Tapeworms!

[cowgirlnat]

I adopted this dog a couple weeks ago and she was pretty skinny. I've been working pretty hard to put weight on her and there's been a little change, but not much at all. I think I may have found out why today. I was playing with her after I got out of the shower and looked down to see something white on my hand. It was a dried up tapeworm, ugh! I looked around a little more and they were all over my floor! I admit...it's been a few days since I vacumed, but this was disgusting. I'm not usually particularly grossed out by parasites, I've been a vet tech before. But the sheer quantity was shocking. This poor dog is infested! The previous owners took good care of her...had her spayed, microchipped, and vaccinated, but they must have never had her checked or treated for tapeworms. I believe they got her from the pound so it's definitely not shocking that she has them.

I'm picking up the medication tonight (my best friend works for the vet I go to...kinda convenient), but I was wondering if I should worry about treating my other dog and my cat? Do I need to do anything to treat my yard? It's small so they do come in contact w/previous poop sites even after I clean them. There are no dead animals in my yard, I know that much.

[JTP]

Originally Posted by cowgirlnat

I adopted this dog a couple weeks ago and she was pretty skinny. I've been working pretty hard to put weight on her and there's been a little change, but not much at all. I think I may have found out why today. I was playing with her after I got out of the shower and looked down to see something white on my hand. It was a dried up tapeworm, ugh! I looked around a little more and they were all over my floor! I admit...it's been a few days since I vacumed, but this was disgusting. I'm not usually particularly grossed out by parasites, I've been a vet tech before. But the sheer quantity was shocking. This poor dog is infested! The previous owners took good care of her...had her spayed, microchipped, and vaccinated, but they must have never had her checked or treated for tapeworms. I believe they got her from the pound so it's definitely not shocking that she has them.

I'm picking up the medication tonight (my best friend works for the vet I go to...kinda convenient), but I was wondering if I should worry about treating my other dog and my cat? Do I need to do anything to treat my yard? It's small so they do come in contact w/previous poop sites even after I clean them. There are no dead animals in my yard, I know that much.

I would treat all my animals just to be sure, especially considering the volume you speak of, Dogs will pick up, and eat about anything, so there is a pretty good chance they have picked them up.
We had a similar problem with whips about a year ago, one dog showed them, and the monthly heart worm pills did not take care of them, so we changed monthly, and also tyreated all the dogs for them.
It was simpler, and pragmatic to just do it all at once, rather than chase a problem.

[cowgirlnat]

Originally Posted by JTP

I would treat all my animals just to be sure, especially considering the volume you speak of, Dogs will pick up, and eat about anything, so there is a pretty good chance they have picked them up.
We had a similar problem with whips about a year ago, one dog showed them, and the monthly heart worm pills did not take care of them, so we changed monthly, and also tyreated all the dogs for them.
It was simpler, and pragmatic to just do it all at once, rather than chase a problem.

I like to use the Advantage Multi for my pets b/c it takes care of the fleas, worms, and heartworms in medication. It's less for me to remember. Is there any monthly medication that includes tapes too? I know you can buy tape medicine for dogs over the counter. Does anyone recommend treating them for it once or twice a year just to be safe. Do you recomment rotating wormers period? We worm horses 4 times a year and use a different active ingredient each time to prevent tolerance. Is that a problem in dogs?

[Cearbhaill]

I don't know of any monthlies that take care of tapes.

[BabyElephant]

In the UK they recommend that you worm your dog twice a year or 4 times if they like to pick up dead animals & stuff. Some people will also tell you to rotate the wormers but our vets don't say that's necessary.

[cowgirlnat]

Originally Posted by BabyElephant

In the UK they recommend that you worm your dog twice a year or 4 times if they like to pick up dead animals & stuff. Some people will also tell you to rotate the wormers but our vets don't say that's necessary.

Okay...good to know! Thank you!