Never a dull day! Worms!!

[rottiesnumberone]

Here is a new update on Rocky, the one recovering from bloody diarrhea. He is doing well, chicken & rice plus some plain hamburger and pasta. Gave him a small amount of his regular wellness kibble also. Went out for a walk and he pooped a somewhat normal stool loaded with long looking worms. I think this is what started the whole gastroenteritis problem. I took the sample to the vet, they were just closing have a day on sat., get the results monday. If they are long spaghetti looking worms, that is roundworms, right? Tapes usually produce rice looking segments and whips are shorter then rounds? I guess the antibiotics is helping remove these buggers. Also, he is due for a heartworm test in august, but will get that done on monday. This way, if that is neg. he can probably start on his heartgard plus which will help the remove worms if they are round or hook. If they turn out to be tape or whip, he will need some other meds. I used to keep him on heartgard plus year round but recently switched to six months summer and fall where mosquitos are more popular in my area. What a mistake that was if this turns out to be hook or round. Learn something new everyday.

[AngelBunny]

Whips aren't visible to the naked eye.

Whips, btw, are nasty:

Whipworm eggs are somewhat susceptible to drying, but can remain alive in moist soil for years, and are resistant to freezing. Because of this, animals should be restricted from contaminated areas. There is no effective method for killing whipworm eggs in the soil. The only alternative is to replace the soil with new soil, gravel, and pavement. To prevent exposure, any feces in the yard should be picked up on a daily basis.

Roundworms are long, white, look like spaghetti.

[clancy]

I really hope that my dogs don't get worms (they are on stronghold monthly) as There are the only thing that makes me squeamish! i'd find it really hard to scoop a wormy poo...Id do it, but i'd find it challenging!

[rottiesnumberone]

I have to disagree, I think whips are visible, not as long and not as large as rounds. Anyway, the spaghetti looking worms is what I saw Rocky pooping this morning. Like I said earlier, he is recovering from gastroenteritis that could have been from aspirin therapy, a nasty rawhide treat, maybe something he picked up, but after giving sulcralfate and flagyl, these worms are coming out have to be the cause of his digestive problems. Will get a definite answer on monday and start to deworm if that is the results of the fecal test. Other then that, Rocky has been eating mostly chicken & rice, starting giving small amounts of his wellness kibble, making sure he is drinking water and taking short walks.

[Terri Lambert]

I would have to agree with Angel bunny as whipworms are not visible by the naked eye and all you see on microscope is the eggs. You can see roundworms, tapes and hookworms on stool samples. They can pass whole tapeworms but usually they pass segments and whole tapeworms are long but are segmented where roundworms are solid. But your vet should be able to tell you on monday what you are dealing with after reading the stool sample.

[sweetlee]

Just an FYI. For Dodge's heartworm preventative, I use Iverhart Max. It also kills hookworms, roundworms and tapeworms, so he gets wormed every month. Unless he were to come up with whipworms he should be covered.

Sharon

[rottiesnumberone]

Okay, thanks for the input. Will have to keep this guy on year protection for worms.

[Leige]

Originally Posted by rottiesnumberone

I have to disagree, I think whips are visible, not as long and not as large as rounds. Anyway, the spaghetti looking worms is what I saw Rocky pooping this morning. Like I said earlier, he is recovering from gastroenteritis that could have been from aspirin therapy, a nasty rawhide treat, maybe something he picked up, but after giving sulcralfate and flagyl, these worms are coming out have to be the cause of his digestive problems. Will get a definite answer on monday and start to deworm if that is the results of the fecal test. Other then that, Rocky has been eating mostly chicken & rice, starting giving small amounts of his wellness kibble, making sure he is drinking water and taking short walks.

WHIPWORMS (Trichuris vulpis)

Whipworms are long, thin (whip-shaped) dog worms that live in the dog's colon and are not visible by the naked eye. They attach themselves to the intestinal walls and feed off of them which, in turn, causes intestinal bleeding. Common symptoms of whipworm infestation are anemia, weight loss, flatulence, diarrhea with blood or mucus in the stool and lack of energy.

Although whipworms are the most difficult to eliminate among the families of dog worms, there is effective treatment available.

Whipworm is most effectively treated with fenbendazole (panacur), but febantel can also be used. Prescription medications are usually more effective. The treatment lasts for up to 5 days and is repeated after 3 weeks. After this treatment is finished, consult your vet about recommending a heartworm medication (containing milbemycin oxime) as a prophylactic to future infestation. Try 1-800-PetMeds - America's Pet Health Resource

Along with administering heartworm medication regularly, here are other ways to prevent reinfection: