OH NO! Help! im scared

[Hiccup8]

First, thank you for taking the time to read this. sorry it is long. Any help is so much appreciated. im just at a lost....

Hiccup, my 15 week old yorkie puppy (4.3 lbs) has a worm in his poop!!!

He always wakes up around 6:30am and jumps off our bed to go do his business. When i went to go pick it up, it looked like he had swallowed a rubberband. I grabbed an extra long bobbypin and picked out the "rubber band" and realized it was a LONG WORM!!!! I seriously freaked out.
Is it round worm?
i checked under his little tail and around his butt and didnt see any rice pebbles so i dont think he has tapeworm but then.....

I FOUND TWO FLEAS!

I have been so dilligent when looking for fleas because since we picked him up from the breeder he was constantly scratching and biting and licking his paws. I never found any. We then found out he had an ear infection, treated him for that, and thought all this would stop but it didnt. We thought he was having a reaction to baby shampoo so we stopped washing him with that too.

We took him out for a walk the first time last week when he got his last shots (except for rabies). This past weekend, he met my grandmas dog for the first time as well. Could a roundworm grow that quickly from just one week of contact with the outside world? or did he get it from the mom at the breeders?

He threw up once last week while we were at homedepot. He was in his carrier and i thought maybe from walking around for so long he got motion sickness but now im worried this stupid worm has been in him for so long and i had no idea!! i feel horrible

He still acting like a puppy but im also so worried that WE might get fleas and/or roundworm or tapeworm or whatever he has, since he sleeps with us every night. is this possible???

Im taking him to the vet tomorrow. I plan to get him on frontline for sure. Im assuming they will give him medicine for heartworm and do a fecal test. Anyone familiar with the prices of these medicines?

Poor baby has just had a rough start. I feel like if its not one thing or another. First his horrible hair cut, then his ear infection, and now this. im a new mom and dont have any idea what to do.

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR HELP! you all are my saviors. i cant tell you how much i appreciate it. any suggestions please!......

[Maximo]

Poor boy. Definitely see the vet ASAP and have a fecal done. If you can, save any worms you find. Your vet will determine what course of action is required.

Heartworm preventatives, which also cover other types of worms, are relatively inexpensive. $32 - $40 for a 6 month supply. Frontline is the pricey one. I don't remember exactly how much.

Ringworm is highly contagious. Not sure if that comes out in poop though. I'm also not sure how contagious the other types are. You could call your vet's office today and talk to them.

Keep us updated.

[Patti]

I'm glad you are getting him to the vet tomorrow. The sooner you can get on top of the fleas and worms the better. I found 1 flea on Pixie this summer and washed them all, washed all the bedding, theirs and mine. I hadn't had them on their prevention yet so started that. 2 weeks later I found another flea on Pixie. So I bathed them, gave them their Revolution and sprayed the house with flea spray. I rewashed all the bedding and vacuumed everywhere. That seems to have done the trick. I hope you can get it under control soon. I think the worms can be taken care of pretty quickly by medicine. Keep us posted please.

[sandy simpson]

Your dog is so little and young. Be very careful with the flea med you use. Make sure it is ok for that age of dog. I use revolution which I think can be used on youngsters but always check with your vet first.

[Marhcarter]

Originally Posted by Maximo

Poor boy. Definitely see the vet ASAP and have a fecal done. If you can, save any worms you find. Your vet will determine what course of action is required.

Heartworm preventatives, which also cover other types of worms, are relatively inexpensive. $32 - $40 for a 6 month supply. Frontline is the pricey one. I don't remember exactly how much.

Ringworm is highly contagious. Not sure if that comes out in poop though. I'm also not sure how contagious the other types are. You could call your vet's office today and talk to them.

Keep us updated.

Ringworm won't come out in poop because it is actually a fungal infection, but it does sound like an oral heartworm/roundworm/other parasite medication is in order. I dislike topical preparations like frontline because it makes the hair all greasy looking. I am looking at my Trifexis package insert and it is safe in dogs over 8 weeks old but they must weigh 5 lbs. Trifexis is expensive ($135.00 for 6 months) but it covers fleas, roundworms, hookworms, heartworms and whipworms.
I would definitely take that worm to the vet in the am and also have a fecal done. Don't beat yourself up. Internal parasites are impossible to detect without a fecal unless they become symptomatic or pass one, like Hiccup did. Good news:they are easily treated. Good luck & let us know what the vet says.
Maybe a couple of months of frontline and then Hiccup will weigh enough for an oral preventative.

[pstinard]

The worm sounds like a tapeworm, and the dog probably got it by eating an infected flea. You can't get tapeworms directly from the tiny rice-like segments because the tapeworm has to complete its life cycle inside a flea first. However, you could get a tapeworm if you ate a flea, so exercise caution. The vet will give your dog the appropriate deworming medicine.

For monthly flea/tick/heartworm/parasite treatment, I give Bella the topical Revolution drops. It is a single medicine that you apply to the skin on the back of the neck, and after it's dry, the hair is stiffer where you applied the drops, but it's not visibly noticeable. They have a dosage of Revolution that is safe for Yorkies under 5 pounds. Bella has not had any bad reactions from the Revolution, although she acts a little "itchy" for 15 minutes or so after it is applied, probably because of the alcohol (or whatever the liquid is) as it evaporates.

[OwnedByJezebel]

Look into getting Sentinel for your pup. They make a dosage that is good for 2-10 lbs. They have recently had a price drop and you should be able to get it for around $40 for 6 months. It will cover heartworm, roundworm, hookworm, and whipworm, and fleas (so you shouldn't need frontline).

It won't treat tapeworms (but it doesn't sound like that is your pups problem, because tapeworms are segmented). They will do a fecal test and know exactly what the problem is. If it is tapeworm, that's a one-injection (or 2 pill) easy fix that isn't expensive, either.

If you need a quick fix for the fleas your pup already has, they can give you a does of Capstar. You can also bathe your pup in Dawn dishwashing detergent -- the plain, unscented kind, and that will help.

[Yorkiemom1]

Originally Posted by sandy simpson

Your dog is so little and young. Be very careful with the flea med you use. Make sure it is ok for that age of dog. I use revolution which I think can be used on youngsters but always check with your vet first.

[Maximo]

Originally Posted by Marhcarter

Ringworm won't come out in poop because it is actually a fungal infection, but it does sound like an oral heartworm/roundworm/other parasite medication is in order. I dislike topical preparations like frontline because it makes the hair all greasy looking. I am looking at my Trifexis package insert and it is safe in dogs over 8 weeks old but they must weigh 5 lbs. Trifexis is expensive ($135.00 for 6 months) but it covers fleas, roundworms, hookworms, heartworms and whipworms.
I would definitely take that worm to the vet in the am and also have a fecal done. Don't beat yourself up. Internal parasites are impossible to detect without a fecal unless they become symptomatic or pass one, like Hiccup did. Good news:they are easily treated. Good luck & let us know what the vet says.
Maybe a couple of months of frontline and then Hiccup will weigh enough for an oral preventative.

I always forget that. Maybe because I hate fungal things the most.

[Hiccup8]

Thank you all for the advice. I ended up taking him in that day because I was so paranoid. She gave him some oral medicine for roundworm. I'm not sure what made her decide on that, especially since I didn't bring a sample in with me, but I think it did the trick. Two days later little dead worms were coming out like 2 or 3 times a day. But now I have a new worry....

For some reason last night, 3 days after medication was given, he has been acting weird. He sits down a lot and will tuck his little tail between his legs to do so. He's never done this before and my roommates even mentioned that he looks scared for some reason. This is definitely opposite of his personality. He always greets anyone who walks through the door with love and kisses and a wagging tail but today he didn't. Hell get this random burst of energy but that goes away and hell do the whole tail thing and then sit down.
Not to mention I don't think he ate at all today! We free eat him and he has been great but I can't remember seeing him at his bowl eating.


I really hope it's nothing. I swear I love him so much but he has been a pain this first month that we have had him. I thought puppies were the easy times and as the dog ages all the problems arise but I guess I was wrong. Any ideas why he's been like this? Could his little bum hurt? And if so why would his appitite go too?

Thanks again. I appreciate it so much

[ShowGirlLola]

The first thing that came to my mind is a sore butt. I'd look at it and see if it's red and/or swollen.
If it's sore put a little vaseline on it.

Hopefully that's all that's wrong, a sore butt or poop stuck in their hair can make them act very strange.

Beyond that I don't know what could be wrong, I've never had a dog with worms.

[Marhcarter]

If he had a bunch of worms, he may have an upset tummy or be constipated from trying to get rid of them all. If he doesn't make a good poo today and still won't eat, I would get him back to the vet for a recheck. It does sound like his little bum is bothering him, whether it is painful or maybe even itchy. If you don't see anything external, I recommend seeing the vet sooner rather than later. Poor baby isn't having a good week.