Worms Worms Worms Worms

[Trudy]

Looking at my options for a generic heartgard. Many have stuff for other worms and some have no extra stuff for extra worms. Obviously the ones without are cheaper. I like cheaper.

 

We aren't out and about around other dogs and in parks and playgroups and stuff like that whey they are exposed to what comes out the ends of other dogs... just each other. And the ducks. And the squirrels. And the rabbits. And the birds. And the whatever else is in the back yard.

Do we need to worry about the other wormy worms?

[Guest greybookends]

I would say yes. If your dogs are like mine they will eat any kind of poop. Squirrel, rabbits whatever and these usually have worms so it is possible to get them that way. One of the joys of living in the south along with lots of wildlife.

[Remolacha]

It's been awhile, but I lived in Alabama as a kid (for a few years) and I recall hookworms being pretty well indigenous in the soil, so I think you want something for that. I know Heartguard doesn't prevent them, but it suppresses them if your dog is infected. I am sure more knowledgeable people will have opinions

[TheFullHouse]

I've used Ivomec for years with nothing else to supplement and none of my dogs have ever gotten any kind of worms. Like you, they're not often exposed to any other creatures other than what comes into the back yard.

 

They're all having yearly physicals now and none of them have worms.

[kamsmom]

I also use Ivomec. It's cheap and with a lot of dogs it's easier.

 

I also haven't had any come up with worms except when Ivy came in and she already had them.

[Batmom]

If you're not around where other dogs are / have been, probably no need to worry about anything besides heartworm. Altho as noted, hookworm eggs are everywhere. I do like a monthly that handles hooks because once you get hooks, they are h.a.r.d. to get rid of.

 

For prey they might catch or carrion -- none of the monthly wormers will handle those types of worms (mainly varieties of tapeworms); you'd always need an additional wormer, usually praziquantel.

[Guest MZH]

I've been using Interceptor for a long time and have never had a problem with anything - including hooks - once I know the dogs are parasite-free to begin with. Tapes are another issue but that's kind of unlikely in your situation. I love that Interceptor works to hold hooks at bay. It's not likely to be your cheapest option though.

 

I've had dogs with hooks and don't ever want this generation to get them. I figure the cost of the Interceptor makes up for the difference in treating the heart worms and avoiding serious illness from hooks. One of ours had pure blood from hooks even though he was treated religiously. (This was during the old days of daily Filaribits and frequent doses of Panacur.)

 

I would always worry about hookworms.

[greyhead]

Me too. I'd pay a lot of money for anything that could have kept Spencer from getting a seemingly permanent case of hooks. We use Interceptor too, and it keeps Shane hook-free and keeps Spencer's from getting worse. We still have to dose Spencer with Drontal two or three times a year, as the ones encysted in his body hatch. And if as Batmom says hooks are everywhere... Well, that tears it for me!

Edited April 23, 2011 by greyhead

[Guest LindsaySF]

Dogs don't need to eat poop to get worms. The worm eggs are in the environment/soil, they get stuck to their feet/fur, and the dog ingests them. (In the case of hookworms, it's larvae, and they penetrate the foot/paw of the dog, they don't need to be ingested). The flea tapeworm is transmitted by fleas, no poop or soil necessary there, just a critter for the fleas to hitch a ride on.

 

If you don't go places where other dogs have been, then worm infection is not too likely. But if you go on walks in public places, beaches, woods, etc, anywhere where other dogs or wildlife frequent, then it's more of a concern.

 

I use Interceptor (and Frontline Plus) monthly because I take my dogs into public places a lot, and I have a lot of fosters in and out of my house. Dog owners that keep more to themselves might not need to worry as much.

 

I would still deworm the dogs every few months though, if you aren't using a monthly preventative with dewormer in it. Worms are notoriously missed on fecal exams, and the dogs can be shedding thousands of worm eggs into the environment without the owner realizing, so prophylactic deworming is a good idea IMO.

 

ETA: As Batmom mentioned, if the dogs eat wild rabbits/rodents/etc, you should deworm for the Taeniid tapeworms, using Praziquantel. Those worms are transmitted by the dog eating infected raw meat.

 

 

 

~Lindsay~

 

Edited April 24, 2011 by LindsaySF

[Guest MZH]

Your dog's poop can have tapeworms waving at you but the fecal can be negative! I almost passed out when I saw that but the fecal the next day was negative.

[Guest LindsaySF]

Your dog's poop can have tapeworms waving at you but the fecal can be negative! I almost passed out when I saw that but the fecal the next day was negative.

Fecal exams look for microscopic eggs, and in the case of tapeworms, those eggs are contained in the tapeworm segments (called proglottids) inside big egg packets. (The segments are those white "grains of rice"). So unless the person doing the fecal exam actually crushes up one of those tapeworm segments and mixes it with the fecal examination solution, no eggs will show up under the microscope. If there don't happen to be any tapeworm segments in that particular fecal sample (tapeworms shed segments periodically), or the piece of feces the examiner uses for the test does not contain any segments, voila, negative fecal sample. My parasitology professor had never even seen a tapeworm egg "in person" until I brought in a sample from my cat (just adopted from an animal shelter) and crushed a proglottid for him. He was so excited, he saved that sample in sterile solution for future classes. Ahhh school memories.

 

 

 

~Lindsay~

[kickchick2000]

Pay extra and get the good stuff. Our bulldog turned up positive for whipworms just last week. She hangs out in the front yard all the time and she's been known to snack on poo that does not belong to her or Milky Way. Apparently sometime in the last few months she got into a bad pile. Had she been on a preventative that protected against whips she would have been fine but she wasn't. The preventative we use only does heart and roundworms. I never thought much about it until now. From next month on both ours will be on Interceptor.

[Guest MZH]

Your dog's poop can have tapeworms waving at you but the fecal can be negative! I almost passed out when I saw that but the fecal the next day was negative.

Fecal exams look for microscopic eggs, and in the case of tapeworms, those eggs are contained in the tapeworm segments (called proglottids) inside big egg packets. (The segments are those white "grains of rice"). So unless the person doing the fecal exam actually crushes up one of those tapeworm segments and mixes it with the fecal examination solution, no eggs will show up under the microscope. If there don't happen to be any tapeworm segments in that particular fecal sample (tapeworms shed segments periodically), or the piece of feces the examiner uses for the test does not contain any segments, voila, negative fecal sample. My parasitology professor had never even seen a tapeworm egg "in person" until I brought in a sample from my cat (just adopted from an animal shelter) and crushed a proglottid for him. He was so excited, he saved that sample in sterile solution for future classes. Ahhh school memories.

 

 

 

~Lindsay~

 

Lindsay, I tried to PM you but it wouldn't go through so here it is. How about putting together an awareness piece on parasites for the Greyhound Articles website in your "spare time"? It wouldn't have to be anything formal - just your thoughts on each nasty parasite would be good - as if you were writing a post. (No pressure, no deadlines.) I think it would help several thousand people!

 

I'm glad I wasn't drinking coffee when you wrote about opening the packet.

 

Marcia

[Guest WhiteWave]

We had a problem with tapes recently and I put the dogs on Iverhart Max which does all worms since it contains Ivermectin, pyrantel, and praziquantal (sp). It was $34 for 6 pills.

[Guest MZH]

We had a problem with tapes recently and I put the dogs on Iverhart Max which does all worms since it contains Ivermectin, pyrantel, and praziquantal (sp). It was $34 for 6 pills.

 

That's good to know; thanks!

[krissn333]

Other than doing meet and greets and seeing my parents' two greys, my dogs don't see other dogs either and we had a tough time with hookworms last year. As mentioned, it's in the soil. Our vet said that short of eliminating something like the top 3 inches of our yard, there is no way to kill them in the soil. So, we stopped doing just Ivomec and are now using the Iverheart that has the pyrantel in it. Joe's Pet Meds has a great price.