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Worms and Rash vs. Skin coloration

Sent to Pet Experts August 07 10:29 AM

My dog is an 8 month old beagle with diarrhea and vomiting. I just started him on medicine from the vet who extracted some stool and viewed it under the microscope. He drags his behind on the ground a bit. I heard this could mean worms. The medicine is helping, but should I be worried that the vet missed worms? Would I be able to see worms in his excrement if they were present? He also has red dots on his stomach that have been there for a while. They are tiny flecks. Is this normal and could be skin coloring, or should I be concerned?

 

Optional Information:
Age: <1; Male; Breed: Beagle

Already Tried:
Currently on five days worth of medicine to treat diarrhea and vomiting.

Customer (name blocked for privacy)
Answer
August 7 1:07 PM (2 hours and 38 minutes and 28 seconds later)
         
ACCEPTEDCheck Mark
Actually dragging the behind like that usually indicates a problem with the anal glands or sometimes an irritation of the anal area because of stool stuck on skin or coat there.
You can read about anal glands here
http://www.marvistavet.com/html/body_anal_sacs.html
Usually when a dog has worms or coccidia or giardia etc the vet checks a stool sample under the microscope because the signs in the stool are normally eggs or oocytes not adult worms.
You can read about worms here
www.thepetcenter.com/exa/worms.html
and protozoans like coccidia and giardia here
http://www.lbah.com/intpar.htm#coccidia
http://www.lbah.com/intpar.htm#giardia
While you do sometimes see a worm in stool or vomit mostly they stay safely inside only shedding eggs to pass on to other animals.
It may be the red dots are from flea bites or mosquito or fly bites. They could also be a sign of a mild skin infection. You can see if a chlorhexaderm shampoo from the pet supply store will clear them up.
Hope this helps you!


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