[phooey]

If you were just about to go eat maybe you shouldn't read this.

The other night night after our dog did his business my wife said "oh he's so silly he must have been eating the string from his rope toy"
"why do you say that?"
"because he's poo has lots of yellow strings in it"

Oh dear, the dogs rope toy is multi-colored so unless he's been really color coordinated and only eaten the yellow strings, he's got worms. He's got a lot of worms it seems because they just keep coming.

Okay to the question part, my mother-in-law bought a de-worming pill from one of the pet stores in Causeway Bay. But it's only the one pill, does that sound right? When got him we had a course of de-worming that took a few days I'm surprised that only one pill is needed. He's only 7 months old now don't want him to stop growing.

Do you think we should take him to a vet?

[ontheroad]

If you have kids, you should treat them too... it's quite contagious for them, especially if they don't wash their hands after playing with the dog.

[sunniefaith]

I got a deworm pill from my vet and he only gave me one pill for my 2 or 3 months old poodle. Maybe bring him to the vet as well.

[hello_there]

At least contact a vet. There are lots of types of worms and you want to make sure that you got the right type of de-wormer to cover the particular variety or varieties of parasites your puppy has.

As a general rule dogs in HK should be regularly de-wormed (every six months).

[sarawesi]

Be aware that some de-woming tablets should only be availabe from licenced vets, although of course, being HK, it's not to difficult to obtain from pet stores. Drontal is a standard and common de-worming tablet. There is a formula in terms of dog weight per kilo against amount of the dewormer. Vets recommend de-worming (giving the tablet) every three months. A drontal tablet for an average sized dog, say 20 kg, will cost you about $100 HK. I'm fully with 'hello-there' and others....you need to take your dog to a vet. Consultation will be about 250-350 HK plus the cost of the tablet. It's also a good time to start the annual check-up if you are not already on a cycle. Show the vet the tablet package you bought so he/she knows how the dog's been treated. Here'e the nasty bit...if you can, consider scooping up a sample of the waste with worms and popping it in a zip-lock bag..tripple bag it for your safety and comfort (smell) and show it to your vet.
Don't be surprised to find a worm still sticking half-way your your dog's an**! It happens!

I hope you don't take offence, but I guess you are perhaps new to this pet/dog game? There are a number of nasty disease/ilnesses dogs may be susceptible to in HK...Heartworm (from Mossies), the worms you've already found, Tick-fever (from ticks...can quickly be fatal)..and others...all of which you can take precuations to prevent or minimise risk. Certain breeds are more prone to certain diseases. Yes, the preventative cost may mount up to a couple of hundred dollars a month, but this cost does not compare to the cost of treament not to mention the emotional heartache.

Please do take your dog to the vet.

PM me if you wish and tell me the area in which you live. I may be able to guide you to your nearest vet.

Hope this helps.

[phooey]

Already seen one of the worms hanging out eww! I suggested we take a 'sample' to the vet but my wife was too grossed out by the idea at first.

Going to take the dogs and the 'sample' to the vet. We already have one local. We have two dogs, the other one hasn't shown any signs of infection but we're going to get him done at the same time. Our last vet always used to recommend us to take Heartguard etc. but the new one hasn't suggested taking anything.

I didn't know about deworming every six months.

What do you give your dog as standard preventative medicine?

[sunniefaith]

I dewormed my dog after I got it from the pet shop. Didn't want to deal with squiggly worms at all. I'm not sure what can be done to prevent worms. Was at the vet today and this guy who was with his dog told me that his dog picked up worms from other dogs' poo when he brought his dog out for walks. So I guess that it might be a good idea to pull your dog away from other dogs' poos

[dropdedfwed]

Hey Phooey,

Don't be alarmed by the worms...

just go to a vet and buy good brand of wormer, Drontal is probably the best. Make sure you know the weight of your dog first. Better to slightly over do it than to under do it.

i would not bother taking a sample to the vet. they will most likely reach for the drontal anyway! if the worms are there AFTER the drontal, then you may need to take a sample in. don't gross yourself out unnecessarily!

Worming really should be done every 3 months for outdoor dogs. If you use a heartworm tablet, they will do most worms, but not tapeworms, so it is still necessary to worm them every few months to get rid of those. do remmeber that the worming medications are only in the system for a day or so - there is no protective effect, they only kill the worms that are there at that time.

If your dog is not on heartworm medications, it would be wise to have a blood test done at a vet, then start the heartworm prevention asap, as heartworm can be lethal. Though the risk is very low on modern medicines, it can also be a bad move to start the medications without a heartworm blood test, as potentially the medications can kill adult and all microscopic heartworms that are present, causing a systemic shock. It is best to talk to your vet about this.

And yes, worm the family too. anyone who handles animals should be wormed regularly too.

have fun with the dogs fettucine, vermicelli or whatever it looks like

DDF

[dropdedfwed]

Originally Posted by sunniefaith

I dewormed my dog after I got it from the pet shop. Didn't want to deal with squiggly worms at all. I'm not sure what can be done to prevent worms. Was at the vet today and this guy who was with his dog told me that his dog picked up worms from other dogs' poo when he brought his dog out for walks. So I guess that it might be a good idea to pull your dog away from other dogs' poos

ok in theory... but it is the worms eggs and larvae that you can't see that stick to your dog's feet, then when he/she comes inside and cleans the paws, they ingest the worms. these can be in dirt, concrete or grass, even once the poo has been washed away. You cannot really avoid them, unless you carry your dog everywhere!

obviously the higher the dog traffic is in a area, the greater the worm risk.

the solution is easy, and generally quite effective - a good de-wormer every three months.

[sunniefaith]

Originally Posted by dropdedfwed

ok in theory... but it is the worms eggs and larvae that you can't see that stick to your dog's feet, then when he/she comes inside and cleans the paws, they ingest the worms. these can be in dirt, concrete or grass, even once the poo has been washed away. You cannot really avoid them, unless you carry your dog everywhere!

obviously the higher the dog traffic is in a area, the greater the worm risk.

the solution is easy, and generally quite effective - a good de-wormer every three months.

Thanks for that tip. Will have to keep that in mind. Deworm my dog every 3 months. Another one to add to my poor doggy's list. She has scabies right now and she needs some topical stuff every month for that as well.