Dog has whipworm on Heartgard. What treatment & should I switch?

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This is a great question! Yes, you should continue to give Kirby his monthly heartworm and flea/tick prevention. The medication to kill the whipworms will not prevent heartworm or fleas/ticks and therefore he will still require the monthly preventions. Kisses to Kirby!

Hello and thank you for your question. First, I Just want to applaud you for taking a prophylactic approach to heartworm and internal parasites by giving trifexis monthly. Great job. Trifexis takes care of and prevents roundworms, hookworms, and whipworms. It does not, however, prevent a dog from getting infested by other internal parasites such as tapeworms or coccidia. Because there are so many different types of medications available over the counter that treat different types of worms in a dogs gastrointestinal tract, I encourage you to take a fecal sample to your local veterinarian to get a definite diagnosis and correct treatment. It would be best to take in a sample of the feces as well as one of the worms that you find for best results. I hope this helps. Have a great day.

Hi, thanks for using PetCoach! I like panacur or drontal plus for whip worms. Be sure to have Tiny on monthly heartworm prevention to help keep the worms away. http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=13555 http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=1459 I hope this helps!

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!

Please don't be scared, there's no reason for it! No, this prescription medication for flat and roundworms will not treat heartworms, you need a medication specifically labeled for that like Heartgard. It's part of a dog's normal healthcare to prevent against heartworm if it is prevalent in your area, and you can give your vet a call to see if heartworm is a concern in your country. If it isn't, then there's not need to worry :-)

Some veterinarians treat heart worms with a slow kill method by giving heartworm prevention monthly which will kill the adult worms over time and prevent new ones. The more common treatment is with injections to kill the worms quickly. Both methods have advantages and disadvantages. Doing it with a slow kill method is much less expensive. The shots are expensive, can be painful and you would need to keep your dog very quiet for six weeks. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Duke.

Hookworms and whipworms cause vomiting, diarrhea, weight loss, a decrease in appetite, low energy, an enlarged belly, and a dull coat. They need to be treated with a deworming medication. I typically recommend Panacur or Drontal, both of which you can get at your vet. I hope this helps!