could my dog have worms

Why do I have to change bedding and vaccum, I don't see them anywhere but inside his poop?  Also, if he has worms, would they be in every single poop he did?  I don't want to take a stool sample to the vet if the "white hair's" aren't in that particular poop.  I don't mean to sound stupid, but I am not familiar with worms at all.

 K Grossness here, but basically you have to change bedding, and clean really well, because the eggs of the worm cling to the anal region of the dog, causing itching and thus the scooting.  Once those eggs are injested by a flea or other insect and then by the dog, they become another worm.  The worm lives in the intestine of the dog, and segments break off and are passed in the poop, recreating the cycle. 

So you have to kill the worm, and get rid of the eggs as well to really be sure the infestation is gone.  

I do believe that any fecal sample would show evidence of tapeworm if there is one.  

huskymom

 I do believe that any fecal sample would show evidence of tapeworm if there is one.  

Actually, without the owner seeing tapeworms or one of the techs seeing tapeworm segments in the stool, they are more difficult to find in fecal samples than other types of worms.  They just don't produce eggs nearly as prolifically as hook, whip, & round worms do.

I would take in a stool sample just to be safe.  Tapeworms look like a grain of rice, or cucumber seed.  Hookworms look like a very fine piece of white hair in the stool.  Either way, they will need to be treated.

Shelley75

I saw what looked like white hair inside his poop.  There were quite a few "white hairs."  Could this be worms?  I'm going to take a fecal sample to his vet tomorrow for peace of mind, but was wondering if it could be worms.  He takes Interceptor every month, never missed a dose.  I thought dogs couldn't get worms on this medication?

"white hair" does NOT sound like tapeworm to me -- tape worms resemble white square pieces or a longer segmented strip of small square pieces.  Then when they are out of the body and you see them in poop -- it's gross -- they *wriggle*.  But later they look like dried pieces of rice (either in their bedding or stuck to their bums).

I would honestly take the dog to the vet and let the vet SEE the dog and take their own sample.  Because the dog may well be anemic IF it is whips (and it sounds more like whips).

Interceptor only stays in the body about 24 hours.  So once a month it kills all parasites.  BUT if the dog gets infected later after the med was given yes, the dog can have hooks, whips, or heartworm microfilaria.  Interceptor is a better drug than other heartworm preventives because it DOES deal with these things on a monthly basis.  But whips are nasty, nasty things ... they can debilitate some dogs VERY fast. 

Just to let you all know, I took a fecal sample to the vet on Monday and found out this morning it was negative!  I'm so happy!  I guess the little white hairs are due to him licking or biting himself and actually ingesting them.  It cost $53 for the test, but it was worth it for peace of mind, that I know he's okay.

 Michelle

  That's good news Michelle; I'm glad he's okay.

good for you Michelle -- man, sometimes that peace of mind is expensive but SO worth it.  I kept thinking "white hairs" -- man that just didn't sound right.  so gosh I'm glad you made sure!!!

There are various types of worms and no one pesticide will kill them all.  You can gets lots of information on worms at: http://pet-information.peteducation.com/search?w=worms

Some worms that can infect both dogs and humans can be very serious in humans. 

Glad to hear that your dog doesn't have worms!! 

Did your vet check to see if your pet's anal glands were full?  That can cause scooting.