[RoundwormInfected]

Hi,

Recently my 6 month puppy threw up on the floor and we noticed his vomit was infested with roundworms and immediately took him to the vet. This was a surprise to us because we had him de-wormed twice when we got him from a rescue, as well as, got his poop sent to a lab to make sure he did not have anything.

We still noticed he had chronic diarrhea so we got special gastric food from the vet and that seemed to fix the diarrhea, but we still always noticed a concern with his growth. Our puppy, Moose, is an Anatolian Shepherd/German Shepherd mix (what the rescue said) and from his traits and appearance it seems possible. The one issue is at 6 months he is 50lbs and about 21 inches at the shoulders, which I know is small for either of those breeds.

My questions are: Is it possible that the roundworms really stunted his growth that much or is it likely he was just meant to be smaller? If his growth is stunted can there be side effects that will cause health issues later? Also, when we do get a handle on the worms will he be able to grow up to his potential?

Thank you to anyone who takes a look and/or answers a few questions. I just feel like an awful parent for not noticing the signs and I want to know if I jeopardized my dogs future.

 

[MrsCunningham]

Puppies need to be wormed every 2 weeks until 12 weeks then once a month until an adult.
Having worms can stunt a pups growth but once all worms are cleared usually pup grows just fine, but that sounds like a reasonable size for his age.

 

[RoundwormInfected]

Wish vets would mention these type of things about having to worm multiple times, and the store products for worming are good for prevention?

thank you for the reply, i appreciate it.

 

[TiggerBounce]

Roundworms really shouldn't stunt his growth. It's actually a good thing that he's growing slowly. With large-giant breeds, you don't want them to grow fast. That's really hard on their joints and bones. Slow growth is great! With a mix, you never know how big or small they'll be. And with the mix you have, he will continue to fill out until he's 2. So honestly I wouldn't worry! As long as he's continuing to gain weight and not lose, he's probably fine.

As for worming and how often, IMO, every 2 weeks is excessive. We usually give puppies a dose of roundworm meds maybe twice when they come in for their shots, which is about 3 weeks apart. The stuff we give them is very gentle. I would NOT get him anything over the counter from the petstore. Those meds can really wreck havoc on their GI tract.

We also always recommend a fecal. The stuff we give for free just treats roundworm, which is very, very common in puppies. It sounds like you had a fecal done, and it was all negative. So likely he picked up roundworm since. It's not uncommon at all. They usually get it from exposure to feces (eating it, or stepping in it and licking paw) from other dogs that have roundworm. So if you go to public places where lots of dogs are, then theres your answer. Dog parks, day care, boarding, community potty areas at apartments or condos etc.

What I would do is go back to the vet and use what they script out. Do another fecal just in case to make sure there's nothing else you need to treat for, and he'll be fine. Usually a fecal is recommended to do yearly unless you actually are seeing worms in stool or vomit, or you're having other GI issues with him. I personally never worm my dogs. Some people do it every 6 months to a year. There are also monthly preventatives you can get a prescription for and use. I think Trifexis protects against a lot of common internal parasites.

 

[MrsCunningham]

As for worming and how often, IMO, every 2 weeks is excessive. .

Its our normal protocol, we have never had any issues of puppies wit GI problems due to worming.
But meh different countries I suppose

 

[TiggerBounce]

Its our normal protocol, we have never had any issues of puppies wit GI problems due to worming.
But meh different countries I suppose

I guess!

We've had people bring pups to the clinic quite a few times that had gi issues after giving wormer they bought from a feed store or pet store. It was just way too harsh. It just depends on the ingredients I guess. The stuff we give prophylactically has never had that issue. I do wonder if it's in part because the stuff at the pet store is too much. It's stronger and designed to kill lots of different parasites, vs the stuff we give is only roundworm, as roundworm is most common. We always recommend a fecal to see if anything else is needed so the dog doesn't get overloaded with meds.

Our vets also don't really advise worming prophylactically past puppyhood unless the dog has a positive fecal. The way they see it is that it is poison. Even if it's widely considered safe and will have no serious immediate effects....It's not really good to use a poison unless you really need to.

 

[RoundwormInfected]

The vet this time gave him a pill and we are to give him another pill 14 days from there. I think I will stay away from overcounter items then. He has a sensitive system as it is. Maybe I will ask for another fecal check to be sure it is gone this time. Sounds like if there are worms in his vomit then he has/had quite a bit in his system, so might be good to check.

Good point about being a mix because we really do not know if either parent was purebred anatolian or german shepherd. He will still be a handsom boy though. I will have to post pictures of my dogs and maybe change my name so it is not so lame. The sight looks like it has a lot of good stuff to check out.

I appreciate all of the responses and you both have definitely made me feel better about our situation.

 

[Rain]

If you use a monthly heartworm preventative it will also kill some of the intestinal worms. In the Southern U.S., especially the gulf coast states, heartworm is epidemic and if a dog is not on heartworm preventative it will likely them, it's highly recommended to have a dog on one of the preventatives.