Health
A pot-bellied puppy, rice-like segments by the tail, soft stools for no clear reason. Intestinal worms are common, easy to treat and kept at bay with a schedule.
Caution. A puppy with a hard, swollen belly who is vomiting, blood in the stool, a flat dog who will not eat, or pale gums: see your own vet the same day. Do not try a wormer from the chemist first.
Do not look for the answer in a Facebook group, on TikTok or on a forum. Look for someone trained for this: your dog's own veterinarian, the only person who can examine, investigate and treat them.
Use this page to know what to observe, what to note and what to ask at the appointment, not to treat at home. If you still have doubts after a consultation, ask another vet or a specialist (dermatologist, internist) for a second opinion, not a group. And if you do not have a regular vet yet, find one now, while your dog is healthy: how to choose a veterinary clinic.
You have just brought home an eight-week-old puppy, and the person you got him from said "he's been wormed", with no date and no word on what with. Or your adult dog has had soft stools for a week, his coat has lost its shine and he wolfs down everything in the bowl yet keeps getting thinner. Or you have seen something white wriggling by his tail. Here you will find what to look for at home, what each sign means and when to ring your own vet. You will not find which medicine to give. That is your vet's decision, because the dose depends on the dog's weight and on the parasite the test turns up.
Most worm infestations go unnoticed and get sorted at a routine check. A few situations will not wait:
Ring, say what you are seeing and since when, and ask whether to bring a stool sample. Do not give a wormer "to see what happens". In a dehydrated puppy, or one whose gut is packed with worms, both the timing and the product matter, and your vet should choose them.
The stool test makes the diagnosis. What you bring the vet is the pattern, so keep notes for a few days:
The stool. Its consistency (formed, soft, watery), its colour, any mucus or blood, how many times a day. A photo helps more than any description. Have a look with the naked eye as well. Roundworms look like whitish-yellow spaghetti, 5 to 15 cm long, and you see them mostly in puppies, sometimes after the first worming. Tapeworm segments look like grains of rice or cucumber seeds, move for the first few minutes after they come out and then dry onto the hair around the bottom.
The belly. In a puppy it is round and hard even on an empty stomach, while the rest of him is thin. In adults you rarely see anything.
Coat and weight. A harsh, dull coat that sheds more. A dog who eats normally, or even more, and still loses weight.
What he does with his rear end. Scooting along the floor, licking or nibbling under the tail. More often than not the anal glands are to blame rather than worms, but write it down anyway.
History. When he was last wormed and with what (next time, photograph the box). Whether he scavenges, has caught a mouse, drinks from puddles, has had fleas (fleas carry one kind of tapeworm). Whether there are small children or other animals at home.
The stool sample. When your vet asks for one, take a walnut-sized piece, fresh that day, put it in a clean bag or pot and keep it cool until you get there. Some tests need samples from three different days, because eggs are not passed in the same numbers every day.
| Parasite | How the dog gets it | What you usually see | Risk to people |
|---|---|---|---|
| Roundworms (Toxocara) | From the mother, before birth and through her milk; from contaminated soil | Puppy with a pot belly, soft stool, spaghetti-like worms | Yes, especially children, via soil and sand |
| Hookworms (Ancylostoma) | Through the skin and from soil; from the mother | Anaemia, pale gums, black stool | Yes, through the skin, rarely |
| Whipworms (Trichuris) | Eggs in soil, very hardy | Diarrhoea with mucus, sometimes blood, weight loss | Practically none |
| Tapeworm (Dipylidium) | By swallowing fleas | Rice-like segments by the tail, scooting | Rare, children who swallow a flea |
| Echinococcus | From raw offal from farm animals | Nothing in the dog | Yes, serious: cysts in the liver and lungs |
| Giardia (not a worm, a single-celled parasite) | Contaminated water and soil, other dogs | Soft, greasy, foul-smelling stool that comes and goes | Possible, rare |
The same soft stool can come from several different parasites, and each one is treated differently. That is why the table cannot replace a test.
Before you leave, ask when the dose is repeated and when the next worming is due. Put both in your phone calendar there and then.
Wash your hands after playing with the puppy and before eating, children especially. Pick up poo straight away, in your own garden too. While he is on treatment, wash his bedding at 60 degrees. Keep fleas under control all year round, not just in summer. If you have small children and a new puppy, what protects you most is worming on time and a covered sandpit.
Intestinal worms are the easy part of looking after a dog. They show up on a test, are treated with a tablet and are prevented with a schedule; the hard part is remembering the schedule. If you do not have a regular vet yet, our page on related services will help you choose a practice.
What dog owners search for most often on the internet about this problem, with the short answer. The answers are a guide only: the decision belongs to your dog's own vet, after an examination.
The European guidelines (ESCCAP) recommend at least 4 times a year for an average dog and monthly for higher-risk dogs: scavengers, hunters, dogs with garden access to rodents, dogs living with small children, or dogs who go to shows and group training. Your own vet sets the exact schedule based on how your dog lives.
Sometimes. Roundworms look like whitish-yellow spaghetti a few centimetres long and turn up mostly in puppies after worming. Tapeworm segments look like grains of rice, move for the first few minutes and stick to the hair near the tail. Most infestations are invisible to the naked eye, though: the eggs are microscopic and only show up in a stool test.
Yes, some of them. Toxocara larvae can migrate through the human body, especially in children who play in sand or on grass where there has been dog mess. Echinococcus, rare in pet dogs but serious, causes cysts in the liver. Protecting yourself is simple: worm on time, pick up poo straight away, wash hands after play and before meals.
A wormer deals with the worms it covers, not with every cause of diarrhoea. Giardia, for example, is a single-celled parasite that does not respond to the usual wormers and needs different treatment. If the soft stools last more than two days, take a sample to your own vet.
No. There is no evidence that either clears worms at doses that are safe for a dog, and garlic in large amounts is toxic to him. If you would rather not treat blind, the real alternative is a stool test every 3 months and treatment only when it comes back positive. Talk that option through with your vet.
The information on this page is educational and does not replace an examination. For full details and a diagnosis, consult your dog's own veterinarian.
They often come together: the same causes, plans that complement each other.
A puddle on the carpet at five in the morning, or three days of soft stool with mucus. Two different problems, and neither one gets solved from your medicine cabinet.
He plonks himself down and drags across the carpet, licks under his tail, leaves a fishy smell. Most often it's the anal glands, but not always.
A hard bead with legs on his neck after the woods, or black specks on the sofa that turn red when wet. Both can be sorted out, and neither with oil or garlic.
His own poo, other dogs' in the park, or the cat's litter tray. It embarrasses you, it is normal to him, and it is fixed more by organisation than by training.
We work with your dog's behaviour, not its health. For any sign described here, book an appointment with your own vet; the related services page explains how to choose a clinic.