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Optional Information: Type of Animal: labrador retriever Gender: Female Age: 9 years Name of Animal: lucy Already Tried: For 2 weeks I'm seeing teeny tiny multiple 1/5 size of rice white moving things, moving through my dog's feces. Basic Stool exam negative, and she was given the basic pills for the normal tapeworm. I did give her a pig's raw leg bone from high end pet store 6 weeks ago.
Hello - I am Dr. Matt - I would be glad to help you with your question.Are you seeing the worms when she defecates or an hour or so after she defecates?Do the worms look like this:http://www.maggots.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/photos-of-maggots-size.jpgDoes she have any worms around her rear end?
Worms become more active a five or so minutes later....and if I wait much later the stool is speckled with them. She has no worms seeen on rear end. No they do not look like the maggots on the site u sent me.
Thanks for the additional information.If the worms are not seem immediately after she defecates (within 10-15 seconds) then I do not think that these are intestinal parasites that are coming from within her body. More then likely these worms are actually coming from the environment in which the stool on the ground has attracted them. Even though they did not look like the maggots in the picture there are many different types of fly maggots that we see. During the summer time it is very common to see maggots that are in the grass or soil that come out to ingest any feces that they can find almost immediately.Since you have already had her dewormed for tapeworms and have had a few fecal samples checked I do not think that you have anything to worry about. Most likely these are some form of insect larvae that only appear after she has defecated and are not present in her body at all.I would strongly suggest taking on of the worms to your vet to have them look at it for you. This is the absolute best way to confirm that these are not parasitic worms. They should do this for free with you since you have already had a few fecal samples checked.
Please clarify one thing....I saw one or two moving within 30 seconds and then as minutes went by I saw much more moving through the feces. R u saying that this can still be insect maggots?
I have seen maggots appear in the stool very quickly if the stool is on the ground. Thirty seconds is very soon though therefore I cannot rule out worms such as tapeworms that would also fit this description. One other way that you can tell the difference is that tapeworms are flat and maggots/insect larvae are generally round. If all of the worms are round then a maggot would be the most likely diagnosis and this is not any harm to Lucy. I would definitely consider taking a couple of these worms to your vet though as I have seen some rare worms in a dog's stool before, though honestly maggots are still very likely to be the cause.
Experience: 10 years of experience including dogs, cats, and pocket pets
Hi,I'm just following up on our conversation about Lucy. How is everything going?Dr. Matt