worms coming out of puppy's rectum???

I saw worms coming out of my puppies rectum last night. How do I know what type of worms they are? They looked like spaghetti, kinda flat. I went to walmart and bought puppy dewormimg medicine. Will it work? We found our puppy a week ago and I cannot take her to the vet until after the first of the year. Will she be okay?

[ginger899]

They sound like tapeworms. But she may have other worms inside her as well, so de-worming is definitely a good idea. As for whether the walmart de-wormer is OK, I'm afraid I don't know. I used to give my dog over-the-counter de-wormer from the pet shop. She was fine on this, and it worked ok. Then one day it suddenly started making her vomit. So after that I always go to the vet now. It costs a little more, but at least it doesn't upset her tummy.
A veterinary de-wormer for her would be a  better idea, because she may need a broad-spectrum medicine. Most pups are full of worms, so this is not an uncommon thing at all!
Have you any idea how old she is? And what does it say on the walmart wormer package? Does it say it kills other types of worms as well? And are there any guidelines to the dosage for her age/weight/etc

If it were me, I would check the name of the medicine, and then do a search online, to see if there is any negative feedback on it, before giving it to her. Otherwise take her to the vet.

[Ghilly]

Round worms that look like spaghetti are exactly that - round worms.  If your puppy has them coming from his rectum, he probably has a pretty heavy infestation.  Over the counter wormer will generally not be as effective OR as safe as the wormer that you get from your veterinarian.  Besides, you need to have your vet do a fecal exam to see exactly what other types of internal parasites your puppy may have that need to be gotten rid of.  

Tapeworm is seen as tiny segments that look like grains of rice that move.  The type of wormer that is used on roundworms and hookworms is not the same type of wormer that is needed to get rid of a tapeworm.  A tapeworm is contracted by the dog ingesting a flea that is acting as a host for the tapeworm.  From the way you described this worm, it's not a tapeworm.

It's extremely important to make sure you get all of the internal parasites responsible for the infestation, so a good product like Nemex, available only from a licensed veterinarian or from a veterinary supply house with a prescription from a vet, is the best way to make sure you get them all.  A fecal test should be done now, to determine what type of parasites are involved, and again after the second follow-up worming three weeks from now to make sure the puppy is now clean.  Over the counter wormers are just not all that safe of a way to accomplish this, and there is no way, short of running a fecal test yourself at home, to be sure that the wormer even worked, so a visit to the vet, ESPECIALLY since the puppy has worms coming from his rectum, is necessary at this point.

Please let us know what the vet says and how you and your puppy make out!  We'd love to see pictures of your puppy, too!  

Ghilly

[ArmyWifeBlair22]

I just found tape worms that came from my puppy's rectum. He has already been to the vet and dewormed like two weeks ago. Should I be concerned? I have another dog...can she get them??

[skydnsr]

If the puppy had a pretty heavy load of tapeworms, I can see where maybe the first dose of wormer didn't get them all.  I would probably call the vet's office and see if they will dispense another round of tapeworm medicine without your having to pay for another office visit.  But if you want to take her back, go ahead.  She does need to have the rest of her worms cleared out.

Should you be concerned?  Tapeworms are pretty benign, as far as worms go, but if the dog has a lot of them they can cause anemia.  Dogs that have tapeworms do sometimes have other worms that cause more severe sickness, so if you see tapeworms, then you will want to do a fecal check for other species of worms, too.  Hopefully that was done when you went to the vet two weeks ago, so the doctor can decide whether you need to repeat the worming for other species or just for the tapeworms.

Can your other dog get worms from your puppy?  Not directly, no, I don't think so.  Tapeworms come from fleas, and other species of worms are picked up by the dog from off the ground.  But if one of your dogs has worms, and the other dog is kept in the same environment, then there is a good chance that the second dog can get the same worms.  

Prevention is key, when it comes to worms.  Personally, I give Interceptor for my monthly heartworm preventative, and it pretty much takes care of hookworms, roundworms, and whipworms, as well as heartworms.  Tapeworms are prevented by controlling fleas.  I can't think of any other type of worms to be concerned about.

I also do an annual well-dog physical with a fecal check and heartworm check.  I take my dogs to the vet anytime they show symptoms of a parasite infection, but with our preventive routine, I have rarely had any worm problems.  Usually when I have had a dog with worms, it was with a puppy, and sometimes they are born with worms in their system.  I figure you can pay now for prevention, or you can pay later for treatment, and I prefer prevention.

[pittbulls05]

my puppy has lil flat worms that only come out at nite . we have wormed him several times ..no worms in his poop ,just the live worms at nite .