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My dog is still sick after tapeworm treatment. What should I do?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | French Bulldog | Male | unneutered | 5 months and 17 days old | 26 lbs

My dog was treated for tapeworms just last week, he's not acting extremely weird, but I have noticed him sleeping a lot more lately. Also, he is used to his eating schedule, yet will wait one or two hours after the food is put out to eat now. As far as his stools, when he goes in the morning everything is normal but at night I have noticed he will have normal stool then watery, normal colored stool. Is this residual effects from the tapeworm or is something else going on?

2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Dr. Leigh, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on July 6th, 2017

It is not typical to have side effects a week after being treated for tapeworms so there could be something else going on. If he hasn't had a stool sample tested for parasites then you should take a sample to your vet for testing. He could have additional parasites and need a different dewormer. Continue to monitor him and if his signs continue or progress then he should be examined by a vet to determine the cause and treat. Dogs get tapeworms from eating fleas so he should be treated for fleas with a medication, like NexGard, Frontline, Bravect, etc. Hope he feels all better soon!

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    Answered By Karly Macon, DVM, MS, CVA Certified Veterinary Acupuncturist

    Veterinarian

    Published on May 7th, 2017

    Your poor pup could have any number of things going on. If you have access to a vet he needs to see one right away. At the very least you need to get a safe dewormer that will kill tapeworms (praziquantel). He may have such a large infestation that it could kill him without treatment, or he may have some other major illness going on also, like Parvovirus or Distemper. Good luck!

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