Brandon M Posted November 8, 2006 Report Share Posted November 8, 2006 Can anyone recommend a good OTC dewormer? I noticed this morning that my puppy has some worms *YUCK* and if I can I'd like to go pick up something without having to take him to the vet, cause Im low on money and already owe the vet more than $1500. Most likely he got worms from eating dirt he does that sometimes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alicia Posted November 8, 2006 Report Share Posted November 8, 2006 What kinda worms were they? Were they like spaghetti noodles , these are roundworms or more like ramen noodles, these are tape worms Alot of people shy away from OTC wormers but I have used them without problem on both my dogs and my cats/kittens. They work well IMO. I'd just go to the pet store, feed/ranch store, or what not and make sure that the one you choose is specifically for the type of worms. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brandon M Posted November 8, 2006 Author Report Share Posted November 8, 2006 I'd have to say like ramen noodles lol. pretty thin. Yeah, i'll see whats at the pet store. Im willing to try them out as long as they wont hurt my dog. I'll ask the pet supply store owners too. They have never givin me bad advice before. But I like to ask here first cause of the extensive experience of the folks here, and the care and caution about meds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dura Posted November 8, 2006 Report Share Posted November 8, 2006 Here in the U.K we can now buy the same wormers over the counter that we used to only be able to get from the vet, and they are about 50% cheaper! I usually use Panacur paste for pups and Drontal Plus for anything over 3 months. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sue R Posted November 8, 2006 Report Share Posted November 8, 2006 Some OTC wormers are worthwhile and effective and some are just a waste of money because they don't do an effective job. In addition, different products (OTC or prescription) are effective (or not) on certain parasites but not others. If I were you, I'd take a fresh fecal sample (one with the actual worms on it would be helpful but most analyses are based on finding eggs in the sample) to the vet and get the product that was most suitable and effective. My vet doesn't require a visit if I bring him a sample, and it takes just a short while to get the results. Messing around with OTC products that aren't the right and/or effective treatment is just a waste of time and money. Just my opinion... Best wishes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bcnewe2 Posted November 8, 2006 Report Share Posted November 8, 2006 I agree with Sue but if it's really a money issue you can use SafeGuard (panacure) which will handle most worms except whip. That is a worm you want to treat with a vets help as it is hard to get rid of once in your ground. It shouldn't be to expensive to take in a fecal sample w/out the dog. As long as the vet has treated that dog before they shouldn't have a problem with it. BTW tapeworms are flat and wide. Like tape. it can be in long segments or broken apart into short segments, it will still be wide. Panacure does take care of it. Tapeworm is the worm my nighmares come from. Not because it's dangerous but because it's gross! Good luck Kristen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaggieDog Posted November 8, 2006 Report Share Posted November 8, 2006 When I had an in depth fecal run at the local vets' I only paid $20; the normal fecal exam is $15. No office visit was required. Wormer shouldn't be too expensive from a vet and that way you'll know exactly what kind of worms are there (some can be transmitted to humans) and that you're using the right product. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juliepoudrier Posted November 8, 2006 Report Share Posted November 8, 2006 BorderC, If your pup is on a heartworm preventive like Interceptor, then certain intestinal parasites are already covered--that is, you wouldn't need additional wormers except to cover tapeworms. Interceptor treats monthly for roundworms, hookworms, and whipworms in addition to its HW prevention effects. Some of the other HW preventives, like Heartguard and Revolution, work against a couple of the worms listed, but not against whipworms. So if you are not sure what you're seeing (and TBH the only time I've ever seen, says, rounds, was after a worming when the pup passes the dead worms), it's probably a safe bet that you're seeing tapeworms (generally they can look like small pieces of dry rice or short, flat, white segments that may be moving). But as others have said, if you are unsure of what you're seeing, it's best to have a vet read a fecal sample and see what's there. Otherwise, you'd be wasting your money if you buy an OTC wormer for whips when your dog actually has tapes. FWIW, since I put my dogs on a different HW preventive, I do routinely use an OTC dewormer to cover everything that used to be taken care of by Interceptor. And I think you can get tapeworm meds (praziquantal) fairly cheaply online, but if you're just talking one or two doses for one dog, then you're not likely to be spending a lot getting the wormer from the vet either. Edited to add: Also remember that if it's tapes then your dog may well be picking them up by ingesting fleas while chewing at itchy spots. So if the fleas aren't taken care of, the dog will continue to ingest fleas and have tapes. J. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allie+Tess&Kipp Posted November 8, 2006 Report Share Posted November 8, 2006 Getting a stool sample checked at my vet was only $24, but I can see how if you already owe them $1500 that $24 is not "only $24." When my dog Tess was a tiny pup, she had tapeworms. The worms, highly visible in the stool, dissolved in whatever they used and did not show up in the tests. I was so grossed out. Then I just freaked when they told me nothing showed up on the test, so they gave me a pill to give Tess that was broad-spectrum. Based on my description (the ramen noodle type worms EEWWWWW), they thought it was tapeworms. Kipp had roundworms really bad when we brought him home. It was not something you could see in his stool, that was something that did show up on the test. It was so bad that after I brought him home from the vet where they had given him the wormer, he threw up what must have been something like 3 CUPS worth of worms. It was so disgusting. Those worms, I think, do not leave the dog's body until they are anesthetized or killed by the wormer. He also had them coming out the other end as well. This was repeated once more, but nothing happened with the third worming they gave him. I have not used OTC wormers for my dogs but I would use them if I felt confident that I knew what worm I was dealing with, especially tapeworms. I would not use them for something that definitely needs vet help, but with something like tapeworms I would. Hopefully everyone's descriptions here will help you choose the right one. Allie + Tess & Kipp http://weebordercollie.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kat's Dogs Posted November 8, 2006 Report Share Posted November 8, 2006 When Dazzle got worms as a pup (roundworms) we gave a stool sample to the vet (really cheap) and the vet called us with results next day. Then we just went to pick up the correct de-wormer (again, cheap). That was very effective and I felt sure of what I was doing because the vet had said so. Your vet might be able to just suggest an OTC wormer with just your discription of the worm. I am pretty sure that our vet sells OTC stuff as well as perscription so you could just get it from the vet - usually they will cooperate and give advice without any charge or anything. Best of luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dancing Cavy Posted November 8, 2006 Report Share Posted November 8, 2006 From what I've heard, OTC wormers are generally useless. And none cover tapeworms. Assuming your dog has been into the vet within the last year, you can probably get meds without even running a fecal. If you call in and describe the worms you're seeing, they can usually set you up with meds just from that. Or, at least we did when I worked at a vets' office. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alicia Posted November 8, 2006 Report Share Posted November 8, 2006 Originally posted by bcnewe2:BTW tapeworms are flat and wide. Like tape. it can be in long segments or broken apart into short segments, it will still be wide. Panacure does take care of it. Tapeworm is the worm my nighmares come from. Not because it's dangerous but because it's gross! Good luck Kristen Not always, the tape worms around here are flat and narrow. They grow the longer they are in an animal and usually the ones you see in feces will be narrow and shorter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dancing Cavy Posted November 8, 2006 Report Share Posted November 8, 2006 Tapes usually look like little bits of rice in the dog's poop. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brandon M Posted November 8, 2006 Author Report Share Posted November 8, 2006 Thanks for your suggestions. I found a site online that actually has pics of different types of worms. http://www.beaglesunlimited.com/beagleheal...stinalworms.htm - WARNING WORM PICS! and a pretty creepy close up of a hookworm mouth, yikes, they have sharp teeth! After looking at the pics I think they are roundworms. But today I haven't seen any worms in his feces so i'm not 100% sure. BTW I just started him on Heartguard today, so maybe that'll kill his intestinal worms too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alicia Posted November 8, 2006 Report Share Posted November 8, 2006 Was he wormed when he was getting his first pup shots? If not, or if he was only wormed a time or two, it is likely that he has roundworms as most pups have them. That site, doesnt show what the tape worms look like in feces. Tapeworms look like that in the intestine only, or when they are killed and come out in the feces. When they are shed in the feces prior to being de-wormed, they look anywhere from grains of rice, to a slightly longer then that flat segment. The key is that the round worms will be visibly round and the tapeworms will be flatter and only round when they move, which is really grosse Here's a good pic of what a tapeworm will look like in the feces http://www.caaeonline.org/Vet%20tech/paras...proglottids.jpg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brandon M Posted November 8, 2006 Author Report Share Posted November 8, 2006 Ah, well it's definitely not tapeworm then. they look like little squiggly worms, like in the pics i linked to of the roundworms, only smaller because I guess he just hasn't been infected for long. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alicia Posted November 8, 2006 Report Share Posted November 8, 2006 Ok, good Just wanted to make sure. So, roundworms he probably got from Momma. Or, from eating the dirt especially if a cat has been defecating in it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allie+Tess&Kipp Posted November 8, 2006 Report Share Posted November 8, 2006 Roundworms look like big white spaghetti. Or at least they did when Kipp threw up huge amounts of them. EWWWWW Allie + Tess & Kipp http://weebordercollie.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alicia Posted November 8, 2006 Report Share Posted November 8, 2006 They depend on the size of the animal and the length of infection. Poor Kipp probably had them for along time which made them large. In a pup though they'll be thinner Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juliepoudrier Posted November 8, 2006 Report Share Posted November 8, 2006 Originally posted by Dancing Cavy:From what I've heard, OTC wormers are generally useless. And none cover tapeworms. Where are you getting this information from? I was able to get OTC Nemex II for the pups and the vet said it was just fine. Safeguard products are fenbendazole (also available as cattle wormer, by the way), which also works well and is available OTC. The praziquantal *tapeworm* tabs you can get OTC used to be available from the vet, so it's unlikely they worked for the vet but are useless now that they're available OTC. And since they are specifically for tapeworms and are certainly available other than from the vet, ISTM that you are spreading misinformation. If you know what wormer ingredients are effective and then buy wormers containing those ingredients and give to your dog at the proper dose, they should work just fine. J. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alicia Posted November 8, 2006 Report Share Posted November 8, 2006 I agree, all of those chemicals are used not only on catte, but bi-monthly on horses as well as commonly in goats. They're safe, effective and cheap. Parziquantel, Fenbendazole, Pyrantel Pamoate are all used in these species. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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