Nemex
The vet called and left a message that the blood test was negative for heart worms and to start the medication. They also said the fecal showed no sign of worms. Sooooooooooo, my question is: why should I give the Nemex if there are no worms? Does anyone know if this covers parisites that don't show up on a fecal? I know I should call the Vet but just noticed oon my calender that TODAY is the day I am suppoed to give the NEMEX. |
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| I would go ahead and give the worming medication anyway... I'm one who hates to medicate for things that are not necessary, but virutally all puppies are born with worms. Even if the mother tests negative, she carries the worm eggs dormantly, and in late stages of pregnancy they become active and are passed on to puppies. Adult dog immune systems are usually strong enough to clean up the infestation themselves, which is why adult dogs are rarely found to have worms if they are healthy. The worms may not show in a puppy fecal exam, but when the pups hormone levels rise with growth spurts etc the eggs encysted in the inner tissues of the dog may become active. The worming med won't get rid of these eggs anyway, so it's a personal decision I guess.
Both roundworms and coccidia are something almost all dogs carry, whether it is active or not. Roundworms, the most common parasite, are carried as microscopic eggs in the lining of the intestine and stomach. The eggs can remain dormant for months or even years, and commonly hormone levels in the dog stimulate them to grow. The eggs are carried in the bloodstream to the lungs, then the eggs hatch and the larvae crawl up the dogs windpipe and tickles the throat. The dog then coughs and gags and inevitably swallows at least some of the larvae. The larvae develop into worms in the stomach and begin the cycle all over again. It is not always detectable in their stools, so even if a fecal sample is negatvie, it is still very possible, and even likely if the dog has not been dewormed in a while, for the dog to have roundworm. If he was dewormed as a pup at least twice, then he may very well not need to be done again.... |
Thanks, He is 8 years old and has not had any other wormer but heart worms for years. We lived in "the city" til late this fall and he had contact with a few dogs and never "ran". Now we live in the country and the vet is recommending a fecal check every 4 months....... There still aren't other dogs around (other than my new pup, due to arrive in 2 weeks  ) but there are lots of animals through my land (deer, skunks, woodchucks etc) and the Vet thinks we now need to be more concerned about worms. In fact we just spent the last couple hours digging in a pile of topsoil to make flower beds and Tasker was "helping"  so who knows what he's going to pick up now!!!!!
I could go on and on about the transition of an old "city" dog to the "country" but that's another post!!!!! Let's just say the city boy is having some adjustment problems!!  |
| At 8 years, if he is healthy, and the check was negative, then maybe give your vet a call, and just ask if you should bother. Maybe you can hold on to the med for another time, if he has more exposure and is more likely to pick them up in the future. I think the shelf life of that med is 3 years in pill form, but I'm not sure..... |
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