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Gah! Tapeworms


Guest HoundWorks

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Guest HoundWorks

I was on my normal routine this morning taking the dogs out before leaving for work. Siri pooped in her normal place and I went to pick it up and realize there were worms all over! I'm not a terribly squeamish person but these really grossed me out. I pulled out my phone to figure out what type they were and they definitely were tapeworms.

 

I took her and Dex to the vet this afternoon. (Dex actually chipped a tooth completely off yesterday so I already had an appointment booked, thats a whole different story.) She's put both to be safe on the normal deworming meds. The one question I forgot to ask her was whether these worms might be making her more tired and sluggish than normal? She has seemed to be lagging on walks the past few days. I assume this may be the cause.

 

Has anyone else had experience with tapeworms? We have only had her 2 months. She is up to date on her heartworm and flea/tick meds. The only guess the vet had was that she had them before we got her and the deworming was in an off cycle of the eggs. She said the only other way to get tapeworms were from fleas.

 

Not to mention how funny I must have looked as I was studying the poop. My neighbor walked by on his way to the bus. He didn't make a comment, just waved and said hi as though it were normal! :rofl

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I routinely worm 2x a year, just in case. (It's a stupid compromise between not worming and worming 4x a year, which would really be more effective.) My greys catch a lot of small wildlife in the back yard (gak) and that makes them at high risk for tapeworm from eating the small critters and their fleas and parasites.

 

 

Many people give two doses of wormer about 2 weeks apart to ensure the nasties are gone.

 

You'll be able to test the lethargy theory by seeing how Siri acts when she is parasite-free.

 

Good luck! It's gross, but it's part of life with animals.

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Guest HoundWorks

Thanks! I've never had a dog with worms before so this is new to me. I'm glad it's an easy fix. When you do your routine deworming where do you get the dewormer? My vet won't give any meds out without a checkup, but I have read that you can buy it online?? Like I said I've never dealt with this in any of my other dogs.

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Guest LindsaySF

I buy all my dewormer online. Praziquantel is the ingredient you want for tapeworms.

 

Yes, in heavy infections they can make dogs lethargic, and can cause weight loss. But most dogs show no symptoms. :)

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I have started buying dewromers at the local farm supply store. If you have a farm / livestock supply, they will most likely have it. You just need to make sure that the product you are buying is the correct strength / dosage for dogs and not for large livestock like horses and cows. Our farm supply carries both, but some places may only carry the horse type depending on what the bulk of their business is. .

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Guest HoundWorks

Ugh! We did three days of Panacur and we are still seeing a ton of live tapeworms. The vet says we need to do another round. :( I'll ask her about the Drontal Plus. Thanks for all the tips.

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Ugh! We did three days of Panacur and we are still seeing a ton of live tapeworms. The vet says we need to do another round. :( I'll ask her about the Drontal Plus. Thanks for all the tips.

Panacur will not cut it--praziquantel is needed. Gross little buggers aren't they?

Edited to add-Drontal plus should do it but, I have found that recently the injection has been more effective--obviously try the tablets first.

Edited by tbhounds
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Guest HoundWorks

Good to know. I'll be sure to ask about those options. I'm so glad I checked here first otherwise we would have done another round of the Panacur. I really appreciate the help! And yep! Totally gross!!

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Guest LindsaySF

Panacur only kills the Taenia tapeworm. If you are seeing segments in the stool it is likely the flea tapeworm, which is not susceptible to Panacur.

 

You can buy powdered praziquantel pretty cheap online. Some formulations are packaged for fish aquariums, but it's the same med.

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