Thread: Ewww!!!

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Ok, I'm freaking out a bit here. I have a pet dog named Chloe. I'm honestly not a real 'pet' person. I like our dog but we did buy her primarily for our children who desperately wanted a dog.

Well the issue that is freaking me out is my dog is getting worms. I know it seems childish that something like this would freak me out but honestly it does. The whole worm factor and parasite thing is one of the reasons I held off for so long in getting a pet. I can handle lots of icky stuff but worms/parasites really freak me out. We had the dog to the vet not quite a month ago and found out that she has roundworms and had her treated. Honestly it took me almost a week before I would touch poor Chloe again. I ripped off all the household bedding and washed it in hot water, vaccumed all carpets because I felt like there were eggs and worms all over my house. Well Chloe has been sleeping on my hubbys and my bed again for about a week and a half again at night. The little sneak will creep in in the middle of the night and I wake in the morning to find her there. I don't have the heart to boot her out because she looks so comfy but today again my hubby found worms in her stool and now my skin is just CRAWLING!!

Has anyone else had issues like this with their pets? Chloe is a pretty sheltered dog. We walk her but she really isn't around other animals a whole lot. I keep a clean house but I can't help but feel ashamed that her persistant worms is a negative reflection on my home/pet care skills.

Be nice to me, I feel ashamed that this is bothering and grossing me out so much. Does anyone have any recommendations for me? How do I keep her worm free so I can rest easy again?

This is the wormy puppy in question...she really is a cutie.

No recommendations since I don't have dogs, but just wanted to say that it's not you or a reflection on your housekeeping/pet care. I totally get feeling embarrassed and freaked, tho. I'd probably feel the same.

From what I remember, the worms are picked up from the soil and the first worming takes care of the adults, but they definitely need a worming regimen for life since there are the eggs and then immature worms that wouldn't have been wiped out by the first treatment. Yyou can't keep a dog cooped up inside - so re-exposure is always a possibility.

Hope the puppy gets and stays worm-free really fast! (she's a cutey!)

We had a cat years ago, that was a former stray. He was infested with fleas, then eventually the worms they cause. My vet told me that the worms only come out at night, in the darkness. So, me being curious creeeepycathy, I took a flashlight one night, turned off the lights, lifted the tail and sure enough there were worms all along his butthole.

Don't know if my cat had the same type of worms as your dog. But if he does then I recommend duct taping a light to his butt.

and Good Luck to ya!!

Originally Posted by creeeepycathy

So, me being curious creeeepycathy, I took a flashlight one night, turned off the lights, lifted the tail and sure enough there were worms all along his butthole.

First off LOL cathy and also EEEEK!! The dog was on my bed last night!!

Thats the frustrating thing too. The vet has mentioned keeping her flea-free which I totally understand. But we also use the Advantage (vet office type) flea treatment on her monthly. So frustrating...aaargh!

I don't have Dogs, just my four cats. Yeah worms are gross, I just use Drontal cat..They do it for dogs too. I hate worming them though, I wish they'd make the stuff you put in their food tasteless. Mine always know it's there and won't eat it. I have to give them the tablets and have lots of battle scars from doing so.

Unfortunately the worm thing is usually something the puppies, and kitties, get from the mommy. Get a recommendation from your vet for a dewormer, it usually takes a few doses to get rid of them. Keep up with the flea treatments and keep an eye out when the puppy is outside, if she is eating grass she will continue to get worms. I read somewhere that the worms feed on the excrement of the fleas in the grass or something like that and the dogs or cats eat the grass and reinfest themselves, so you should treat your yard for fleas as well.

I've just been reading about these things. It says they're a more natural approach to cat and dog worming. Looks like it'd end up being expensive though. I think I'll save on the cash and get the Hubby to worm the cats for me

http://verm-xusa.com/dogs/cat_16.html

It takes several treatments and yes if the dog is eating grass outside, especially if it is the same area that it or another dog/cat uses the bathroom it will keep getting worms. The main thing you also have to be concerned about is the heartworms and make sure it is treated continually for that.

A precaution if the dog is outside alot is to clean up the poo and try to train your dog to poo in the same area of the yard that way its not all over the place.

The best thing is to take the dog out on a leash to the area in the yard you prefer and keep the dog in that area until it does its business. After a while when you let the dog out on its own it will generally go to that one area.

Thanks for the tips guys. We gave her a second dose of the Drontal medication today. This has been the second dose in about 3 weeks, hopefully this clears it up. I am going to put her on a worm meds regimen for sure to try to avoid future reinfestation. We use a de-flea med currently and hopefully with worming meds periodically we can avoid the yucky things. One kicker though is she does eat grass, all the time. We're pretty on the ball with having her droppings cleaned up in our backyard. I will just keep my fingers crossed...

...and yes I just HAD to wash all the bedding again today...lol

Have you heard of this one, it's an all in one spot on that treats practically everything. Might be worth asking the vet about it.

http://www.animalhealth.bayerhealthcare.com/4882.0.html