If you have a weak stomach, you might not want to read this. I get queasy just thinking about it.
Last night my dog vomited a ton. It smelled horrible and had worms in it. I did extensive research and it doesn't look like tapeworms. It looked more like maggots. Judging from the stain on the carpet, there was blood in the vomit. He didn't get sick anymore last night and appears to acting fine this morning. I have a call into the vet (they don't open till noon), of course, to have him checked out. I'm just wondering if anyone has had this happen? Is it possible that he just ate something bad? (The stupid dog loves to chew on dead animals. We live close to a woods, so there's no shortage of them.)
**Added** I looked up round worms, pin worms and heart worms and it doesn't look like any of them. Hmm....The worms were alive and the blood was very red. That's what has me the most concerned. We live on a 2 acre farm and my dog likes to hide to do his business, so I don't know if I'll be able to get a stool sample. We can't quite figure out where he poops because he's so sneaky about it! Good for clean up, but not good if I need to get a stool sample! LOL!
Please don't bash me for not rushing him to the emergency vet right away. The only one that's close to us is ridiculously expensive and they aren't that good. They always suggest that the animal be put down. I was up several times checking on him and, other than the vomit, he's acting completely normal.
We live in an itty bitty town, so there's really only one option for veterinary care. We love our vet :) There is an emergency clinic that we would obviously take him to if the condition was life threatening.
I did speak with the vet. She feels that he most likely ate something that didn't sit well and it immediately came back up and that's why the worms were still alive. My husband sucked some of the worms up with our bagless vacuum, so as soon as I have the stomach for it, I'll dig around in there and find some to take to the vet. They also suggested that we put him in his kennel when we know he has to do is business so that we can get a sample. The vet doesn't feel that the situation is life threatening at this point, so our pooch has an appointment scheduled for Friday.
Thanks for all your advice! :)
sounds like he ate a dead critter in the woods. Dogs are loyal but most are not very bright and will wolf anything down. I'd wait to see how he is for the rest of the day and go from there.
You're right - it isi gross and I have to "cleanse my mind" now! ;o)
He probably ate a dead animal with maggots in it and threw it up... That's my guess!
I wouldn't have taken him to emergency either, especially if he was acting normal. My dog, Floyd, is the biggest dumpster diver ever. It is gross. He will eat anything, including his own poop. (Sorry to anyone who is reading this while eating).
I'm sure your dog just ate something bad from outside. Sounds like it could have been a dying or dead animal, especially if there were worms and maggots. It's crazy that the weirdest things smell good to them...like the butts of other dogs. I will just never understand that. Good luck. I hope he is OK. Let us know.
Is he on heartworm prevention? That's kinda what it sounds like. I would keep an eye on his breathing. Were the worms moving or were they dead and looked kinda like rice? Hopefully just a parasite that is easily treated. Either way, I wouldn't rush him to the emergency vet either. Wait until you hear from yours and then take him there.
I would think the vomit sample would be something they might want to see. He might have consumed something dead that had magots. I hope he is fine.
No reason for you to have rushed him to the emergency vet. He wasn't lathargic or acting in distress. One of my cats was injured Sunday and I waited until Monday morning to take him in. The er vet in my area isn't that good in my opinion.
Your guy probably ate something that didn't agree with him and once he got it out he was ok. I would definately follow up with the regular vet just to make sure. They can pick up parasites and stuff like that so best to get a stool sample taken so you can insure everything is ok with your dog.
I would take the dog to your vet ASAP for treatment for possible worms/heartworms. Such things are best treated early. If he ate something bad, it might have died naturally...or not. Keep an eye on him in case the critter was poisoned.
You may be right and it is maggots if he tends to eat dead things. If you still have the vomit, as others have suggested take that with you to the vet. You can also give them a nice description. Sometimes they will just go ahead and do a broad spectrum general dewormer and either check a fecal after treatment, or go ahead and check if there is a sample available and they know what they are treating for. Some dewormers work better for certain worms. Also if he will potty while on a leash give that a try after he has a meal to get a stool sample. If you take him with you to the vet, they try and get stool out, not very hard if there is any there. Most dogs do fine and don't mind too much. I wouldn't worry that you didn't go to the ER vet, it sounds like he is doing fine overall. We have waited several times before for the next day depending on what was going on, so I know how that goes.
Tapeworms can have small segments that look like grains of rice when dry, but usually if they are in vomit they are much larger. Assuming he is on monthly heartworm preventive, most have a dewormer also for several common intestinal parasites as well as heartworms. At the point most dogs would be vomiting up heart worms, you probably would have noticed a cough, decreased exercise, etc too (not always, but usually). Since you have been having fun looking at worm pictures you probably have a pretty good idea of what you may have at this point.
Have a fun talk with your vet when they open soon and hope you get a quick fix.
I think it's pretty common for a dog to barf up worms. I'm sure the vet will give you a dewormer and all will be fine. Don't panic too much. He'll be fine.
Yuck! I just got into a fifteen minute DROP IT!!! fight with my husky. I thought she got something alive, and was trying to eat it. But, no looks like someone threw a rib over the fence, grrr. Is he on a heart worm preventative? If not then I would have him tested just to be safe, these cases are pretty serious. Honestly I would be more concerned about the blood in the vomit as opposed to the worms. Did he throw up any bones? If he has been chewing on dead animals, he could have punctured something internally. I am sorry about the vet situation, we had to switch because ours sucked too. It's a much further drive, by cut our costs by half and the vet is awesome!
The first thing is: Definitely get him to the vet. Second: Your vet doesn't open until noon? On a weekday? Get a backup vet that has 'better business hours'. Look around for a vet that has better hours...ask friends or local mamasource 'friends'.
But obviously try to get a stool sample. You don't know where he poops? So it's never cleaned up? Maybe he's eating it. You should probably make it a point to get that figured out too for sanitary reasons -- probably not great to never clean it up. And if he eats it, you would want to know that too. That could be a sign of another issue.
The vet may not even need a stool sample too though. And they have ways to get it if you can't, I'm pretty sure.
I understand about trying to figure it out on your own. I do that all the time. Hopefully you got some good 'clues' but definitely try to find a vet w/ better hours, find out where he poops to clean up the 'messes' or find out if he's eating it, and that way you can kind of monitor him for general heath issues too in the future.
Some worms can kinda look like that. Your best bet will be the at the vet, they can look under the microscope at a stool sample. I wouldn't be inclined to think it was maggots, unless they were dead. You didn't say if the 'worms' were moving or not.
Yup, it's gross, but I know how worrisome this is when your pet does this! I had a cat do this once, he threw up a huge tape worm. Yuck!!
Did you save a sample of the worms/vomit in a container to show the vet?
Hi,
I would take him in to the vet for sure to have the dog checked, but just FYI.... If the dog ate something like a dead animal with maggots in it or on it and threw it back up, they would have been dead. The acid in your dog's tummy would have killed them, and they would have been dead so if they were moving, then that is not what the issue is. Also, you said there was blood too? If the blood is digested blood, it would not be red, but would be much darker. Almost dark brown to black. It could be red if it hasn't been in the stomach for long, or if it hasn't been digested, so I just thought I would give you that info. I honestly think it could be roundworms or pinworms. Most likely roundworms. They are easy to get rid of in dogs. Please be careful to wash up every surface that had the vomit and any feces on it as they can be transmitted to other animals and even people through fecal matter. Again, they are fairly easy to get rid of with a prescription. How old is the dog? They are really common in puppies, and also dogs who get a bunch of fleas get them too. Good luck, I wish you and your pooch the best! It is so difficult to watch your best buddy go through anything like this! Please update us once you know what it is and he is ok. I will be thinking of you both! :))
If you collected some of the "worms" in a container to take with you to the vet, that would be ideal.
As for a stool sample, does your dog have a "command" to use the bathroom? If so, leash him, and take him for a walk and give the command. Bag it.
