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my puppy had stringy, pasta-like substances in his stool today, and he has been defecating 4-5 times per day, although it was just this last time that i observed this substance. i have been looking online, and everyone seems to be saying that white stringy substances in stool generally mean worms, but this was not white but rather a light brown, and my fiance keeps saying that he got a shot last week to prevent parasites. do you have any suggestions?
Optional Information: Age: <1; Male; Breed: husky/german shepherd Already Tried: nothing. this afternoon was the first time i noticed the issue.
Hi there and thanks for your question.Here is a picture of a roundworm for you:If what you saw looked like that (even if it was brown) then this likely is a case of worms. It may be that the worms are now coming out in the stool because they have been killed by the deworming medicine that he had. It can often take a few days for the medicine to take effect and once it does, the worms get passed in the stool.I hope this information helps! If you have more questions regarding this problem, just hit reply. If I am online I will respond right away. Otherwise I will respond as soon as I come online again. Or, if my answer is sufficient, then please hit accept. Thanks!Dr. Marie.The above is given for information only. Although I am a licensed veterinarian, I cannot legally prescribe medicines or diagnose your pet's condition without performing a physical exam. If you have concerns about your pet I would highly advise contacting your regular veterinarian.
thank you so much!! how would i know if the worms are dead, and how long will it take for them to completely pass from his body? i'm just curious because i'd like to be sure to monitor him properly so that i know whether or not he'll need additional medication. also, if my fiancee was wrong, and he did not get this medication, is this still how the stool would look?
Almost all deworming medicines are very good at killing roundworms and if the worms look anything like the picture above this is probably what you are seeing. You likely wouldn't see them in the stool if he didn't get any medicine (because they are quite happy to stay in the body until killed). However, we always recommend repeating a deworming 10-14 days after the first one. The reason for this is that the medicine doesn't kill the larval stages. If we deworm at this point then we kill these worms once they have become adults but before they get the chance to reproduce.Hope that helps!Dr. Marie.
Experience: Compassionate licensed veterinarian with >20 years experience with cats, dogs and pocket pets