What type of worms are found in dog poo?

Question

I went to the store to buy worm medicine only to find out that there are a lot of different types of worms. What kind should I look for?

Answer 1

A dog can have 4 types of intestinal worms: Rounds, Hooks, Whips, and Tapes.
Rounds resemble spaghetti pasta, Tapes is actually only one, that can grow up to 6' long, and only see segments on the poop, they're white and flat. These two are the only ones you can actually see with the naked eye. They feed on whatever the dog eats.
Hooks and Whips are not visible, only under microscope, and they feed on blood.
I suggest you to get your dog to a vet, and have a fecal test done, in order to know exactly what kind of worms it has, if any, and the proper dewormer for it. Over the counter dewormers are usually a waste of money.

Answer 2

There are many types that show up in stool. The most common kind are called tapeworms. They are cause by fleas ingested by the dog. They are short and flat.

The absolute best thing to do is taking your dog to the vet regularly. If it is a puppy, start by taking it for a first worming at 3 weeks. It will also get one with each round of puppy shots starting at 6 weeks. Different vets have different view on how many set of shot and how often. If your dog is grown, you need to have it on Heartworm prevention, bought from your vet only. If your dog has not been on Prevention, take your dog in for a test, which only takes about 10 minutes and cost about $20 (here anyway). If the test is negative, you can start with prevention. Most heartworm prevention also treats intestinal worms (like the kind you find in stool). If your dog has them, no matter what kind, when you give him his monthly prevention, that will treat them.

Answer 3

Do NOT use OTC dewormers!!! They are ineffective and can be dangerous. Also they only way to know for sure what type(s) of worms you are dealing with is to take a stool sample in to your vet and have a fecal test done...if there are worms the vet will give you the appropriate meds for the type(s) of worms he has.

Worms don't always show visibly in stool. A dog can be harboring a couple of types of worms without showing any visible signs or the owner being aware.

Answer 4

There are several worms that dogs can get:

Hookworms
http://andoveranimal.com/round-dog.html

Roundworms
http://andoveranimal.com/heatstroke.html

Heartworms:
http://andoveranimal.com/heartworm2.html

Tapeworms
http://www.canismajor.com/dog/worms.html

Whipworms
http://www.canismajor.com/dog/worms.html

http://www.dog-chat.org/dog-worms.html

If your dog has worms, the best thing to do is to take a sample of the poop to your vet and have them look at it and determine the appropriate action needed to rid your dog of worms. With over the counter worm medicine you don't really know exactly how to administer it and the wrong amount/dose can harm your dog as well as the wrong medicine.

Answer 5

Sounds like tapeworms. Take the stool sample into the vet's office tomorrow and they can tell you for certain. Then they will give the puppy some medication to "worm" him. It will have to be repeated for a couple of doses to completely rid the puppy of both the adult worms and the eggs. It is very normal and one of the reasons all puppies and kittens have their first well visit with the vet at about 6-8 weeks old. It can make them very ill if left untreated, so get the puppy to the vet as soon as possible.

Answer 6

The wormers from the stores aren't very good. Take a stool sample to the vet. He will tell you what kind of worms your dog has and give you the proper medication.

Answer 7

Take your dog to the vet to have it dewormed. You don't want to introduce anything into your dog's system that you know little about.

There are round worms, heartworms, hook and tape worms. Don't try to second guess on how to rid your dog of worms. Take it to the vet if you want to get the job done well.

Answer 8

You may not be able to see worms in the feces. You need to take a sample of the dog's feces to the vet and let the vet de-worm the dog. You should not use otc crap.

Answer 9

You can go to pets mart and ask, but its gross you have to look in their poo, cause you can see the worms, and just describe it to them and they will suggest a d-wormer..

Answer 10

All you have to have is a deworming. You should take them to the vet, because their products are much better and work more efficiently.