Whipworms in Dogs

One of my dogs was a rescue found running loose in a small city with no identification, and no one claimed her when she was advertised. The vet clinic who sponsored her found that she had whipworms, and she was treated with fenbendazole for them before I adopted her. Months later, she developed bad gas and diarrhea, so I treated her again with fenbendazole. I also did some research on whipworms, and this is what I found.

Whipworm eggs do not necessarily show up in a fecal.

Whipworms take over 70 days to reach maturity.

Once your ground/yard has been contaminated...whipworm eggs will persist for years, potentially infecting any dog who goes in that area.

Whipworms almost never infect humans.

Many common wormers do not kill whipworms, and because of their long maturation time, it is easy to forget the follow-up treatment. For any dog who has either been infected, or has a suspected whipworm infestation, it is best to incorporate the treatment in their monthly heart worm preventative. Interceptor is good, and Sentinel is also effective. However, Heartguard and Heartguard Plus do not kill whipworms. There is one other monthly alternative that I know of, but that is a topic for another post!!