My dog threw up a worm. Is it an emergency or can I wait for the vet?

Poor Angus! How alarming for all of you, I'm sure! Types of worms that can occasionally be coughed up from the lungs would include roundworms, heartworms, and lungworms. Some of these problems are quite serious, but others are just "gross" to look at and fairly simple to treat. So it's hard to say how severe the problem is without more information. This is definitely something that needs to be checked out by a vet, but whether or not it's an emergency depends on how he is acting otherwise. If he seems normal now (no difficulty breathing, alert and active, etc.), then it should be okay to wait and have him examined by your regular vet on Monday morning as long as nothing changes. If he's still coughing quite a bit, or if he's acting weak or lethargic or having any trouble breathing, then I would recommend taking him to an emergency vet tonight. The vet may take chest x-rays and do a fecal exam if needed to help determine what's wrong. If you can, you should also save the worms and take them with you to show the vet.

Ideally he should be seen by a vet to stabilise his condition and correct dehydration as well as supplemental feeding and a full health check to rule out additional illnesses reducing his appetite. Consider surrendering him to your local shelter to get him the best care. In the meantime an oral worm dose carefully dosed for his weight from your vets office or pet store, pedialyte and a mousse textured high calorie recovery or puppy food is recommended

Hello and welcome to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Worms do cause diarrhea and a very high worm burden (amount) can cause severe disease. However, if the puppy is eating, playing and drinking, and is acting normally, then you can wait until tomorrow. I would just inform the new owners about the worms, and have them bring Dan to the vet right away. The vet will get proper deworming performed, as well as vaccines. Best of luck with them!

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! There are a couple of worms types that Diamond could have, both of which could cause her to get pretty sick. Roundworms and stomach worms are possible and can cause a significant amount of damage if left untreated. Additionally, roundworms are zoonotic meaning people can contract them through infestation with their larvae, necessitating treatment. As long as she isn't acting sick, just make an appointment to have her examined by a veterinarian within a few days and a fecal examination performed to determine what kind of worms they are and what the best medication is to treat Diamond for them. If she starts showing signs of illness, have her seen as soon as you can. Hope this helps!

I'm very sorry to hear that! Unfortunately, this problem sounds quite serious. I can't tell what might be wrong without being able to examine him, but if he is in obvious pain and can't get up, he needs to be seen by an emergency vet immediately. He may be injured or very sick, or may have ingested something toxic. Regardless of the underlying cause, these symptoms suggest that he has a serious, life-threatening problem that needs immediate veterinary care. I would recommend taking him to your nearest emergency clinic right away for an exam and treatment - I'm afraid there is nothing at all you can do at home for a problem this severe.

Poor pups. While a heavy parasite load can cause severe GI upset, and anemia which can cause a pup to become extremely lethargic, have bloody diarrhea, etc, I would also want to rule out underlying illnesses as a possibility. It would be best to bring them to a vet ASAP especially if they are lethargic or unable to keep any food or water down as puppies can quickly become very dehydrated. They may also need supportive care such as an IV or injected medications if they are very ill from the parasites or other causes. You can try continuing to offer water, or rubbing a little honey on their gums for energy until you can get to the vet, however due to the severity of symptoms it would be best to seek emergency care.

Poor George! If he's eating and drinking, isn't having trouble breathing, and is otherwise acting normally, this can wait until the morning. Should he not be eating or drinking, has trouble breathing, and/or is very lethargic, take him into an ER vet right away. Best of luck.