Dog throwing up and pooping worms

Narcof · 05-17-2008, 04:08 AM

Our 6 month lab mix bitch Layla was throwing up several times today, we assumed it was due to the heat (it went up to 95 today suddenly, it's been around 65-75 til now). However this evening once it cooled down a bit she's still sicking up, and now twice she's dropped some diarrea containing what I'm pretty certain is lots of tapeworms after googling lots of worm pics.

She's not well, I'm looking for advice in particular:

1. Does she need to get emergency (i.e. within the hour) vet assistance for this bearing in mind its 2am right now for us.

2. Does she need to get to a vet first thing tomorrow to get this sorted, or is D-Worm tablets from Petsmart going to deal with this (that's what we gave the cats, and the dog last time she had worms about 2 months ago). If she does need a vet will it wait til Monday if they aren't open Saturdays.

3. Anything else you feel we need to know on the subject. Thanks

britishbandit · 05-17-2008, 06:21 AM

I'd get her to a vet as soon as you can. If the sickness and diarrhea continue for more than 24 hours (consistantly), I'd say hit the emergency vet. But if that stops and it's just the worms you're noticing, she can likely wait until you can see your regular vet. Unless she really looks to be in bad shape.

As far as meds for the worms, the stuff you can buy in stores isn't effective, plus you don't know exactly what kind of worms she has. She may have multiple kinds of worms, and you want to be sure you're treating her for the right ones.

lovemygreys · 05-17-2008, 06:42 AM

Tapeworms aren't a medical emergency and can wait, no problem, till Monday. I wouldn't bother with any OTC wormers. Just get the wormer from the vet.

As for the throwing up...that *could* be an emergency and it could just be something she ate that's not making her feel well. My rule of thumb for vomiting is that they go in to the vet for vomiting of unknown causes if they've been throwing up for more than 36-48 hours (assuming they are otherwise acting normal). BUT if they begin having any other symptoms or issues, they go in right away. The addition of diarrhea would probably be enough for me to take my dog in.

Narcof · 05-17-2008, 06:55 AM

I'm still in process of getting into verbal contact with the emergency vet to get their opinion, I don't want to move the dog around until the morning for her sake or unless they say it's absolutely necessary or she gets worse, which isn't happening right now - she's not happy but the diarrea seems to have been a one off incident, although she is still throwing up clear frothy water around once an hour or so at least she's drinking the water I'm giving her, worries me a little that she's off her food still, not even her favorite treats, but if I was sick so would I be. I'm thinking maybe its the sudden heat that made her get sick as well as the worms, she was the happiest healthiest dog possible with a great appetite and loads of energy all the time until yesterday afternoon, if it was just the worms I'm sure she would have got sick a bit more gradually and we'd have had warning signs. Am I wrong to assume this, do you think?
I'll post once I've managed to get through to the emergency vet too, since either way I'm going to be up here all night with her.

edit - I am not sure on how long dogs digestion takes, but she last ate around 14 hours ago, she didn't want her evening feed and hasn't touched it since then.

One other thing - it couldn't be Parvo could it? Symptoms don't match with what I've read online, haven't experienced a dog with Parvo myself but if theres a possibility it could be I'm getting her in the van and going to wake the vet up myself...

Mermaid · 05-17-2008, 07:07 AM

Your dog is very likely infested with roundworms. They are extremely common and this is not an emergency unless she will not stop vomiting and can't hold anything down.
Contact your vet as soon as you can and he/she will ask you to bring a stool sample for evaluation and will give you the proper medication.

ACampbell · 05-17-2008, 10:03 AM

Tapeworms, if a bad enough investation, can cause vomiting. I remember having a cat growing up that threw one up...it was nasty and about 3-4 inches long.
The stuff you can buy at Petsmart etc is not a good wormer, and typically won't touch tapeworms. They are resilient little _____.
So unless the diarrhea/vomiting gets worse or continues for more than 24 hours, I'd say it can wait until Monday morning to see the vet.