My 10-month-old bloated dog needs deworming. Are pre-dewormer meds necessary?

HI, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Puppies tend to have a more bloated belly. Intestinal parasites are usually the main cause of this. Sometimes the intestines are more gassy in puppies too. I would give the dewormer some more time. If there is no improvement by a week i would have her examined and bring a stool sample with you. Sometimes changing puppy food can help as well. She is due for vaccinations so a Vet exam should be happening soon anyway. Good luck!

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Poor Bella! The metronidazole is an antibiotic and could help with the fever. If you want to start with the metronidazole and the dewormer first that is fine. Recheck her temperature in 24 hours. If it is still elevated give the loxicam. The loxicam is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory. Good luck!

Hello and welcome to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. If Peggy has a large worm burden (lots of worms) then she likely feels sick and doesn't want to eat, and likely won't want to eat until the worms are gone. If the medication that your vet gave is a dewormer (typically a liquid called Panacur/Fenbendazole), then you can give it without food. This might clear out the worms and get Peggy eating again. If the medication is an antibiotic (Metronidazole, Amoxyclav), then this needs to be given with food. You can also talk to your vet about trying an anti-nausea medication to see if this helps with the appetite. If Peggy has abdominal pain, or is vomiting, please have her seen right away as high worm burdens can lead to a very life-threatening condition called intussusception. Best of luck with Peggy, I hope she feels better soon!

Hello. Yes, & no. If you just use an over the counter wormer & there is something else amiss with Buddy, you could be losing valuable time finding what is really wrong. I cannot tell you what to do, there are very good wormers you can administer yourself, such as Safeguard wormer for dogs, but with all the symptoms you have mentioned, I do think there is more going on than just a case of worms. Good luck & thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This may be due to parasites. Keep in mind that not improving with a dewormer does not mean is not parasites. It may mean you are using the wrong dewormer or the wrong amount or longevity. This can also be a number of other things like a foreign body obstruction, parvovirus, among other causes. I would recommend you consider having her evaluated by a veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. They would be able to check for these possibilities and start therapy accordingly. I am hoping for a speedy recovery!

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! There are many ways to treat things that are all appropriate. The dose of dewormer is weight dependent so if the same drug was used it is likely the new dog weighs more or they used a different dewormer. A lot of vets use the heart worm prevention as a dewormer because it also takes care of intestinal parasites. It is really Vet preference. I hope this helps!

No. The over the counter medications are impossible to dose for a 1.5# dog. You will overdose her. Not only that but coccidia is a protozoan parasite and many over the counter medications do not treat this. I suggest you just use a probiotic for now. https://www.ebay.com/i/253095406158?chn=ps Hope this helps. Best wishes.