long white worm...

gale

New Member
Joined
Sep 5, 2007
Messages
158
Likes
0
Points
0
#1
came out in my puppy's poo this afternoon. It was long so obviously an adult, and still alive. I am freaking out now because I have kids and although they are very good about washing hands, nobody's perfect. The vet we adopted her from said she'd been wormed 3 times when we got her. We adopted her on August 27th. She went to our vet on Friday and was given interceptor. The vet said we might see worms in her stool so I wasn't too freaked out when I saw it (although it was gross-I saw it come out of her. ew) but then I read online that interceptor only prevents roundworms, not kills them. I am going to call the vet on Monday and see if we need to do some more aggressive treatment but I'm a bit freaky with my kids and all. She is outside a lot during the day in a fenced area, and her toys get thrown all over, including where she goes potty (by her, mostly-she likes taking her toys over there for some reason). So of course every time my kids toss her a toy they could be getting worm eggs on them? Should they use hand sanitizer while playing outside? Will these worms survive freezing weather? btw we do try to clean up the piles asap but she is sometimes outside while we're gone and we don't get to it right away. She almost always steps in it.
 

Beanie

Clicker Cult Coordinator
Joined
May 17, 2006
Messages
14,012
Likes
0
Points
36
Age
39
Location
Illinois
#2
If you can, scoop up the worm/her poop and take it back to the vet to find out what kind of worm you're dealing with. Different worms are treated differently.

No hand sanitizers.
If you're really that concerned, I'd take her outdoor toys and either throw them away or wash them in a hot water/bleach bath (no squeaky toys or anything that could get bleach water stuck inside it) and not return them to the outdoors until she is worm free... but now is a really really good time to teach your kids how important it is to thoroughly wash their hands. =>
 

gale

New Member
Joined
Sep 5, 2007
Messages
158
Likes
0
Points
0
#3
I don't have it anymore. I have a feeling that there may be eggs in any of her feces though so I could take another sample in. I read that bleach doesn't always kill the eggs-only boiling water. I really don't want to put her toys in one of my pans. lol. I could pour boiling water over them I guess. My kids do wash their hands well but who knows how many surfaces they touch between playing with the dog and washing. Doorknobs, shoes (taking them off if they come in from outside), faucet handles, etc. I haven't seen much about the dangers of spreading via surfaces other than feces or soil so maybe it's not as much of a concern. She still jumps on people (we're still working on that) so anything transferred to her feet could theoretically be transferred to our clothing. I have a very vivid imagination when it comes to this kind of stuff and I can visualize a jillion ways something can be spread.

eta: I read the interceptor site again and it does *treat* the worms. I will still call the vet but I have a feeling they'll say the interceptor is enough.
 

Barb04

Super Moderator
Joined
Sep 28, 2004
Messages
27,429
Likes
4
Points
38
#4
I would call the vet. I think if you see the long white worms, you'll need to get some meds from the vet to get it out of the dog's system. Also, make sure you pick up the poop every time.
 

Beth82

New Member
Joined
May 29, 2007
Messages
73
Likes
0
Points
0
Location
Dallas, TX
#5
The best way to avoid spreading any eggs is to pick up after her right away, and wash your hands afterward.
Having said that, I really don't think you need to worry. My guess is the Interceptor is killing/has killed whatever worms she had. Besides, she probably shouldn't have another dose of wormer so soon after that one.
 

gale

New Member
Joined
Sep 5, 2007
Messages
158
Likes
0
Points
0
#7
I called the vet this morning. They seemed not to be surprised (and almost delighted. lol) about the worm coming out. When I cleaned up her mess this morning (outside-thank God) there looked like there was a worm in one part of it. Anyway they said the interceptor is working fine and that she woudn't need another dose until 30 days. We have an appointment 28 days after her last one for her boosters so they said they'll give it to her then-it doesn't matter if it's 2 days early. I'm being very diligent about picking up the messes (have been from the start) and told my kids to wash up VERY WELL and not let her lick their faces and also not to touch their hands to their face until they wash up. It's not always easy to avoid a quick sneaky lick but hopefully we won't have any problems.

I also called the vet we adopted her from and they said she had been wormed and it takes several cycles since the worming only affects the adults and not the eggs or larvae. So I guess it takes a while to get it out of their system. 'Course then she'll probably pick it right back up from the soil.

I keep worrying about it and obsessing about every surface she has touched, been on, played with, mouthed, etc. After 3 wks I'm sure our whole house and yard has puppy cooties all over the place.
 

irenafarm

Herd. Protect. Love.
Joined
Sep 11, 2007
Messages
118
Likes
0
Points
0
#8
A course of Safeguard will take care of everything dogs can get in the way of intestinal critters. You can find it at most places that sell pet stuff. It even gets tapes. And it does kill adults, not just larval stages and so forth. Mine get Safeguard a few times a year but if they weren't constantly exposed to rescues bringing stuff in I'd only do it once - that's plenty for most pet dogs.

I raised two kids who practically wallowed in stuff you don't even want to know about. Sheep farm, you know - plus all the rescues. They are healthy as horses. Now, I did take reasonable precautions - the dog potty area was a graveled area in a different part of the yard from where the kids played, but we're talking up to ten or twelve dogs at a time so I wanted to be able to hose the area down regularly. Rescues were always quarantined for a week before integration into the household - that was more for the other dogs than for the kids, though.

Just make sure the kids wash their hands and of course you want to keep the yard nice and tidy - but the way my pediatrician put it - there's really already so much stuff out there in the dirt that the output of one healthy dog isn't going to make that big a difference.
 

GlassOnion

Thanks, and Gig 'em.
Joined
Oct 29, 2005
Messages
9,065
Likes
0
Points
0
Location
Tejas
#9
Erm well the worming only takes a few cycles (generally two), not several. You treat them once and then two weeks later treat them again. This kills the adults the first time, lets the eggs grow to adult age (but not reproductive age) and then kills the rest.

You have to pick up the feces while the dog is contaminated or else you're just getting the dog re-contaminated over and over again.

But yes most heartworm preventions kill roundworms and hook worms as a preventative.


Another thing, have they dewormed for tapeworms as well as hooks, rounds, and whips? I'm wondering if it's a tapeworm that came out whole instead of the individual sections.
 

gale

New Member
Joined
Sep 5, 2007
Messages
158
Likes
0
Points
0
#10
I looked pretty closely at it and it wasn't segmented at all. She is only getting interceptor so I think it's not effective against all worms. I'll ask the vet again. She is going a week from tomorrow to the vet we adopted her from for spaying and dewclaw removal.

I am very diligent about picking up after her. Sometimes she is outside for a few hours while we're gone and so the poo has been sitting there a few hours, possibly, but never overnight or anything like that. One article I read says to clean at least once a week so I am definitely ahead on that one. Her stools are much firmer now (after getting her off puppy chow) so it's easier to clean even stomped poo without mashing it into the ground. If it's very stomped I'll get dh's shovel and dig a little under the poo. I don't know what is the appeal of stomping your poo.

I raised two kids who practically wallowed in stuff you don't even want to know about. Sheep farm, you know - plus all the rescues. They are healthy as horses. Now, I did take reasonable precautions - the dog potty area was a graveled area in a different part of the yard from where the kids played, but we're talking up to ten or twelve dogs at a time so I wanted to be able to hose the area down regularly. Rescues were always quarantined for a week before integration into the household - that was more for the other dogs than for the kids, though.

Just make sure the kids wash their hands and of course you want to keep the yard nice and tidy - but the way my pediatrician put it - there's really already so much stuff out there in the dirt that the output of one healthy dog isn't going to make that big a difference.
Ooh I love you! LOL. That makes me feel much better. We do have a 10 acre farm (dh raises crops too but not here at home) and raise beef cattle and hogs so we also have livestock like you did. My previous concerns were always with stuff like e-coli and salmonella, both of which are usually easy to spot early on from the diarrhea, vomiting, etc. No one has ever been sick from anything like that here though.

From what I'm reading the vast majority of cases are from kids actually eating the poo or dirt or kids who are very young (my youngest is 8 and my kids are generally very healthy), or with compromised immune systems. In most people if they even get the eggs in them, they don't even have symptoms or illness.
 

Members online

Top