Worms And More

[Guest lapatte]

alright... how does a dog get worms? something it eats?

 

can they still get worms even if they are on those worm pills?

 

can you actually see the worms in the poop?

 

 

hummm questions, questions!

of all the dogs I've had in my life, they never had worms, never took worm pills...so who knows...

 

nat

 

edited a word or two =o)

Edited July 29, 2007 by lapatte

[MarcR]

I think they get worms by eating something. I know for that's true tape worms. You will see shed tape worm segments in their poop. I don't think you'll see the other types (hook, round, whip) live in their poop. Interceptor, for one, prevents hook, whip and round worms in addition to heart worm, but I don't know if it's 100% effective.

 

Heart worm is spread by mosquitos. As far as I know, any breed (and supposedly cats, too) can get heart worm.

Edited July 30, 2007 by MarcR

[Greytlady94]

Here is a turorial of sorts on worms. tutorial

Edited July 30, 2007 by Greytlady94

[silverfish]

Most worms are picked up through the dog accidentally eating the eggs - they sniff the ground, pick 'em up on their nose, lick their noses, or they eat grass with worm eggs on, or they eat dirt, or they lick their feet ... so many ways that can be done.

 

Tapeworm has to go through an intermediate host, usually either a flea or a small mammal like a mouse or rabbit. If you feed your dogs raw wild rabbit they may pick one up, but normally dog tapeworm is the kind that goes through the flea. Dogs accidentally eat the flea or the flea larvae and get the adult worm. There is a dangerous form of tapeworm which passes via eating infected raw sheep products.

 

There are other worms which are transmitted in odd ways, like heartworm which I believe is passed through mosquito bites. Some exotic worms are picked up on the soles of the feet and burrow up to the intestines. But they're not common - at least not here!

 

You don't often see live worms in the stool, only tapeworm segments.

 

 

[Greylover97]

As far as the Heartworm pills being effective for intestinal worms, they are supposed to be. But then Carolina still managed to get hook worms even though they get the heartworm meds every month.

[Guest KennelMom]

What kind of worms are you asking about? Different worms are transmitted different ways. Some worms you can see in the poop, others you can't. Here's a pretty good site with info: Linky

[Guest team_weasel]

Both our boys contracted hook worm, which we think they picked up from stool-contaminated soil (possibly a doggie beach – sand is a great place for hook worm to thrive in). They had the classic signs: bloody diarrhea, weight loss, anemia, and progressive weakness. We tend to Intercept the dogs every 3 to 4 months, particularly with all the fostering we do, just to be on the safe side.

 

Always be careful that your hound is not sniffing around in feces when walking them -- they can contract various worms that way.

[Guest LindsaySF]

Some exotic worms are picked up on the soles of the feet and burrow up to the intestines. But they're not common - at least not here!

Hookworm is transmitted this way. Also from mother dog to pup.