How do you tell if a dog have worms?

Question

Does the dog act aggressive, withdrawn or sickly?

My dog seems to be coughing or gagging alot and she seems to be stiff at times. Lately, she has been eating dry dog food that is all natural and I feed her Kibbles n Bits with gravy as well. She has eaten more of the dry food vs the can food. When she vomitted it was clear and bubbly with lil bits of the dry food in it. I view her stool everytime she passes thinking that I will see something (unusual) but nothing every comes out that is.

This dog is really starting to act strange....im not sure if she has worms or not. Im so upset to see her moping around with the droopy eye look.

Does anyone know ..what are the signs are if a dog has heart worms? Or, if she is just plain ole' sick.....

This is a crazy question...can I feed her toast? I wanted to give her something but all I could think of is bread.

P.S. thanks to all who gave me answers...I appreciate it

Answer 1

What is heartworm disease?
Canine heartworm disease is a serious, deadly disease affecting thousands of dogs each year. Because of a parasite that lodges in the heart commonly known as heartworms, many dogs become permanently debilitated or die from lung, heart, or circulatory problems.

How does my dog get heartworm disease?
(1) The tiny immature heartworms are transmitted ONLY through the bite of a mosquito.
(2) At first, the parasites move into your dog's tissues. Eventually they reach the heart and become lodged there.
(3) As the worms grow and reproduce, immature heartworms are released into the blood stream.
Now mosquitoes can bite your dog and pick up these new immature heartworms and transmit them to another dog.

heartworm disease serious?
Yes, it's very serious. Heartworms interfere with the normal flow of blood from the right side of the heart to the vessels serving the lungs. If left untreated, canine heartworm disease can significantly reduce your dog's quality of life, cause congestive failure of the heart and other organs, and ultimately can lead to death.

What are the symptoms of heartworm disease?
Early symptoms are discreet and you may not be able to observe them. Infected dogs become less active and tire easily. As the disease progresses, symptoms may include a soft wheeze or cough, weight loss, tiredness and even fainting. Adult heartworms are usually found in the heart and major blood vessels and sometimes in the lungs and liver. They can grow from 5 to 14 inches in length and in severe cases over a hundred may be present.

How do I know if my dog has heartworm disease?
Diagnosis of heartworm disease is determined by examination of the blood under a microscope to determine if the immature heartworms are present. Occult heartworm disease (heartworm disease without the presence of immature heartworms circulating in the blood) is present in 20% to 30% of dogs. Detection of the adult heartworms in the heart is possible through the use of an antibody blood test.

How can my dog be treated if he has heartworm disease?
A complete physical and medical examination is necessary to determine your pet's health and how severe the heartworm disease is. Blood work and possibly x-rays may be needed as part of the complete evaluation of you pets condition prior to heartworm treatment. Normally treatment consists of two injections of Immitacide (Currently the most effective and safe drug available for the treatment of adult heartworms) given 24 hours apart. Your dog will be kept in the hospital during this time so his health may be monitored. The veterinarian may administer other medications on a case by case basis as needed. Your dog may need medications following this treatment to kill any immature heartworms in the blood.

Can heartworm disease be prevented?
Yes, heartworm disease can be prevented.There are chewable forms of heartworm prevention that must be given once a month. This type of prevention can be started at 2 months of age to protect your pet against heartworms. Although these heartworm preventions are very effective, yearly heartworm tests are necessary to assure that your pet has not been infected with this disease.

please take your dog to the vet quick......good luck

Answer 2

If your dog is acting "aggressive, withdrawn, or sickly" plus coughing alot you could consider Distemper as a possibility. This is a very sever illness and I dont believe there is a treatment. However this is just the worst case scenario. If shes just coughing and acting kind of sick it could be Kennel Cough. Its just a cold and should go away on its own but your doctor can suggest some cheap meds to get it taken care of. Another posibility is heart worms. My dog has heart worms and he does this gag cough They sell Heartgard at most veterinary clinics and this helps prevent any new worms from showing up but it does not kill the adult worms. At least not very fast. Depending on the severity of the heartworm case there are other more invasive and risky treatments. I believe they can inject your dog with something called Ivermectin and it will kill all the worm but there is a possibility that the worms could get lodged into the lungs and kill the dog. In any case your best bet is going to the Vet and getting your pup checked. Normal intestinal parasites will not cause coughing and most can be seen in the poop even if you havent used a de wormer. Hope his helps.

Answer 3

Best answer for you is to take your dog to the vet. There a lot of variations in the answers you received but taking your dog to the vet is your best bet. It sounds like your dog has more serious problems than worms. A simple parasite test will reveal any worms. Detecting heartworms is not difficult at all. It takes 3 drops of blood and a heartworm test. Cost around $30.00 max. I too would recommend a better food like Hill's. Take care!

Answer 4

No, not always. It could have something to do with the anal glands also, which a vet will need to squeeze to get puss out. Also, take a fresh stool sample to your vet's office and they can test for worms. Its always a good idea to test for that if you haven't done so in awhile. A dog can get worms just from walking outside and picking up eggs on the feet and then licking. I would have your dog tested just to be on the safe side.

Answer 5

Im sorry but you really cant tell
You won't see any worms come out until you deworm your dog. You should take her to a vet. They will look at a sample of her poo under the microscope to see if there are eggs from worms in it. You should try to switch pet foods thats what happened to my dog. I know you must be really upset but thats life im sorry

Answer 6

You won't see any worms come out until you deworm your dog. You should take her to a vet. They will look at a sample of her poo under the microscope to see if there are eggs from worms in it. I would also reccomend a better food than Kibbles and Bits. Not the greatest choice, she needs more nutrition.

Answer 7

Have your dog tested for heart worm, and worm your dog for the other worms, every season,ie. Summer Autumn Winter Spring,
If dog has worms may scoot along the ground.

Answer 8

First thing is that you are feeding one of the worst foods available for dogs. I rarely say that about dog foods but Kibbles n Bits is just the worst. Try some of the super premiums such as Canidae, Innova, Solid Gold, Wellness, Natural Balance, Flint River Ranch, or many others. Second, why not take the dog to a vet and get a professional opinion in case the symptoms you are describing are the result of something serious?

Answer 9

Inspect their bedding in the morning. If you find stuff that looks like dried grains of rice,those are common tape worms. Heart worms however are not so easily detected... in either case, you need a trip to the vet.

Answer 10

Get that dog to the Vet...if it was just worms you'd see it in the poop.