My dog missed heartworm meds & has rice-sized worms. Is it serious?

From that description, it sounds like he may have tape worms. The heartworm test doesn't test for tapeworms (or any intestinal parasites) and the medication is heartgard wouldn't kill tapeworms. A fecal test doesn't always show the worm eggs either for this particular type of parasite. I'd recommend giving your clinic a call to see what they policies are - you may be able to pick up medications from the description alone, or they many need you to schedule an appointment. Finally, make sure Buddy is on a good flea preventative -- he got the tapeworms from eating a flea. He could definitely have just found it outside, but it's worth mentioning!

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! It is never too late! At 7 months old I recommend that your Vet test Midna for heart worm disease now. If she is negative start Heartgard then retest her again in 6 months. It takes a heart worm 6 months from the bite of an infected mosquito to mature in to adults and cause a test to be positive. So testing now only proves she wasn't bitten in the first 1 month of life. I highly recommend year round heart worm prevention for the entirety of the pets life. Getting heart worm disease can be deadly and treating heart worm disease is expensive and can also cause be deadly. I hope this helps and I wish you and Midna the best.

If they are small like a rice grain then they are likely tapeworm segments, however without a fecal examination or seeing the worms it is just a educated guess. I would still recommend saving some worms in a jar or isopropyl alcohol for your veterinarian to see next week. If you use heartworm prevention monthly that deworms for Many parasites, but you can request a prescription for heartworm prevents that includes tapeworm medication as well. That way monthly he gets dewormed. Best of luck and thank you for using Pet Coach.

If you only missed 1 month, you should be fine. Just resume Heartgard right away . If you just want peace of mind, then you can have Lilly retested in 6 month from now; however, the chances of infection are pretty low. Thanks for visiting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach and best wishes with your pet Lilly. Take care!

I am sorry to hear about Max's heartworm diagnosis. I am glad he is receiving treatment for this. The worms you describe that have recently started appearing sound like tapeworms. Do they resemble grains or rice or sesame seeds? Most deworming medications do not contain the ingredients needed to take care of tapeworms, so I would recommend discussing this with your veterinarian so you can broaden the spectrum of Max's treatment. I would also suspect that even though you don't see any obvious fleas that Max has been exposed to some. Tapeworms can be transmitted by fleas and so management of a tapeworm issue typically needs to include a specific dewormer AND a flea preventative.

It sounds like it was a tapeworm. They are flat and segmented. The length depends on the segments that come out--they are offered compared to pieces of rice when individual. These worms are transmitted by the ingestion of a flea which can lead to a dull hair coat and dandruff also. It generally does not affect the appetite and cause that mucous and blood in the stool as noted in your pictures. I would be worried there is an infection of some sort and these worms are a secondary finding. You can find tapeworms medicines at the vets office or any pet store, but if the stool continues I would see a vet for further testing

It could be a tapeworm segment, which look like a grain of rice. Praziquantel is needed to kill tapeworms, which is available by prescription only from the vet. I would take your dog into the vet on Monday. The vet can confirm she has tapeworms, and can give her Drontal to kill them (Drontal contains praziquantel).