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My 9-week-old puppy has tiny white worms in his stool. What are they?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Our 9 week old puppy has tiny white worms in his stool..we were assured he had been dewormed which may not have occurred. What kind of worm is this. I cannot call a vet until Tuesday because labor day is on Monday

2 Answers

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Answered By Amy S. Eutsey, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on September 2nd, 2018

Hello. Without seeing the worms, it is impossible to say with complete certainty but you are probably seeing tapeworms. Tapeworms require a different medication than the normal dewormer given to puppies. They are not dangerous and are typically associated with a flea issue.. whether your pup has fleas now or before you got him. It is easily treated with an oral medication that you can obtain from your veterinarian on Tuesday. Keep in mind that tapeworms can recur and can recur frequently if there are fleas on your puppy or in his environment. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach

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    Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

    Veterinarian

    Published on March 11th, 2017

    Hi Claire! Yes, it could be a sign of worms, such as tapeworms. When a dog has worms, they need a deworming treatment given two weeks apart at first to kill all the worms. That's because the first treatment kills the adults already present, while the second one kills the adults that had not hatch yet at the time of the first treatment. I would take Finn back into the vet on Monday with a sample of his feces. The vet can confirm he does have worms, and can give him a medication for it such as praziquantel in the form of Drontal.

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