poop on the worms on the ground?

Otherwise I guess it's time to have a look @ her nether regions to make sure she doesn't have fly strike - *note fly strike does not only affect the dogs ears*
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