WORMS?

[reba]

We have 5 dogs.

They are on Heart Guard.

I can see Tape worms in some of the stools. Hard to tell who belongs to what.

Three of these dogs hunt and travel in many states and could have gotten into and/or eaten lizards, mice, birds, etc

Should I treat for Tape worms only or use a full spectrum worming?

Will a full spectrum worming harm a dog with no worms?

Thank you.

[Ricky Ticky Shorthairs]

I don't think heart guard gets tapes. Panacur does. Giving both won't harm them. Panacur needs to be given for 3 days.

Doug

[MonsterDad]

If you use a full spectrum wormer that is effective against tapes then you are limited to Drontal Plus.

Are you using Heartguard or Heartguard Plus? If Plus then you probably should just use Droncit.

Panacur doesn't kill the tape from fleas.

[mountaindogs]

My responses below are underlined.

We have 5 dogs.

They are on Heart Guard.
Heart Guard only covers Heartworms, roundworms, and hookworms. Not whipworms or tapeworms

I can see Tape worms in some of the stools. Hard to tell who belongs to what.
There is a good chance your dogs also have fleas. It is the most common carrier of tapeworms to dogs. As long as the fleas are there the dogs will quickly re-infect with tapeworms even after treatment.

Three of these dogs hunt and travel in many states and could have gotten into and/or eaten lizards, mice, birds, etc

Should I treat for Tape worms only or use a full spectrum worming?
Your choice. Me, I go for full spectrum. Why not. And whipworms are an issue here in the southeast, as well. But the only truly full spectrum I know of covering tapes is Drontal. Safeguard (Panacur) does NOT, but it does cover whipworms. Drontal is prescription only. Works very well, one dose.

Will a full spectrum worming harm a dog with no worms?
If dosed correctly, No.

Thank you.

[shags]

You can use fenbendazole (panacur or safeguard) as a broad spectrum wormer but it only kills one species of tapeworm. So unless you can sort out which type your dogs are carrying IMO you are better off using praziquantal for the tapes and a broad spectrum if you want to.

I use Safeguard liquid goat wormer a few times a year on my dogs; it's relatively safe. And praziquantel when needed. Several online vendors have decent prices on each. I buy a product called Fish Tape which is less expensive than other sources of praziquantal.

I've had good results dosing the Safeguard three days in a row, ten days apart; praziquantal seems to be effective in a single dose.

[MonsterDad]

We have 5 dogs.

They are on Heart Guard.

I can see Tape worms in some of the stools. Hard to tell who belongs to what.

Three of these dogs hunt and travel in many states and could have gotten into and/or eaten lizards, mice, birds, etc

Should I treat for Tape worms only or use a full spectrum worming?

Will a full spectrum worming harm a dog with no worms?

Thank you.

You could save a ton of money not using Heartquard and using liquid or paste for heartworms..5 dogs you could save around $400 a year.

[Cajun Casey]

OMG, just get some triple wormer and do them all. It won't hurt to double up on the pyrantel for a month. Active ingredient you are looking for is praziquantal (sp). You can also use Tapeworm Tabs, but a big dog needs 170 mg, so it's pricey.

[reba]

Thanks to all that responded. It help me make my decision.

This morning they all got Drontal Plus.

Saturday the two GSP are going to rattlesnake avoidance.

[SubMariner]

OMG, just get some triple wormer and do them all. It won't hurt to double up on the pyrantel for a month. Active ingredient you are looking for is praziquantal (sp). You can also use Tapeworm Tabs, but a big dog needs 170 mg, so it's pricey.

We have used Triple Wormer in the past & it works great. The dogs don't have any problems taking it & it's readily available from places like Tractor Supply.

(BTW, they are on a heartguard plus type product which we give them every 45 days.)

[dog dr]

Thanks to all that responded. It help me make my decision.

This morning they all got Drontal Plus.

Saturday the two GSP are going to rattlesnake avoidance.

Better give them something for fleas or the tapes will be back.

[Neil]

Thanks to all that responded. It help me make my decision.

This morning they all got Drontal Plus.

Saturday the two GSP are going to rattlesnake avoidance.

Better give them something for fleas or the tapes will be back.

Yep, since I have never had a flea problem, I have never had tape worms.

I don't go to the vet unless I have what I think is a serious problem, blood in the stool for more than two days or tape worm segments and we are loading up.