Dog on Heartgard, has soft/light evening stool. Are hookworms back?

Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! HeartguardPlus has pyrantel as an ingredient, which kills adult and immature intestinal parasites. Depending on the stage of infection, it can take several days for all of the adult worms to die and be passed in the feces. It is normal to see different types of worms in the feces, as this product kills several types of worms, which are very common in puppies. If you notice that your puppy is continuing to have diarrhea after several days, I recommend bringing a stool sample from Blaze to your vet to determine which parasites are present. I hope this helps and wish you luck with your new puppy!

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! There are many ways to treat things that are all appropriate. The dose of dewormer is weight dependent so if the same drug was used it is likely the new dog weighs more or they used a different dewormer. A lot of vets use the heart worm prevention as a dewormer because it also takes care of intestinal parasites. It is really Vet preference. I hope this helps!

Hello, & thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. I do not think you have anything to worry about. The stool could look this way more from the stress of the veterinary visit, than from the Heartgard. It can take approximately 8 hours from the time a substance is swallowed to the time it is passed back out, so I very much doubt that the medication caused this. Now, if Max had vomited within 30 minutes or so of swallowing the Heartgard, then I would say this is the probable cause. So, as long as he is eating & drinking regular, & his stool does not get looser, then he will be perfectly fine.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Yes, I recommend treating with first round then repeating a round 3-4 weeks after the first. Then her stool rechecked 4 weeks after the 2nd round. Be sure to start your dog on a good heartworm preventative like Intercpetor or Sentinel which can help prevent reinfection with Hookworms. If your dog has been off heartworm preventatives have her tested before restarting. I hope this helps and good luck!

I am sorry to hear about your concern for Poppie! Depending on when your groomer saw the worms, it is possible they could have been worms killed by the dewormer and then pooped out. There are also different kinds of worms one may see in the stool, some of which are not killed by the commonly used dewormer or the dewormer in heartgaurd (such as tapeworms). I would recommend dropping a stool sample off for your vet to check under the microcsope, or if your groomer sees another worm having them save it and bring it in for your vet to check. Your vet can then prescribe the appropriate dewormer for Poppie.

How long ago was she treated for Hookworms? Did she receive a second treatment? Typically with Hookworms two treatments are needed. I would also recommend rechecking a stool to make sure she doesn't have any other type of parasites. Did she get into anything recently or any type of new food? If this is the case then she may just have an upset stomach. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Hello and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Parasite eggs are microscopic so I'm wondering if what you're seeing in the stool is actually eggs. It could be adult roundworms or even tapeworm eggs. It is not uncommon to see the adult roundworms as they are killed by the deworming process. If it is tapeworm eggs, you may need to end up treating for fleas (as this is how tapeworms are spread). The Dolpac should help treat for tapeworms and the praziquantel should be effective for giardia and roundworms. It is possible that you may end up needed to retreat but I suspect what you are seeing may be normal for the deworming process. Definitely take a fecal sample back to your veterinarian in about 3 weeks to ensure the infection is cleared. Also the prevent reinfection make sure to clean up your dogs feces from the yard. If at any time Echo seems to be acting ill or has diarrhea I would take her back to your veterinarian.