Reptile & Amphibian Forums

My dog just started dragging her butt on the carpet recently. She only goes outside to use the bathroom is that matters. Does this mean she has worms? She was wormed as a puppy but i know there are several kinds of worms. If she does have worms what can i do about it, preferable with out spending too much money. Thanks

Many worms can be checked for by taking a fresh stool specimen to your veterinarian's office for them to check under a microscope. You may not even need to take the dog.

Tapeworms tend not to show up this way, but sometimes you can spot them around the dog's anus, just tiny pieces. A well-nourished dog could be harboring tapeworms for a long time without signs.

One thing that works well for anal glands and some other problems in this area is to put apple cidar vinegar on a couple of folded paper towels and rub the anal area vigorously. With a female, I would do the urinary opening FIRST and then the anal opening. Do this once per day. Give the dog treats at first until she gets used to it. It really does a great job.

But the regular use of the apple cidar vinegar treatment will not kill worms. So be alert for those. Also check your monthly heartworm treatment product to see if it handles worms. Lots of them do.
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Kathy Diamond Davis, author, "Therapy Dogs: Training Your Dog to Reach Others," 2nd edition, and the free Canine Behavior Series articles at http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=SRC&S=1&SourceID=47