whipworms

G

Georgie'sMom

Forums Regular
We noticed Gracie was throwing up and had messy stools; refused to go on walks for a few days. We took stool sample to vet and both she and George have whipworms.
They are back to their frisky selves after medication. Is there something we need to do to help prevent another infestation of this? Is there something we need to watch with the medicine?
And more good news about George (couldn't relate to me when we first rescued him). Well, it's almost one year since we got him and he has made huge breakthrough in last few weeks: he comes to me, snuggles in, wants scratches and love, and "talks" to me to tell me what he wants my husband to do--so far I have figured out "treat", outside to pee, outside to walk, and bedtime. I am so blessed to be a part of his transformation!
 
Usually reccomended to retreat with dewormer in a few weeks and keep dog flops cleaned up. Whips can live in the soil for a long time so may want to use a different area for toileting. Interceptor, if you can get any, treats whips too.
 
To completely break the life cycle of Whipworms you need to treat for 3 days, repeat in 3 weeks and again in 3 months. tough to get rid of and tough to find in stool samples.
 
To elaborate just a tad, controlling whipworms these days is a bit of a challenge.
The 'life cycle' of roundworms and hookworms is 3 weeks. So you worm them to kill the adults, you worm them again 3 weeks later (or weekly for 3 weeks), to kill larvae that have hatched out, and you should be set.
Unfortunately, the life cycle of whipworms is 3 months long, so after you worm them they can continue to form adult worms for three months, very likely reseeding the environment and reinfesting the dog during that time.

A good method of control/elimination is to treat , then go on a heartworm preventative, which you are giving each month anyway, which kills whipworms. Thus you are taking care of the larvae as they hatch out over a several month period.
Unfortunately, the best heartworm preventative for this is Interceptor, which is currently (and perhaps permanently) unavailable. - Dr. Mac
 
Looking up alternatives, we currently use Iverton. What about this one?

Brand Name
Advantage Multi (Bayer)





Generic Name
Imidacloprid, Moxidectin
Sure want to protect my babies!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top