Tapeworm

Jamie..Lynn

She's itchy.

Not a tape worm thing UNLESS she still has fleas.  Tapeworm are spread via fleas (dog bites at a flea and swallows it and the flea carry the tapeworm larvae).  But the tapeworm itself has nothing to do with itchyness.

Jamie..Lynn

She's skinny in the back.

Tapeworm are an intestinal parasite -- meaning they will take nutrition from the dog and the dog will slowly starve.  Is the dog's size something new?  Have you seen segments in the dog's poop?

Jamie..Lynn

What can I buy to get rid of these things?

VET absolutely.  You can *not* kill tapeworm with anything over the counter.  Seriously -- the tapeworm 'head' embeds itself in the wall of the intestinal tract -- and what you see coming out in the poop are segments that have matured and break off.  There may be one tapeworm, there may be more than one. 

But they aren't a blood-feasting parasite -- so nothing over the counter works.  You **absolutely** need to go to the vet.  If you have seen the segments describe them -- the meds aren't expensive but they are prescription only.

AND you must monitor it -- it can be difficult to 'kill' the head.  And they can re-grow and re-appear in a few months.  So keep after it and monitor the dog to be sure the tapeworm stay 'gone'.   But also -- you have to keep the dog rid of fleas because as I referred to above -- tapeworm are spread via fleas. 

Jamie..Lynn

She's itchy. She's skinny in the back. 

Unless you see the segments that Callie spoke of, you can't be sure these symptoms are related to tapeworms - and there are multiple types of tapeworms (link).  The different types have different intermediate hosts - fleas, rabbits, rodents, sheep, goat, cattle, pig, deer, reindeer, voles, lemmings, shrews, fish, birds, snakes, reptiles, amphibians - and different treatments. 

SafeGuard granules (OTC) will kill roundworms, hookworms, whipworms, and Taenia tapeworms, but not flea tapeworms (Dipylidium caninum).  D-Worm tablets (OTC) will kill flea tapeworms ("More Information" gives the dosage), Taenia tapeworms, and Echinococcus granulosus tapeworms.  The treatment in D-Worm used to only be available by prescription.  I would not give the 2 meds at the same time. 

I would hesitate to use D-Worm on a "skinny" dog until after a vet check.  There could be other things wrong!  Even if you do use OTC treatments, I would strongly recommend a fecal test at the vet afterwards to see if more treatment is necessary.

You may find that it is worth the cost of a vet visit just to have someone else to give the tablets.

I saw a wiggly worm in the stoole of my foster Pokey.  Took the stoole to the vet and it came up clean for no eggs.  Since there was visual of a worm, they assumed tapeworm and gave me Droncit for treatment.  Their costs was $34, on-line purchase with a vet's prescription cost $18.  The fecal exam was $21.