Kind of urgent,Tapeworms

[sammy101]

i think Kodie has tapeworms.I saw in the post under dog general that when a dog has tapeworms,little rice segments come out by there bum.Well,thats been happening to Kodie. Its cause from fleas right?Fleas are HORRIBLE here and difficult to get rid of.My mom wants to him a wormer.
What would you recommend off Petmeds?

http://www.1800petmeds.com/all.asp?LV=70

i'll try getting a picture of it when he gets another one.

[Uabassoon]

I don't really know what works best for tapeworms, but I do think you would want a prescription product. In order to other those off petmeds you need to have your vet send them the presciption first. So I say call your vet and see what he recommends, you might also want to bring in a stool sample.

[sammy101]

Yes i'll probably call the vet.I dont know if theres any good over the counter treatments,like at Petsmart?Not Hartz,but other brands?

[Glacier]

Most of the over the counter wormers miss tapeworms. Your best bet is drontral, which is on that site. It gets everything.

If Kody has them, you should treat your other dog too.

[sammy101]

ok thanks.Hopefully we'll get him to the vet soon.

[lv4dogs]

If Kody has them, you should treat your other dog too.

Only if you suspect that your other dog has them though. Tapeworms are the safest parasite to have as long as your dog has enough food & water available. It is also the hardest parasite to contract from another dog. Your dog has to actually eat something infested with tapes, like mice, fleas or feces.

If you are a regular client at your vet all you should have to do is just call them, tell them what you see & they will give you meds for it. It be a lot faster than ordering the meds too.

[Ginger's Mom]

Tapeworms are pretty easy to get rid of. As Sue said, you can just call your vet and tell him Kodi has them (they may or may not want a fecal sample), but then you can just stop in the office and pick up the pill. No appointment (or dog ) is necessary when you go. I hope Kodi is feeling better soon.

[sammy101]

I'm pretty sure Lucy doesnt have them.I've been checking her and she hasnt had any come out that i know of.
Hopefully the vet is open,since its Thanksgiving break.
Thanks for the advice!Much appreciated

[dragondawg]

The tapeworm larva survive in the gut of the flea. A dog gets infected by either eating flea feces (e.g. grooms or licks another dog with fleas), or eats the flea.

You could try buying Panacur-C which is suppose to be effective against the tapeworm. I have no first hand experience using it with my dogs for that purpose. My Vet has been recommending Panacur-C to get rid of roundworms etc at the annual examination. I do know my male dog tends to get nauseated with the Panacur-C. The solution is to give him 75 mg of Zantac before the Panacur-C.

I've always gone the shot route with my dogs. Since I have them on Sentinel which has the Program incorporated in it, no problems with fleas. As long as you have the fleas you can count on this being a viscous cycle repeated infection.

Suggestions for your flea problems: If heavy infestation in your house, then fumagate your house, and/or at least shampoo the carpets. Set up flea traps (sticky pads with night lights). Get a Capstar pill for each dog from the Vet. It lasts 24 hrs during which time, any flea that bites the dog dies instantly. Then get your dog on the Program pill, or a product such as the Sentinel heartworm pill that incorporates the Program pill into it. No more fleas. I have not used any flea powders, and found things like Advantage to be difficult to apply- usually will only use it as a tick prevention attempt. No fleas here with just Sentinel.

[sammy101]

they're gone!And his fleas are gone too! We ended up not taking him to the vet, we went to Petsmart and talked to a vet technician there, and she said we could take him to the vet, or buy some over the counter stuff.She said it was OK so we thought we'd give it a try and it worked!