[sven100]

My dog keeps digging up moles and 'playing' with them. Sometimes I can stop him, but he's fast and determined and unless I'm watching him like a hawk his efforts are often successful. It's kind of messing with me because I have a soft heart, sigh. My feelings about it aside, is this a problem? I know that possums can transmit some nasty diseases to dogs, but what about moles?

 

[Lillith]

Nah, provided the dog is fully vaccinated and on a parasite preventative. If I was worried about that, I would confirm with my vet.

 

[sven100]

Nah, provided the dog is fully vaccinated and on a parasite preventative. If I was worried about that, I would confirm with my vet.

He's fully vaccinated, so that's reassuring. This is a new thing for him so I haven't mentioned it to the vet but I'll make a point of it next time we see the doc.

 

[DaySleepers]

I'd mostly be concerned about tapeworm, which infects dogs when the dog eats an infected flea, because moles can definitely have fleas. Flea preventative might help some, but it's far from 100% since preventatives tend to kill fleas after they're already on the dog, not repel them. My poodle got tapeworm while on a flea and tick treatment and heartworm preventative years ago, despite never having had a flea infestation in his life, probably from the dog park I was going to at the time (one of the reasons I've stopped using them).

Definitely ask your vet about the risks. Certain heartworm preventatives may also include a more broad-spectrum dewormer (but not all do), or you may already be deworming monthly with something that covers the biggest risks. I imagine hunting moles is enormously fun and rewarding for dogs, so the only real long-term solution might be looking into how to better control them on your property in an eco-friendly, dog-friendly way.

 

[3GSD4IPO]

Let him alone to do this and simply take a stool sample to the vet once a month to check for tape worms. Usually tapes are not an issue unless he eats the mole after killing it.

Last year my dog learned to be a most successful.and deadly chipmunk eradicator. Chipmunks and mice are vectors of tick born illness, so I encouraged him.

 

[sven100]

I'd mostly be concerned about tapeworm, which infects dogs when the dog eats an infected flea, because moles can definitely have fleas. Flea preventative might help some, but it's far from 100% since preventatives tend to kill fleas after they're already on the dog, not repel them. My poodle got tapeworm while on a flea and tick treatment and heartworm preventative years ago, despite never having had a flea infestation in his life, probably from the dog park I was going to at the time (one of the reasons I've stopped using them).

Definitely ask your vet about the risks. Certain heartworm preventatives may also include a more broad-spectrum dewormer (but not all do), or you may already be deworming monthly with something that covers the biggest risks. I imagine hunting moles is enormously fun and rewarding for dogs, so the only real long-term solution might be looking into how to better control them on your property in an eco-friendly, dog-friendly way.

Oh he thinks it's a real hoot to be sure. I believe his heartworm medicine does have a wormer in it, but I'll double check. Thanks for the heads up on this.

 

[sven100]

Let him alone to do this and simply take a stool sample to the vet once a month to check for tape worms. Usually tapes are not an issue unless he eats the mole after killing it.

Last year my dog learned to be a most successful.and deadly chipmunk eradicator. Chipmunks and mice are vectors of tick born illness, so I encouraged him.

Thanks for the advice. He's a mischievous dog and we choose our battles wisely with him. I'm not really inclined to put a stop to his new hobby. I would imagine that the mole population will be depleted at some point, but I don't know much about moles so I could be wrong.

 

[DaySleepers]

Heartworm preventative is a dewormer, but tapeworms need a specific kind of dewormer that isn't in all heartworm medicine, if that makes sense. Tapes aren't super dangerous and easily treated if you're paying close enough attention to catch them early - as most of us are - or doing regular fecals to check for them, but they are pretty gross. They can transfer to humans, but it's a very, very small risk if you're not, like, playing with their poop and then licking your fingers. Might be worth knowing if there's toddlers around though.

 

[sven100]

Heartworm preventative is a dewormer, but tapeworms need a specific kind of dewormer that isn't in all heartworm medicine, if that makes sense. Tapes aren't super dangerous and easily treated if you're paying close enough attention to catch them early - as most of us are - or doing regular fecals to check for them, but they are pretty gross. They can transfer to humans, but it's a very, very small risk if you're not, like, playing with their poop and then licking your fingers. Might be worth knowing if there's toddlers around though.

That definitely makes sense. Thank you!

 

[sven100]

Thanks folks. It kind of helps to think of them as flea ridden vermin and "vectors of tick borne illness". My father-in-law says the golf course he frequents pays $20 a pop for their little corpses. Maybe this is Rusty's big break. He's been saving up for an Embark test.