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Why is my puppy's stomach bloated after second dewormer dose?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed | Male | unneutered | 2 months and 28 days old | 20 lbs

Hi so we got our puppy and he had worms so we took him to the vet and they gave him dewormer that day and gave me more to give to him in 2 weeks. His stomach was starting to look better but after I gave him his 2nd dose his stomach bloated back out again. Any idea why this would happen?

2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Andrea M. Brodie, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on April 19th, 2018

This may be a sign that your puppy still had a good amount of worms which now have been killed with the second dose of wormer. This can make a bit of indigestion or cause a bit of gas to form. I think your puppy will be fine. By tomorrow his abdomen should be less bloated again.

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1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

Other Answers

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    Answered By Sara Farmer, DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on September 23rd, 2018

    It is common for puppies to have a bloated belly - sometimes it is due to intestinal parasites but other times it is because their muscles are not fully formed and when they eat or drink the belly pooches out. The second dose of dewormer is to catch worms that may have been immature when the first round was given, and although Brew could be reinfected at any time he should not have adult worms. Heartworms take 6 months to mature to adults and cause clinical symptoms so even if he contracted heartworms at birth he would not be showing signs of disease at this point. He can be started on a monthly heartworm preventative as early as 6-8 weeks - ask your veterinarian what product what they would recommend. Most heartworm preventatives cover intestinal parasites as well!

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