Does my puppy have hearworms?

Question

I just bought a puppy 2 months ago. He has been wormed, but yesterday I found this worm looking thing in his cage. He's not in his cage much anymore. But the worm was 1/2 inch greeness brown, fatter in the middle. Ugly and alive. Could that be a heartworm?

Answer 1

you are all dorks .. i will give you a more in depth answer.. umm no it's not heartworms heart worms are formed by microfilaria depositied into the the host(your puppy) by vector mosquitoes by swimming around your pups blood for at least four months they turn into heartwoms so dont sweat it we are too young for heartworms, secondly you can see heart worm in cases of extreme dehydration & concentration they can cough up heart worms.. so don't be so sure of yourselves vet techs... also it more than likely is an intestinal parasite aka hook round whateva any whoo if it is short like rice then it is a tapeworm caused by fleas if it is long it is more than likely a roundworm which is true can be transmitted by the mother and are long like spaghetti. either way in order to kill two birds with one stone ask your vet to use a drug called Drontal it will take care of both and this way you only have to do it twice it is handy ... happy to be of assistance, please excuse my spelling and grammar i say i am not a doctor yet

Answer 2

No, heartworms live in the heart. Also, puppies dont get heartworms for a few months at least. It is probably a round worm or tape worm. Take him to the vet so they can do a stool sample to check and get the appropriate medicine.

Answer 3

Heartworms are in the heart which you can not see so it's not that plus puppies can not receive heart worm with in a few months after birth. What you saw was probably a round or whip worm with they get from their mom. When your puppy does get dewormed if he or she had worms they will come out in their pooh. Check his or her pooh the next few days for signs of worms. If the worms are alive still then I would take your puppy back to the vet for another dewormer.

Answer 4

Yes, here is some info on heartworms

Canine heartworms affect dogs throughout the world. These worms scientific name is Dirofilaria immitus. They are common in the hearts and major heart blood vesicles in pet and stray dogs in all 50 American States. The male worms are a few inches in length and female worms about double the size of male worms and cause most of the damage The worms are transferred from dog to dog through the bite of an infected mosquito. After a mosquito sucks larval heartworms with blood from an infected dog; it must rest for a period of time before these larva become infective. If that mosquito then bites another dog or the same dog, it transfers these microscopic larva as it bites. Then, during the next few months, these larva migrate through the dogs body arriving at the heart several months later. There they mature into adult worms. Damage to the dog’s heart is due to adult worms and depends on the number of worms present, the worm’s sexes, and the area of the heart in which the worm lodges as well as the length of time the worms are present. Genetic factors present in the dog also govern the severity of the disease.

Heartworm disease is commonest in warmer areas of the world where mosquitoes are active throughout the year. Statistically, male dogs are slightly more prone to the disease than females. Large-breed dogs also suffer more from the disease as do short hair dogs and dogs kept out-of-doors.

The first sign of heartworm disease is often premature aging. Dogs grey prematurely about the muzzle and forelegs. Their activity levels decrease and their coats lack luster. As the disease progresses, a chronic dry cough often begins. This cough is most noticeable at night when the dog is resting or in a sitting position. It is due to fluid accumulation in the lungs and bronchitis. Later, the dog’s tummy (abdomen) assumes a pear-shaped look as the dog’s liver enlarges and fluid accumulates in the abdomen. While these events are occurring, the dog’s heart and pulmonary arteries enlarge due to mechanical obstruction of the worms, inflammation and valvular damage to the heart.

Heartgard (ivermectin) is an extraordinarily effective prevention for heartworm infection. Not only does a single dose of the medicine (delivering approximately 8mcg/kg body weight) kill larval heart worms recently transferred by mosquitoes but it is known to “reach back” several month and kill larva that have not yet reached the heart.

Until recently, the only medicine available to cure infected dogs of heartworms contained arsenic. Recent research indicates that after a year on Heartgard, adult worms present in the hearts of infected dogs have withered and died even if the arsenic treatment is not administered. For this reason, I often give only a single injection of these arsenic-containing drugs (Imiticide, Caparsolate) and then put the dogs directly on Heartgard. Heartgard has an added ingredient, pyrantel pamoate, which prevents infestation with hookworms and roundworms as well. Heartworms only rarely affect human beings. When they do, they form nodules in the lungs which can be mistaken for tumors. A similar disease to heartworms in dogs is the tropical disease, Onchocerciasis or River Blindness. An older treatment for dog and human disease was diethylcarbamazine citrate. If that drug was given to animals or people who already had the disease, a severe reaction often occurred. No reaction is likely if Heartgard or any other ivermectin-containing product is given to heartworm-positive dogs. I still recommend that dogs be tested once a year for heartworms with a blood test that detects even slight infections.

Answer 5

You will never see heart worms. Dogs don't cough them up or poop them out because they live in their heart, lungs, and bloodstream. What you saw was an intestinal worm. Most puppies are born with them, and need to be dewormed several times throughout the first few months of their life, not just one time. Call your vet, and set up an appointment. They will check his stool to make sure you get the right dewormer, and they will deworm him for you. He will probably also need more vaccines, because if he was only dewormed once then he probably only had one set of vaccines too, and they need boosters just like human babies. Your vet can also get you started on heart worm prevention so that your puppy will never get those either.

Answer 6

heartworms are not passed through the stool or vomit. roundworms, tapeworms, whipworms etc. are intestinal parasites and that is what it sounds like your puppy has. Since he was dewormed yesterday that is why you are seeing them pass. Heartworms are found in the heart(hence the name). Your puppy can begin heartworm preventative anytime and needs to be kept on a preventative for life. Take your puppy to the vet and then get a book to learn about puppies

Answer 7

that sounds exactly like what my cat had a few months ago. It was an instinal (sp?) parasite, its NOT heartworms, it just causes them discomfort. Your vet will give your puppy a shot and some pills to take home, but for the next few days bring your dog outside as much as possible, because the vaccine they give him will kill the worms, and they will fall/crawl out of his butt....ewwwww.....

Answer 8

Aboslutely NOT!
Its a tapeworm. frequently spread by a heavy infestation of fleas. The dog must be given specific medicine for tape worms and Advantage for the fleas. Most every farm& feed store has this and it is MUCH less costly than bothering to take the dog to a vet. Get the tapeworm meds and follow the directions!!

Answer 9

Go to this website and it will give you all of the information that you need. http://www.thepetcenter.com/gen/hw.html#IN%20THE%20DOG . No it is not heart worms. Heart worms develop in four stages and the first two stages are in mosquito's. They a microscopic and even though I cant tell you what kind of worm you found I know 100% that it was not heart worm. It is easier to prevent heart worms then it is to treat them so go to the vet and start your animal on heart worm prevention medication. Good Luck!

Answer 10

You will not SEE heartworms!!!!!!!!!! Probably a roundworm. Who wormed the puppy????? Usually they need nore than one dose of the wormer. Take the worm to the vet and ask them..they can identify it and tell you what to do!!!!!

Then get the puppy on heartworm preventitive!!!!!!