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Permalink Reply by Carol Braitman on January 26, 2008 at 12:38pm

Sounds like tapeworm.. They ar elittle moving segments in the stool. Check the kennel, the old ones fall off the butt..eww..and look like grains of rice. I thought Augie had a toy that lost the stuffing the first time he had them. He got them from eating either cat poo after my catr ate a rabbitt, or the guts of the rabitt that were in the yard after the cat got it. Anyway, don't worry, you can buy tapeworm pills at the pet store. They work just as well as the ones the vet give you.

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Permalink Reply by Charlie on January 26, 2008 at 12:53pm

Yep, as Carol said, it sounds like tapeworm. Worming products are pretty inexpensive, but read the package. A lot of the wormers only kill roundworm and hookworm. Safeguard "8 in 1" Canine Dewormer is a good pet store brand. It kills tapeworm, roundworm, hookworm, and whipworm. It has the same ingredient at Panacur (which is what your vet would probably give him...for a much higher price).

(Possible side effect: The wormer might cause loose stools for a few days to a week as the worms die.)

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Permalink Reply by Bonny on January 26, 2008 at 3:20pm

I am in agreement. Solving the problem is easy with a dewormer. One thing to think about is that tapeworm is transmitted by fleas, and my dog had both when she was a puppy. Getting rid of the tapeworm was easy....not so with the fleas! Spot treatments weren't solving the problem, since we lived in an area with lots of grass and raccoons (great sources for flea infestation). Finally, we had to get a pill (Capstar) to get rid of the fleas.

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Permalink Reply by Charlie on January 26, 2008 at 3:44pm

I have Charlie on Advantage Multi, a monthly topical treatment. It kills fleas, heartworms, and all four intestinal worms mentioned above. It seemed expensive, but is really a value compared to buying three separate products: flea killer, heartworm medicine, and wormers separately.

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Permalink Reply by Florence Fong on January 28, 2008 at 12:58am

Best to take Merlin to a vet soon. The vet would prescribe the appropriate medication. Ask him about medication for heartworms too. He will be able to explain to you about heartworms in details.
Good luck.

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Permalink Reply by Bryan on January 30, 2008 at 11:30am

Just a cautionary comment here to always keep in mind going easy on the drugs...remember, worm and flea medications are designed to kill parasites in a host, so they aren't easy on the body. Listen to your vet by all means, but try to err on the side of the lowest dosage so you lower the risk of any liver damage, and avoid simultaneous treatments if possible (ie, vaccinations plus worms plus fleas -- that's a lot of drugs all at once).

Here's a great resource on natural care of your pets: Dr. Pitcairn's Complete Guide to Natural Health for Dogs & Cats

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Permalink Reply by Charlie on January 30, 2008 at 12:10pm

I agree on using the lowest dose possible of these products. It's a concern to put anything on your dog that says not to get on human skin, eyes, or clothing, and wash your hands immediately after application. These are very strong products to kill parasites. Unfortunately, here in Texas (and warmer climates in general), the dogs will get heartworm and fleas if not on preventatives. You have to balance the lesser of the two evils.

The Advantage Multi I use has a fairly easy equation for the lowest "effective" minimum dosage. Dog's body weight times one half times 10 percent (weight * .5 * .1) in cc/ml. My vet gave me a little stoppered vial and a syringe with the product. I pour the tube of solution into the vial and measure the minimum dose in the syringe for Charlie (removing the needle before application). I am still concerned using strong pesticides on him, but feel it's necessary with our insect population and rampant heartworm here. The side bonus of measuring the product is that I was able to buy the size tubes for dogs up to 88 pounds which is much less expensive per ml/cc than the smaller sized packages. One tube stretches about 4 months. Huh. Imagine a veterinarian trying to help save you money!

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