How do you know if your dog has heartworms, ringworms or tapeworms and if so can it be treated with heartguard

Question

i saw worms in my dogs poo and i think they are tapeworms. i just wanted to know how you treat them. and how to prevent heartworms and other kinds of worms. Can you use heartguard??

Answer 1

I would take your dog to the vet. Take a fresh fecal sample with you.

Tapeworm (or other intestinal parasites) can be diagnosed by doing a simple fecal examination under the microscope. A worming tablet should be given every 3 - 6 months to prevent intestinal worms.

Ringworm is a fungal infection on the skin. It affects the hair follicles so patches of scabbing skin are normally present with ringworm. This can be diagnosed in a number of ways (hair pluckings, UV lamp (depending on strain) or culture). Ringworm is treated by an anti fungal cream or medication - depending on how bad the infection is.

Heartworm is diagnosed by a simple blood test. It is important not to use heartgard if your dog is positive for heartworm. It is advisable to treat for heartworm every month of your dogs life. Treatment for heartworm in positive dogs is costly and comes with some risks.

I hope this helps.

Answer 2

I agree with the first answer. You can never really know what you're dog has for sure. But I do know if they have ringworms of tapeworms, then their poo will have little white worms in it. But just to be safe, you should take it to the vet. Because I had a dog that had heartworms, and I didn't find out untill it was to late. Because heartgaurd only prevents you're dog "or cat" from getting heartworms; so if they already have it, it does no good!

Answer 3

For heartworms you need the vet to take a blood test
For other types of worms you need to take a stoll sample in to get a fecal test done
Tapeworms are usually seen in the stool and look like grains of rice

After you get a heartworm test done by your vet, if it comes back negative then the vet will give you the Heartguard..it prevents heartworms, roundworms, hookworms but not tapeworms.
Ringworm is NOT a worm, but rather a fungus on the skin and it is VERY contageous to other animals and humans.

Answer 4

Tapeworms are treated with a pill or injection....from the vet. Treat for fleas also, since that is most likely where they got them. A feal sample can be run to see if there are other kinds of parasites. Heartworm is teated for with a blood sample. Heartworm is NOt treated with Heartguard. Dogs with heartworm disease should NOT be given Heartguard.
Heartguard does not treat tapeworm either.
Heartguard is for the PREVENTION of heartworm....after the dog has been tested negative for the disease.

And RINGworm is a fungus....not treated by ANY wormer, just anti-fungals.

Answer 5

Most dogs have worms in small numbers if not wormed regularly, but it is unusual for an adult dog to have problems caused by these organisms- this is far more common in puppies, especially hookworms and roundworms. (I'm not sure if you mean ringworm or roundworm- ringworm is a skin disease caused by a dermatophyte fungus, not a worm). If she is infected by all of these in large enough numbers to be making her ill, it is likely that she is very debilitated and/or has another underlying illness that is depressing her immune system. Panacure is a reasonable treatment, but you will need to watch her closely because she is probably going to become very dehydrated (and may need IV fluids) if this continues. You also said that she is nursing... if you can, you should remove the pups from her and hand-rear them yourself. If she's not eating & is losing fluids through vomiting and diarrhoea, then there is no way that she is going to get enough energy and fluids to feed her pups without doing herself serious damage. She needs to go onto a worming preventative such as 'drontal' and the pups need to be wormed at 6, 8, 10 & 12 weeks, 4,5 & 6 months, and every 3 months thereafter. If you are concerned about her, talk to your vet again. If they give you the same response as they already have, consider talking to a different vet.

Answer 6

VET and take along a fresh stool sample!! And fyi, Heartguard is for heartworms, not tapeworms, a really nasty thing to let a dog get and you can only get it from a vet anyway. There are other things for other types of worms and your vet will know exactly what to prescribe. Don't let it go on as leaving a dog you know has worms without proper treatment..well it can get pretty nasty. GL

Answer 7

You NEVER use Heartguard to TREAT heartworms, it can kill your dog to give it when heartworms are present! That's why your vet will test your dog yearly before renewing the prescription!

Your dog needs to see the vet to determine what treatment is necessary, and what kind of worms your dog has. Take a fresh fecal sample with you to the vet, when you go.

Answer 8

Heart guard is by prescription only. You have to take your dog to the Vet and a blood sample will have to be drawn. It will be tested and that's how they will know whether your dog has heart worms or not. While heart worm meds keep your dog clear of the heart worms, other worms will be eliminated as well. However, the heart worm meds don't eradicate tapeworms. I know this because my shepherd was on the heart worm meds and she had tapeworms. The next time, you see worms in your dog's stool, pick it up and bag it in a plastic bag and take it to the vet for analysis. To have the stool sample tested doesn't cost much. You don't have to take your dog into the doctor's office unless they tell you or unless you want a blood sample drawn for the heart worm test.

Answer 9

Heartguard is only for heartworms. If the worms you saw in the poo looked to be white and flat, probably it was tape worms. If rounded with pointy tips, they were probably round worms. Call your vet and take a stool sample in for evaluation on Monday and they can give you the proper medicine.

Answer 10

TAKE YOUR DOG TO THE VET!
You should probably bring a sample of the poo with the worms too so they can figure that out.
Your vet will tell you how to treat them.
And Heartguard definitely just prevents them.