dog deworming

Question
How can I deworm my almost 2 year old shepard without having to take her to the vet?  She has the worms that look like rice in her poop.  As a pup she had and survived parvo.  Thank you.

Answer
Hi Sheri,

Tapeworm segments look like grains of rice in a dog's stools.

Tapeworm is not affected by routine dog worming treatments such as those made for other intestinal parasites like roundworm, whipworm or hookworm. I suggest that you try a broad spectrum dewormer, one which has been shown to be effective against tapeworms, and follow the directions on the package. You will probably need to re-treat your dog in about 2 weeks, to kill off any new worms that will have hatched.

You can find dewormers at larger pet stores such as PetSmart, and farm suppuly stores. Brands to look for are Safe-Guard Canine Dewormer, Drontal allwormer, and Paratak Plus. There are lots of other brands to choose from.

Humans can get tapeworms from their dogs, and children are particularly susceptible. Don't let your dog lick you near your mouth, and don't crush any fleas you might see with your fingernails. Fleas carry tapeworm, so flea control is important if you see any.

Tapeworms can be hard to treat, over-the-counter wormers aren't always effective. If you want to try to treat this yourself give it a time limit, after that, if the condition continues bring a stool sample to the vet and they can give you the a prescription treatment that will work.

I hope I've been a help.
Best of luck,

Patti