Worm like material in poo, but dewormed a month ago?

[Moo]

I'm freaking out a little as my lad had long strands of grey organic material which looked a lot like worms in his poo tonight, but nothing google images matched what I saw. He was dewormed by the rescue in October using Milprazon and Granofen. Could he still be passing dead worms at this stage, are these even worms at all? There was more than one, grey, translucent looking and not moving. Or could he have caught worms in the meantime so soon?

Should I re-worm him? I'm calling the vet tomorrow, but in the meantime I don't know if I should be doing something. Sorry, first dog nerves! 

[Time4ANap]

Worms can take multiple treatments to be completely gone. Take the poo sample to the vet and have it checked. Be sure to refrigerate it in a sealed container until you get it there. 

 Since you have a specific sample to look at, the vet can determine which dewormer or other treatment may be needed. 

[MerseyGrey]

It’s possible that if he previously had worms that his infection hasn’t been cleared by his last dose, and yes, it’s also possible that he’s been reinfected since his last worming. Could he have eaten something to infect him - dead animal, poo (his own or another animals’)? I’m not familiar with those medications, so it’s worthwhile looking up which types of worm they treat.
Also, how frequently do you treat him - monthly or quarterly? Again, depending on his habits you might want to discuss changing worming regimens with your vet. Our Buddy is a determined poop eater and I’m much happier how that we treat him monthly, but really, we have only ever seen a worm once (a tapeworm, about a foot long). Every other time it has been segments or eggs (which to me, look like butternut squash seeds and risotto rice respectively).

Him having parasites could fit with your last post about farts. Keep an eye on his poop and carry a phone - no one will think you’re weird if you get caught photographing your dog’s poop 😆 but you will have something to show your vet if he still has these things in his poo.

And just to be sure, is there nothing else in his diet that could account for the appearance of these things in his stool?

[Moo]

Just now, MerseyGrey said:

It’s possible that if he previously had worms that his infection hasn’t been cleared by his last dose, and yes, it’s also possible that he’s been reinfected since his last worming. Could he have eaten something to infect him - dead animal, poo (his own or another animals’)? I’m not familiar with those medications, so it’s worthwhile looking up which types of worm they treat.
Also, how frequently do you treat him - monthly or quarterly? Again, depending on his habits you might want to discuss changing worming regimens with your vet. Our Buddy is a determined poop eater and I’m much happier how that we treat him monthly, but really, we have only ever seen a worm once (a tapeworm, about a foot long). Every other time it has been segments or eggs (which to me, look like butternut squash seeds and risotto rice respectively).

Him having parasites could fit with your last post about farts. Keep an eye on his poop and carry a phone - no one will think you’re weird if you get caught photographing your dog’s poop 😆 but you will have something to show your vet if he still has these things in his poo.

And just to be sure, is there nothing else in his diet that could account for the appearance of these things in his stool?

I've never treated him at all, as I've only had him 17 days!  To be honest it wasn't really discussed with me when adopting. I know it needs to be done, but I assumed he'd be ok for a little while yet. Obviously I know better now! 

There's definitely nothing I've fed him that can account for that. The only thing I can think of is if he's eaten some plant matter, but it didn't really look like that to me, and didn't match anything in the yard. He already has an appointment booked in next week for something unrelated (dental), I might see if I can bring it forward to sort this out, unless I can do it myself with OTC dewormer? I can get that tomorrow if so. Urgh, I feel like a bad owner for just assuming the rescue dewormer would cover him. >__<

[MerseyGrey]

9 hours ago, Moo said:

I've never treated him at all, as I've only had him 17 days!  To be honest it wasn't really discussed with me when adopting. I know it needs to be done, but I assumed he'd be ok for a little while yet. Obviously I know better now! 

There's definitely nothing I've fed him that can account for that. The only thing I can think of is if he's eaten some plant matter, but it didn't really look like that to me, and didn't match anything in the yard. He already has an appointment booked in next week for something unrelated (dental), I might see if I can bring it forward to sort this out, unless I can do it myself with OTC dewormer? I can get that tomorrow if so. Urgh, I feel like a bad owner for just assuming the rescue dewormer would cover him. >__<

You’re not a bad owner, you’re just learning as you go along, which is what most people have to do! If what you’ve seen doesn’t look like any of the pictures you’ve found online, just keep your original appointment and discuss with your vet then. I’d advise you make a list of things you want to ask - our vet in Runcorn is not letting owners into the clinic still and handover can be a bit hit and miss. Ask them if they have a monthly plan which covers worming and annual vaccinations (I think ours is called the Pet Health Club and costs us £16.99 a month. It also (apparently!) reduces the cost of some bills although it never bloody feels like it!).

As Time4ANap suggests, if you want a baseline ask for a stool analysis. We had this done recently due to ongoing diarrhoea, and it cost us £130 (the same as his adoption fee!) but it will put your mind at ease. If you want to hold off, take photos of his poop if you see this stuff again and show it to the vet at your appointment.

Most places don’t think that OTC worming remedies are worth the money so I’ve never tried any. We use nexguard spectra monthly, and Droncit for tapeworm every 3-6 months, but what you use will depend on your vet practice. Good luck!

[Moo]

I'm lucky in that I've just moved back with my parents on the Isle of Man, so despite me being in quarantine for 2 weeks, everything on the island is open as usual, so my mum was able to take him to the vet this morning. He was given Milbemax, and the vet said not to worry too much as he could be passing dead ones if they're grey and not moving. I'll have to look into a monthly pet club or getting his deworm prescription online though, as it was about £17, but only about £6 online. 

 

Thanks for everyone's replies! 

Edited November 18, 2020 by Moo

[MP_the4pack]

Any possibility its grass?

[MerseyGrey]

16 minutes ago, Moo said:

I'm lucky in that I've just moved back with my parents on the Isle of Man, so despite me being in quarantine for 2 weeks, everything on the island is open as usual, so my mum was able to take him to the vet this morning. He was given Milbemax, and the vet said not to worry too much as he could be passing dead ones if they're grey and not moving. I'll have to look into a monthly pet club or getting his deworm prescription online though, as it was about £17, but only about £6 online. 

 

Thanks for everyone's replies! 

When I’ve looked for prescription stuff like worming tablets online, they are much cheaper to buy but many you can’t get without a vet prescription first, and ours charge £15 a prescription. pets-megastore.com.au is a good site to look at, and this is where we got our Droncit (our vet will only let him have them every six months, but the pack states you can give it every three, so we bought extra for the in between months.