# Roundworms & we take Sentinel!!! UGH!



## dmsl (Jun 7, 2009)

Bear has always been on sentinel & there was a roundworm in his poo yesterday.....how does this happen? Our yellow lab was always on heartguard plus (different vet) and she never got anything in 12 yrs! I'm switching....anyone have opinions on why I should stay on sentinel instead of switching? Isn't it a vet preference from the pharmacy reps? We have an appt. for fecal test today @ 3 & I read on internet that sentinel will refund me. 

thanks for any input!


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## Megora (Jun 7, 2010)

That's weird.... 

I've always had my guys on Sentinel and have never had any problems. That would be going back over 15 years. 

I've thought about switching him over to something else, but haven't gotten around to discussing with our vet. And then I'm nervous about switching to something totally different when what we have does work.

That said, most vets that I know of might actually suggest heartguard because it covers more.


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## mylissyk (Feb 25, 2007)

Are you sure it wasn't a tape worm segment? The monthly preventatives don't stop them from getting tapeworm. As well as heartworm and other intestinal parasites, Sentinel is supposed to protect against fleas, Heartgard does not.


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## dmsl (Jun 7, 2009)

From what I've looked at & read on the internet, it's long & skinny like spaghetti (gross I know!!!) and they are called roundworms. Heartguard has the ingredient used to kill them specifically where sentinel doesn't. So, I think he'd be better on heartguard monthly with the active ingredient. Sentinel supposedly prevents more intestinal parasites. Lord, what is a doggie mom to do???!!! The next issue will be today if the vet tries to charge me an arm & leg for the meds which are also available thru our local feed/seed store for a few dollars. Already talked to the owner & it is dosed by weight, so you can kinda "do it yourself". But, I did book a vet appt. for a fecal just to be sure before doing meds.


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## IowaGold (Nov 3, 2009)

Definitely take the worm in with the poo so the vet team can look at it.

You *might* be able to get reimbursed from Novartis, but there guarantee is that they will pay for treatment of the parasite IF the dog is actually ill from the parasite.

Personally I don't have much use for Sentinel. The heartworm prevention is no different than Interceptor (which is fine), I just am not sold on the point of the flea birth control. You still need another product to kill adult fleas, why spend all that extra money on Sentinel when you could use Interceptor with the flea preventive you have to buy anyway?


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## AcesWild (Nov 29, 2008)

Apparently Dixon was on Stronget every month for his whole 2 years of life, but he ended up testing positive for hookworms less than a month after I got him.


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## dmsl (Jun 7, 2009)

I stand corrected on my worm! It was a tape worm, they can be long like spaghetti but are flat & kinda move like a slug. uggggggg......enough of this! He got meds & we're all fine now! thanks for all the input!


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## Dallas Gold (Dec 22, 2007)

IowaGold said:


> Personally I don't have much use for Sentinel. The heartworm prevention is no different than Interceptor (which is fine), I just am not sold on the point of the flea birth control. You still need another product to kill adult fleas, why spend all that extra money on Sentinel when you could use Interceptor with the flea preventive you have to buy anyway?


Thank you for saying this. I've always resisted putting my dogs on Sentinel and opted for Interceptor plus Frontline Plus.


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## dmsl (Jun 7, 2009)

When I saw the cost difference with sentinel..I think that is why the vet pushes it...we switched to heartguard plus which our lab was on for 12 yrs & never a problem. Much cheaper!! The only time we use flea preventative is when we go to my parents wooded area in FL. The vet confirmed to get a tape worm, the dog has to eat an adult flea that is carrying the worm egg or whatever...so it wasn't sentinel's fault, I just switched because I wanted to. (price & Bear didn't like them - spit them out of his food!)


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## Megora (Jun 7, 2010)

IowaGold said:


> Personally I don't have much use for Sentinel. The heartworm prevention is no different than Interceptor (which is fine), I just am not sold on the point of the *flea birth control*. You still need another product to kill adult fleas, why spend all that extra money on Sentinel when you could use Interceptor with the flea preventive you have to buy anyway?


See part of the reason why I've stayed with Sentinel so long... it protects against heartworm and I've never had a flea outbreak at my house. And I've never had to buy any additional preventatives to stop fleas or heartworms. In that sense, it works great. 

The reason why I'm thinking about switching to something else is because of all of the ticks I find out in my yard. I live in a wooded area. Well that, and I take him hiking every weekend in summer. I want him to be on something that repels ticks. :uhoh:

@tapeworm - I'm definitely rethinking letting the dogs and cat eat grass wherever. That's where they pick it up, right?


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## dmsl (Jun 7, 2009)

Yes, that is my thinking & what I asked the vet. Even if they don't have fleas on them, they can be laying in the grass or eating some of it just strolling by & get one to ingest. I will discourage grass eating from now on too!


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## IowaGold (Nov 3, 2009)

Megora said:


> @tapeworm - I'm definitely rethinking letting the dogs and cat eat grass wherever. That's where they pick it up, right?


They get tapeworm from ingesting infected fleas or eating rodents/rabbits. They wouldn't get tapeworm from eating grass unless that blade of grass had a flea on it.

I don't particularly like tapes either! So I use a combo of Iverheart Max (the meds in Heartgard Plus with tapeworm meds included) and Frontline Plus.


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## Megora (Jun 7, 2010)

Ugh. And I had a dog before who'd go running through the woods hunting for the 'kibble' under the autumn olives. I assume the tapeworm comes out in the poop? :yuck:

Current golden just hunts for and rolls in deer poop and wants to eat the rabbits_._ At least that apparently went through his head today as he saw a rabbit run the woods in front of our house before our evening walk. He and I proceeded to walk the usual 3 miles and came back and hour later. I set him loose to do his thing in the yard before I took him inside, and he proceeded to run to the spot where he last saw the rabbit. 

He hasn't discovered their poop yet. And I hope he doesn't. [rays:]

Question about Frontline... does it wash off if you have to give your dog more than one bath a week? <- I do this because of the scat rolling plus he's been playing in the sprinkler and digging in mud every single hot day we've had this year.


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## coppers-mom (Jan 9, 2009)

The instructions for frontline say not to bathe either 2 days before or 2 days after application.
I've never had a problem with Copper getting wet pretty often (creeking) but I don't wash that often. You should be okay if you follow the 2 day rule.


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## Dallas Gold (Dec 22, 2007)

My Toby has an affinity for "road kill", the heat dried, flat as a board variety that sometimes hides under leaves or brown grass. I try very hard to prevent this but sometimes he nabs it before I realize it. Whenever he does this I watch his poops more carefully for the tapes.:yuck: If I don't see any evidence I sometimes take a fecal sample to the vets for further examination if I am suspicious of an infection.


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