Coughing up Worms! - YorkieTalk.com Forums

BenjiBoo · 08-01-2009, 01:35 AM

On Thursday night, my Benji (7 months old) was having breathing problems which sounded like reverse sneezing. He woke up during the middle of the night unable to catch his breath. I called the emergency vet and they said that it was just reverse sneezing and was normal. Throughout the night, he had bouts of severe wheezing, sneezing, and his nose was hot and inflamed.

When I took him to his vet the next morning (Friday), the vet said it was either an upper respiratory tract infection or asthma! He put Benji on antibiotics and anti-inflammatory medication for the infection and said that if Benji was not better within 24 hours, it may be asthma.

Shortly, after giving Benji his second dose of medications on Friday night, he began to gag and do the 'sneezing' again. While he did this, I saw a thin silvery object in his mouth and reached in his mouth and grabbed it. It was a worm larvae! It looked like a clear maggot with black segments and a small pin head. I put the worm in a plastic bag and called the emergency vet. They told me that worms in a puppy are completely normal, which I know they are, but I am still worried. They told me to take him to the vet in the morning to completely find out what type of worm it is. I am assuming it is a roundworm since he probably coughed it up from his lungs.

I am just so worried and frankly I am quite tired of my overcharging vet. I am feeling like they are more worried about money than my sick puppy. For example, when he went to the vet yesterday morning they offered to do the pre bloodwork for his upcoming neuter. Are u serious??? My dog is SICK!!! Then, when I was to pay for the $160.00 bill before I took Benji home, I realized that I had not brought enough money...when I asked if I could just pay half and be billed at a later date/pay next day, they told me that it was fine, but I would not be able to take the medication home...what??? are u serious??? (By the way, if anyone lives in or around the Chicago area, can you PLEASE recommend a good vet to me?)

So basically, here I am, waiting until the vet opens at 7 am so I can figure out what's going on with my poor Benji. If anyone has any similar stories and can help, please let me know!

keylargolady100 · 08-01-2009, 02:34 AM

I don't have any answer, but just want to wish you good luck with your sick baby. You are right to get him right in there today. Your a good mommie.

Peters · 08-01-2009, 03:26 AM

it is really NOT normal for a dog to have such a bad infestation of worms they are coughing them up! that why it swant a first thought to treat for worms like that but most puppies do have worms and are wormed starting at 3 weeks of age and again at 6 weeks of age which is what any good decent breeder should do hence why any vet wouldnt wouldnt automatically think a puppy would have worms so badly! but usually a vet worms a puppy the fisr time they see it or at least the do a fecal to check for it when a dogs coughing they check the throat 1st for something like brochitis or trechea problems or even kennel cough any new clients are requested to pay up front as lately many people have been leaving bad checks and none payments nothing personal its just to cover the buisness it has just gotten really bad lately people are even dumping animals lately and not returning lately to get them! we have two in the past month! they have been treated and abandoned now we have two animals and two unpaid bills so its not just you and a vet out to get you i hope your dog gets better and i would be questioning where you got the puppy from about the worms possibly whey they havent wormed the puppy and look into the vaccintion history also

BenjiBoo · 08-01-2009, 06:40 AM

So I just returned from the vet. The stool sample I brought in showed no signs of worms. I also brought in the worm that Benji coughed up and the vet said that it looked like a larvae from an outside insect. They gave me dewormer anyway even though they believed that Benji had no worms. Overall, I am just going to keep my eye on him over the next few days and hope that it really was just an insect larvae. Thanks for the replies!

charly · 08-01-2009, 07:04 AM

Great, l'm glad he is doing good.

Izzy Princess · 08-01-2009, 07:54 AM

Oh thank goodness your baby is doing ok. Please keep us posted on how he is doing. Wow you have to watch everything these little guys do especially outside. My new Biewer, Cosmo, eats all kinds of stuff outside.

Patti · 08-01-2009, 06:42 PM

Glad he doesn't have worms. I have a vet I love but I am in the far northern suburbs of Chicago.

yorkie_lov3r · 08-01-2009, 06:59 PM

a month ago my yorkie made the same noise like wheezing or something. it seemed like he was having a hard time breathing. i thought it was kennel cough but as soon as i took him to the vet i learned it was traecheitis. he was on medication and cough medicine for a whole week. a couple weeks after i got him he coughed up a roundworm in the car. the sketchy thing was that the breeder told me he had been dewormed but i think she was lying because she kept changing stories. i really believe she just cared about money.

08-01-2009, 01:35 AM	#1
BenjiBoo Yorkie Talker Join Date: May 2009 Location: Chicago, IL, USA Posts: 16	Coughing up Worms! On Thursday night, my Benji (7 months old) was having breathing problems which sounded like reverse sneezing. He woke up during the middle of the night unable to catch his breath. I called the emergency vet and they said that it was just reverse sneezing and was normal. Throughout the night, he had bouts of severe wheezing, sneezing, and his nose was hot and inflamed. When I took him to his vet the next morning (Friday), the vet said it was either an upper respiratory tract infection or asthma! He put Benji on antibiotics and anti-inflammatory medication for the infection and said that if Benji was not better within 24 hours, it may be asthma. Shortly, after giving Benji his second dose of medications on Friday night, he began to gag and do the 'sneezing' again. While he did this, I saw a thin silvery object in his mouth and reached in his mouth and grabbed it. It was a worm larvae! It looked like a clear maggot with black segments and a small pin head. I put the worm in a plastic bag and called the emergency vet. They told me that worms in a puppy are completely normal, which I know they are, but I am still worried. They told me to take him to the vet in the morning to completely find out what type of worm it is. I am assuming it is a roundworm since he probably coughed it up from his lungs. I am just so worried and frankly I am quite tired of my overcharging vet. I am feeling like they are more worried about money than my sick puppy. For example, when he went to the vet yesterday morning they offered to do the pre bloodwork for his upcoming neuter. Are u serious??? My dog is SICK!!! Then, when I was to pay for the $160.00 bill before I took Benji home, I realized that I had not brought enough money...when I asked if I could just pay half and be billed at a later date/pay next day, they told me that it was fine, but I would not be able to take the medication home...what??? are u serious??? (By the way, if anyone lives in or around the Chicago area, can you PLEASE recommend a good vet to me?) So basically, here I am, waiting until the vet opens at 7 am so I can figure out what's going on with my poor Benji. If anyone has any similar stories and can help, please let me know!

08-01-2009, 02:34 AM	#2
keylargolady100 YT Addict Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Brunswick Maine Posts: 440	I don't have any answer, but just want to wish you good luck with your sick baby. You are right to get him right in there today. Your a good mommie. __________________ Darlene, Zeke and Baxter

08-01-2009, 03:26 AM	#3
Peters YT 2000 Club Member Join Date: May 2006 Location: Alabama Posts: 2,225	it is really NOT normal for a dog to have such a bad infestation of worms they are coughing them up! that why it swant a first thought to treat for worms like that but most puppies do have worms and are wormed starting at 3 weeks of age and again at 6 weeks of age which is what any good decent breeder should do hence why any vet wouldnt wouldnt automatically think a puppy would have worms so badly! but usually a vet worms a puppy the fisr time they see it or at least the do a fecal to check for it when a dogs coughing they check the throat 1st for something like brochitis or trechea problems or even kennel cough any new clients are requested to pay up front as lately many people have been leaving bad checks and none payments nothing personal its just to cover the buisness it has just gotten really bad lately people are even dumping animals lately and not returning lately to get them! we have two in the past month! they have been treated and abandoned now we have two animals and two unpaid bills so its not just you and a vet out to get you i hope your dog gets better and i would be questioning where you got the puppy from about the worms possibly whey they havent wormed the puppy and look into the vaccintion history also __________________ A pet's love is true right from the start, through good times and bad, like sharing one heart.

08-01-2009, 06:40 AM	#4
BenjiBoo Yorkie Talker Join Date: May 2009 Location: Chicago, IL, USA Posts: 16	Update So I just returned from the vet. The stool sample I brought in showed no signs of worms. I also brought in the worm that Benji coughed up and the vet said that it looked like a larvae from an outside insect. They gave me dewormer anyway even though they believed that Benji had no worms. Overall, I am just going to keep my eye on him over the next few days and hope that it really was just an insect larvae. Thanks for the replies!

08-01-2009, 07:04 AM	#5
charly Donating YT 1000 Club Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: So Ca Posts: 2,376	Great, l'm glad he is doing good. __________________

08-01-2009, 07:54 AM	#6
Izzy Princess Therapy Dog Donating Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Ohio Posts: 5,635 Blog Entries: 1	Oh thank goodness your baby is doing ok. Please keep us posted on how he is doing. Wow you have to watch everything these little guys do especially outside. My new Biewer, Cosmo, eats all kinds of stuff outside. __________________ Cynd, Izzy (Yorkie) & Cosmo (Biewer)(Secwetary & Charter Membwer of the Dirty FurKids Cwub)-Jusz say NO ta bein' cwean!)proud member of the *CrAzYcLu*B! ~The PINK club~SRC

08-01-2009, 06:42 PM	#7
Patti Donating YT 30K Club Member Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Illinois Posts: 35,509 Blog Entries: 6	Glad he doesn't have worms. I have a vet I love but I am in the far northern suburbs of Chicago. __________________ Cali Pixie Roxie : RIP Nikki; RIP Maya;RIP my sweet Dixie girl 1/17/08 http://callipuppyscastle.bravehost.com/index.html

08-01-2009, 06:59 PM	#8
yorkie_lov3r YorkieTalk Newbie! Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Cornelius, OR Posts: 9 Blog Entries: 1	a month ago my yorkie made the same noise like wheezing or something. it seemed like he was having a hard time breathing. i thought it was kennel cough but as soon as i took him to the vet i learned it was traecheitis. he was on medication and cough medicine for a whole week. a couple weeks after i got him he coughed up a roundworm in the car. the sketchy thing was that the breeder told me he had been dewormed but i think she was lying because she kept changing stories. i really believe she just cared about money.