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My puppy has live worms after deworming. Are they tapeworms?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed | Male | unneutered | 2 months and 26 days old | 18 lbs

I bought a puppy about 4 weeks ago. The day I bought him, I watched the seller give him a liquid dewormer. That same day, I took him in for his 1st shot. A week later, I still noticed live, milky white worms in his stool, so I gave him a worm pill (Sentinel Flavor Tab). Two days ago, I once again saw the same live worms in his stool, so I gave him another Sentinel pill. That was 2 days ago, and just now I am seeing the same worms.. live still. What should I do?

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2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Jennifer Summerfield, DVM CPDT-KA

Veterinarian, Certified Dog Trainer

Published on May 27th, 2017

This worm looks like a tapeworm segment, which would explain why the dewormers he has had so far have not been effective - tapeworms are more difficult to get rid of than most other intestinal parasites. Over-the-counter dewormers and Sentinel will not kill them. You will need to get a special prescription dewormer from your vet that contains praziquantel in order to get rid of the tapeworms - typically one dose now, then another in 14-21 days to ensure that all life stages of the parasite are killed.

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    Answered By Jennifer Summerfield, DVM CPDT-KA

    Veterinarian, Certified Dog Trainer

    Published on June 2nd, 2022

    Many dewormers don't cover tapeworms, so you may need to use a different product to treat these effectively - you need a dewormer that contains praziquantel, and is specifically labeled for the treatment of tapeworms. You can ask your veterinarian to prescribe an appropriate dewormer for you, or you may be able to find a suitable product over the counter where you live.

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