Is a fecal test for dogs needed to identify the type of parasite present?
Original Question: My dog has dog worms and the medication he is using is Heartgard, Ivermectin and teva-doxycycline. Are these the right ones? - Rod
Jun 12, 2018
Hi Rod,
Thanks for your question.
Due to the lack of detail in your question, I can’t really be of much help unfortunately. In order to determine whether one of the treatments you are using will cure the condition, I would need to know the type of parasite (‘dog worm’ as you say) that is present in your dog. There are many different kinds and many different medications to treat them. There is no specific parasite known as ‘dog worm’.
I can say that one of the drugs you list, doxycycline, is actually an antibiotic and is given for bacterial infections, not intestinal parasites (or ‘worms’).
You would have to ask your veterinarian to perform a fecal test for dogs to determine the type of parasite present which would then allow us to know what treatment is recommended. Please address this with your veterinarian.
Thanks and good luck. Sorry I could not be of more help.
Dr. Clayton Greenway
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