Without seeing worms (and you only usually see tapeworms, or maybe roundworms if there's a heavy worm burden), the best way to diagnose an infestation is to have a fecal sample checked by the vet.

At first I wondered why he wasn't on heartworm prevention (most preventives control intestinal parasites, too), but then I saw you are in the great white north. Probably not too much heartworm pressure up there, but that might be another thing to ask the vet about.

I'm sure your vet wouldn't mind you popping your pup on the scale. It's nice that you plan to call first!

 

If he has tape worms you might see little segments around his butt or in his poop...it looks like white rice. One thing I have learned (the hard way) is to follow my gut feelings...if you have a feeling he might have worms, take a sample of his poop to the vet and they will check it under a microscope and see what you may be dealing with and then prescribe the correct treatment. It sounds like your pup found a really good home!

 

Really wormy dogs get a "pot belly", especially younger ones. I would get a fecal done if I were you. If it comes back clean, you know that maybe he just needs to eat a little more when it is cold out. (My animals all eat more this time of year.) If it comes back positive, you will know exactly what you need to fix.

Isn't that clumpy shedding awful? My old dog used to shed like that every year. You could brush her out completely, and have little tufts of fur everywhere the next day.

Kayleigh

 

If he is eating dead animals he will most probably have tape worms. If you have not given him anything then he will have all the others as well. And this will create alot of the symptoms you describe.. Have hitape wormed and get him on a monthly worm program. You will see a change in his apperance in just a few days to a week or so.

 

Just so you know Goldenmom heartworm is a concern up here too, it's been increasing in the last few years.

 

Tapeworms would be my concern. As stated before, eating rodents can give these to a dog. Also, if in the past he had a flea burden, he could have a different type of tapeworm. Tapes do not always show up on a fecal. Look at the hair around his backside for little things that look like dried rice, or small flat shiny moving things. These would be the tail end of the tapeworm. They can get 3 feet long or so before you see these. They can cause dramatic weight loss.

If you see these segments, you can buy the medicine otc now. The drug name is Prazyquantal (sp?) Most worming meds, including heartworm prevention, will not get tapes.

 

Thanks everyone for the information & advice. I've made a vet appointment for him and I'm going to drop off a fecal sample in advance of the appointment so that they can do the analysis right away. Since we've had him such a short time and he's our first dog, I don't want to treat him with something OTC just on my guess of what's wrong.

I'll try to take a look at his butt for anything moving or rice-like in the meantime, but since he's a rough collie mix and has the 'feathering' on the backs of his thighs, he's pretty furry back there, which makes it kinda hard to see.

About the heartworm issue, we don't have a problem with it in our area. The vet and I had a discussion about what he needed, we discussed the pros and cons of vaccinating him for West Nile as well (and decided not to for now). I'm really glad that my vet isn't the kind to push extra medications / vaccinations.