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My dog has something coming from his butt. Is it worms? Can it spread?

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed Medium (23 - 60lb) | Male

My dog has this thing coming out of his butt is it worms ? I never seen these but my dog seems fine . He has energy he eats drinks and everything should I be worried ? What kind of medicine should I get ? Can my dog pass it to another dog ? Because we recently got a puppy and now she has some and she's tiny not sure how old

2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

Veterinarian

Published on April 27th, 2018

That does look like a worm, and it appears to be a tapeworm segment. Dogs get tapeworms from fleas, so if Coochie and the puppy both have had fleas, that's how they would have gotten it. They will require praziquantel to treat it, which is a prescription drug from the vet. I recommend Drontal, it's an excellent deworming treatment that has praziquantel in it. Make an appointment for both of them to see the vet to be treated. The vet can confirm they have tapeworms, and can prescribe them Drontal. Coochie needs to be flea treated, and you will need to speak with the vet to estimate how hold the puppy is so a safe flea treatment for her can be determined. Best of luck!

1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

Related Answers from Veterinarians

Answered By Dr. Strydom, DVM
Veterinarian
Yes, that looks to be a tapeworm segment. They don't get these from other animals; they get them by eating infected fleas. I suggest you treat both dogs with a flea prevention and you will need a dewormer that treats tapeworms which you cannot buy over the counter. You have to get that from a vet. Tapeworms need a special dewormer to kill them.

I suggest you take the dogs to your local Petco when they are having one of their VETCO vaccination clinics. They sell flea prevention and they carry the injection to give the dogs to kill the tapeworms. If there is not a VETCO clinic in your area you will need to go to your local vet.

( https://www.vetcoclinics.com/services-and-clinics/vaccination-clinics-by-state/texas-vaccination-clinics/ )

Hope this helps. Best wishes.

1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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White worm came out of puppy's butt, what kind of worm is it?

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. These are tapeworms and they come from your pet ingesting a flea or eating another pets poop that has live tapeworms in it. It is contagious to other pets and people via ingestion of a live worm. You will need tapeworm specific dewormer such as Drontal or Praziquantel to rid this worm and a good flea preventative (Bravecto, Nexgard, Firstshield) is recommended. Usually tapeworms are gone after the first treatment as long as puppy doesn't get reinfected. I hope this is helpful! Take care now.

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My dog passed a long, segmented worm. What kind is it and what to do?

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My dog has worms and scoots. Does her dewormer treat tapeworms?

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