Worm Identification Site?

[Guest robingrey]

The foundling puppy's morning poop was filled with worms! White, but not round. I've searched google this morning and can't figure out what they are. They're not round worms, and unless tapeworms can be really short (a little bigger than a 1/2"), they aren't those either. We currently have a sample in the fridge for the vet in the morning. Just hoping someone knew of a good site with pictures so that I could do a little research. Thanks!

[MarcR]

Tapeworms usually shed segments about the size and shape of a grain of rice.

 

Your best bet is to take the sample to your vet. He/she can identify the worms and provide appropriate treatment. In the meantime,I sure hope that sample is clearly labeled

[Guest crazy4greys]

If you contact LindsaySF here on greytalk, that is her specialty! She does all the poop inspections for our new arrivals. That is what she is studying right now at school. We call her the poop lady!

Edited July 22, 2007 by crazy4greys

[Batmom]

If they're flat and ribbon-like, they're tapeworms. I've never seen the "grains of rice" thing but have seen tapeworm segments in poop, ranging from 1/2" long to 1.5" long.

[Guest crazy4greys]

I found this one clicky

[Guest robingrey]

They didn't seem to be just segments, but whole worms - even moving (yuck!)! They reminded me of the flatworms we studied in my beginner bio classes.

 

Platyhelmenthes:

 

Only very white and with no noticable eye spots.

Edited July 22, 2007 by robingrey

[MarcR]

If they're flat and ribbon-like, they're tapeworms. I've never seen the "grains of rice" thing but have seen tapeworm segments in poop, ranging from 1/2" long to 1.5" long.

 

My bridge cat K.C. used to get them from the rabbits he hunted - actually from the fleas on the rabbits which carry the eggs. The ones he got would shed the grain-of-rice segments. Maybe they were a different species. I've been spared that "joy" with the hounds so far.

Edited July 22, 2007 by MarcR

[silverfish]

Tapeworm segments do move when they're fresh. they'd be about half inch long - at least the ones I've seen are. It's when they've dried that they look more like grains of rice.

 

 

It sounds as if that's what they could be. Here's a link with a pic -

 

Dipylidium Caninum - tapeworm

 

In the picture, you can see the segments on the worm. These break off and pass out singly in the poop. If you have a lot of tapeworms living in the gut, you can get quite a few segments in each poop.

 

The most common variety of tapeworm (over here, at least) has a life cycle which involves the flea, so it's worth dealing with the fleas and worms at the same time.

 

Edited to add this link -

 

A moving tapeworm proglottid (segment)

 

It doesn't appear to be making much progress because it's a very short clip and it's looped. Also, the light is dim so it's rather dull. Usually these things look a creamy white colour.

Edited July 22, 2007 by silverfish

[Guest robingrey]

Yes! That does look more familiar. The grain of rice description and the segments moving independantly threw me. Fleas have been under control for about a month now. OK - I'm off to google tapeworms! Any tips on how to handle this infestation would be appreciated (a trip to the vet in the morning is already scheduled). Thank you!!

[silverfish]

Tapeworm isn't a huge problem. One dose of Drontal Plus fixes them here - but I don't know what wormers you have in the US. They're also not really particularly harmful, unless they're hydatid tapeworms like echinococcus (a sheep tapeworm), but these aren't. Echinococcus segments are REALLY small.

 

Actually Drontal Plus treats echinococcus too, but I think you need two doses.

 

Anyway, the worst that happens with common or garden tapeworms is loss of condition (through the worms eating the dogs' food and causing malnutrition) or in rare cases with a heavy infestation, intestinal blockage. Oh, and the gross factor.

[Guest robingrey]

Thanks for your help. The only photos of tapeworms I was able to finds showed them looking like a grain of rice, and they really didn't look like that at all. It makes sense that that would be the case after they dried out, but I wasn't planning on going out there to look at them again. I can, unfortunately, now speak from experience and tell you the gross factor is pretty high.

[MarcR]

Sorry if the "grain of rice" description caused conufsion. The segments do move when freshly shed (at least K.C.'s did). Id may also be that the cat picked up a different species of tapeworm.

Edited July 22, 2007 by MarcR

[Guest crazy4greys]

Did you PM LindsaySF?

[Guest Oh_Greyt]

Definately use Drontal Plus, and follow up with a heartworm prevention that covers tapes (such as Interceptor) as a second deworming a couple weeks later. It's likely he has other worms too so Drontal will cover that. Best of luck! Does he have a name yet?

[Guest LindsaySF]

I found this one clicky

That's one of my favorite worm sites for pics! It's the one I would have posted.

 

 

Tapeworm segments do move when they're fresh. they'd be about half inch long - at least the ones I've seen are. It's when they've dried that they look more like grains of rice.

Yuppers.

 

 

Almost always when owners see 'worms' in the dog's feces, it is tapeworm segments. You will rarely see actual worms in the dog's stool unless it is a very heavy infection (female roundworms especially like to travel looking for a mate) or if you have just dewormed and the dead ones come out.

 

 

As for treating, you need a worming medicine with the ingredient Praziquantel. Most common wormers are for roundworm and hookworm, and they will not kill tapeworms. If you recently had fleas, this is most likely the flea tapeworm Dipylidium caninum. Dogs get this worm from eating an infected larval flea. Chances are you killed all of the fleas, but the tapeworm just wasn't mature and shedding segments yet, which is why you are only now seeing them. But it can't hurt to treat for fleas again, just in case.

 

 

MarcR, your cat probably had one of the Taeniid tapeworms. The intermediate host for those are rodents and rabbits. No fleas necessary.

 

 

 

 

 

~Lindsay~

[Guest robingrey]

Thanks for all the great information! I feel pretty sure that they're tapeworms. I'll bring my refrigerated sample in in the morning. I heard his poor tummy gurgling this afternoon. I read that human infestations are accompanied with gas and gastrointestinal pain and cramping. I can only imagine that he's feeling the same. My DS named him Robert Don (Robert after himself and Don after my DH - his step-dad). After we stopped giggling we decided to call him R.D. I can't wait to get him a GH big brother or sister!

[MarcR]

I found this one clicky

That's one of my favorite worm sites for pics! It's the one I would have posted.

 

 

Tapeworm segments do move when they're fresh. they'd be about half inch long - at least the ones I've seen are. It's when they've dried that they look more like grains of rice.

Yuppers.

 

 

Almost always when owners see 'worms' in the dog's feces, it is tapeworm segments. You will rarely see actual worms in the dog's stool unless it is a very heavy infection (female roundworms especially like to travel looking for a mate) or if you have just dewormed and the dead ones come out.

 

 

As for treating, you need a worming medicine with the ingredient Praziquantel. Most common wormers are for roundworm and hookworm, and they will not kill tapeworms. If you recently had fleas, this is most likely the flea tapeworm Dipylidium caninum. Dogs get this worm from eating an infected larval flea. Chances are you killed all of the fleas, but the tapeworm just wasn't mature and shedding segments yet, which is why you are only now seeing them. But it can't hurt to treat for fleas again, just in case.

 

 

MarcR, your cat probably had one of the Taeniid tapeworms. The intermediate host for those are rodents and rabbits. No fleas necessary.

 

 

 

 

 

~Lindsay~

 

Would that type of worm have smaller segments? I'm pretty sure the segments the cat shed were shorter than 1/2 inch even when extended.

[Guest LindsaySF]

I do think they are smaller, yes. And even within the Taeniid tapes, there are separate worm species for dogs and for cats.

 

The flea tapeworm is one that can infect many species, dogs and cats alike, and humans too.

[MarcR]

I do think they are smaller, yes. And even within the Taeniid tapes, there are separate worm species for dogs and for cats.

 

The flea tapeworm is one that can infect many species, dogs and cats alike, and humans too.

 

Thanks, Lindsay. I sure hope I don't have to learn any more about tapeworms...

Edited July 23, 2007 by MarcR

[Guest jurishound]

[Guest savvyprchick]

Definately use Drontal Plus, and follow up with a heartworm prevention that covers tapes (such as Interceptor) as a second deworming a couple weeks later. It's likely he has other worms too so Drontal will cover that. Best of luck! Does he have a name yet?

 

Interceptor is used here by me... but it doesn't cover tapeworms. It covers all worms (including whip and hookworms) EXCEPT tape.

[Guest cendrine]

If they're flat and ribbon-like, they're tapeworms. I've never seen the "grains of rice" thing but have seen tapeworm segments in poop, ranging from 1/2" long to 1.5" long.

 

I found the same things when our hounds were new to us. I thought they looked more like motile pieces of egg noodle. Obviously, I had way too much time on my hands! I watched the segments for five minutes as they slowly undulated out of the poop mass and began to trek into the grass. I picked up the whole mess into a bag, tied a tight knot and discarded it into the garbage.

 

[onrushpam]

The only worms you will actually see in stool are tapes... all others are too small to see...

 

Tapes are no big deal. But, you have to treat them specifically. Ivermectin based wormers don't do anything for tapes. So, you have to get Droncit or Cesticid or Cestex (all the same thing)... Do NOT pay for Drontal Plus! If your dog is already on heartworm meds which also cover hooks/whips/rounds, there is no need to treat for those.

 

 

[MarcR]

The only worms you will actually see in stool are tapes... all others are too small to see...

 

Tapes are no big deal. But, you have to treat them specifically. Ivermectin based wormers don't do anything for tapes. So, you have to get Droncit or Cesticid or Cestex (all the same thing)... Do NOT pay for Drontal Plus! If your dog is already on heartworm meds which also cover hooks/whips/rounds, there is no need to treat for those.

 

Based on my cat, I agree... tapes are unpleasant but not a big deal. I've been spared tapes in the hounds.

[Guest cleo570]

This is very timely... Cricket had stinky yellow diarrhea over the weekend, so we dewormed her with Panacur. (She had bad giardia when we adopted her, and the Panacur solved the problem at that time.)

 

The diarrhea was significantly better, but not totally resolved.

 

And then today, on our afternoon walk, I picked up her poop and saw.... eeeeeewwww!!!.... what looked like a piece of angel hair pasta in her poop, probably about 5 inches long. One, single, round strand, no segments. Not moving. No "grain of rice" stuff going on, either. We haven't given her any pasta in months....

 

So I can only conclude that she passed a big, dead worm. A roundworm, perhaps??? It doesn't really sound or look like the tapeworm that everyone's been discussing.

 

Can't you see roundworms in poop, too?? Or was this not a worm at all??(And yes, I picked it up in a baggie and dropped it in the trash.)

 

We recently moved to an apt complex where there are a lot of dogs...and a lot of owners who don't pick up, either. Which reinforces my idea that this is a worm that she picked up from sniffing someone else's yucky left-behind poop.

 

Any thoughts, poop gurus??