# Very tiny white specs in Dog Stool



## mlisek995

My pup is almost 8 months old, and out of nowhere I just noticed these white tiny specs in her stool. Last night she had a fairly loose stool, but tiny white specs in it.


** Be Advised I will Attach A Picture*


She also had them in her stool this morning, except this stool was firm and regular like all the rest of hers have been. She is on Sentinel Spectrum and Frontline Plus which she get's every month. I'm not sure if this is a type of worm or not? As well as I'm not sure where she would've gotten it. I just wanted to ask around before I was forced to spend $50 on a fecal sample at the vet.


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## wolfstraum

Do they move? Don't quite look like tapeworms, but if they move, that is what they are

Otherwise - did she eat a plant or flower with tiny white petals???


Lee


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## mlisek995

They don't move, they're just there and I have no idea what they are!


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## carmspack

Slice through that log and see if they are in the interior.

These look to be totally on the surface

If you look on the leaves and behind and to the lower left hand corner of the "log" (picture) you will a cluster of these little white things in the depression in the stone or earth.

Seriously I need to wash my eyes after this . 

Possibly not even living -- maybe some material from lawn care product?


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## abbiemyfriend

Tape worm or whip worm


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## carmspack

abbiemyfriend said:


> Tape worm or whip worm


neither one looks like this --- and with that volume of specks the dog would have had an unthrifty 
poor-doer appearance because the parasite robs nutrition - and loose stools because of the intestinal damage they would have done

prior post by OP http://www.germanshepherds.com/forum/health-issues/683049-my-puppy-okay.html


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## mlisek995

I do think they are just on the surface, I am going to go double check and check the lawn as well


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## wolfy dog

Take a sample to the vet for a fecal test. I am glad we can't smell this close-up.


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## carmspack

I wish there were a curtain that the viewer needs to pull back or a click on this to view . Each time I visit this thread I am confronted with the poop. High Definition.

I think there is something in the environment which is blowing across and catching because the poop is moist .

there is lots of "it" in the picture no where near the poop.

how long after evacuation of said poop was the picture taken? 

If it sat for some time then they could be fly larva -- not an entomologist ---
maybe NancyJ with her cadaver work can identify larva as they arrive in a specific order 

if you had that much larva then you have too much indigested organic material in the stool.

raw fed dogs tend to have boney residue with little organic material - tends not to attract flies as 
there is nothing there for them.


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## mlisek995

I really do apologize for the overly large picture of just dog stool lol! But the picture was taken shortly after, I went back inside to grab a bag to pick it up and then I noticed "it". Really am unsure what it is. Dog seems to be perfectly healthy, plenty of water, eating, wanting to play/go on walks. Nothing abnormal. Just this stool. Is it possible for it to be dead roundworm that is leaving the system? I'm not sure. Maybe have to call up the vet.


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## carmspack

not dead roundworm - because they are spaghetti like and would be in the interior of the poop with maybe just a portion showing -- but more likely if they are dead they would have been catabolized as protein by the body and nothing shows.

as soon as we get to page two on this thread we don't have to be exposed to the poop picture -- lol


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## wolfy dog

mlisek995 said:


> I really do apologize for the overly large picture of just dog stool lol!


That is not 'stool' but a big fat turd! :grin2:
It looks like small spent flower petals that stuck on that shiny 'sample'.


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## Sunsilver

Dead roundworms leaving the system looks like this: http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a344/Sunsilver/roundworms in poop_zpshcylyytt.jpg

Be warned - graphic picture!

This puppy seemed perfectly healthy, but this was what he produced after being wormed! Fortunately, the new owner was on the ball, and guessed that the breeder had not been as diligent with worming as he/she should have been. I counted about 30 worms in this one sample of poop!


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## mlisek995

Well it can't be round worms! I may just have to wait for the next stool and see how it comes out right off the spot, and if anything maybe order a dewormer. Really am clueless as to what it is!


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## wolfy dog

Can't wait for the picture....


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## Sunsilver

wolfy dog said:


> Can't wait for the picture....


:rolleyes2:


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## JnK

Looks like tis exterior from here too....If it's in the interior, is it possible it's nylabone shavings?


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## Magwart

The problem is that you don't know what dewormer to use, if you don't know what this is. It'sclosest to tapeworm segments to my thinking, but not quite a match -- and they come out wriggling, not still, and are about the size of a grain of rice. There is no mistaking them once you see them wriggling--incredibly gross.

The OTC prazequantel de-wormer products that get tapes won't get other things. Strongid gets rounds and hooks but not whips or tapes. Panacur gets whips, rounds and hooks...but not the most common kind of tapes. Drontel Plus contains all of them, but it's RX only and the most expensive way to deworm ($30 per pill vs. $5-$15 with the others). This is why fecal tests are a good idea before deworming -- you know what to buy. 

I'm with others on thinking it's possibly from the yard, not the dog. See if you can get the dog to poop on a walk where you can get a better look at it, away from plantings.


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## giebel

I agree slice through the log and see if they are in the interior. Not moving a good sign. Could be(tape worm eggs that look like rice ).Next few stools the same than bring in for a stool sample and bite the bullet on the cost. Good times( not really but we have all been there). We should probably start a really gross post of our dogs stools and identify whats going on. God knows I have looked up close at way too many of em. No wonder I have no problem looking at scat in the woods and trying to identify it. (lol)


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## Dori

wolfy dog said:


> Can't wait for the picture....




:happyboogie: :rofl:


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## wolfy dog

giebel said:


> We should probably start a really gross post of our dogs stools and identify whats going on.


I actually think that this is a good idea. Just make sure the diagnoses has been confirmed before posting the picture to prevent confusion. And if something in or on it moves, a video might be helpful. So take a picture of the suspicious stool before diagnoses and treatment.


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## carmspack

wolfy dog said:


> I actually think that this is a good idea. Just make sure the diagnoses has been confirmed before posting the picture to prevent confusion. And if something in or on it moves, a video might be helpful. So take a picture of the suspicious stool before diagnoses and treatment.


beyond my pay scale !


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## wolfstraum

you know - I saw little white specks like this in my grass - some kind of flower or plant matter....is the OP sure this was not something that happened after the dog relieved itself???? these look like teeny tiny flower petals.....

just a thought - they are NOT roundworms, not quite right for tapes and hooks and whips are only visible under a microscope....


Lee


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## carmspack

or pollen -- or conifers -- in flower and pollinating 

since last year was super hot and many areas with drought that signals a year of super-pollination

the trees were stressed and over respond with "seed" to produce new plants 

the current year is always determined by the previous year


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## selzer

My oak trees are shedding right now, and the maples are shedding too. It does look like something was blown onto the poo.


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## carmspack

so what were the white specs?


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## Linderr6

as I read this string, I wondered if the dog ate kleenex.


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## Anubis_Star

Linderr6 said:


> as I read this string, I wondered if the dog ate kleenex.


Kleenex would digest. You would not see white specs passing through the body


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## Femfa

I found similar white specs in my pup's poop while scooping today. We have conifers, flowers, everything. She was dewormed for the third time a week ago, and she hasn't had worms at all from what I can tell (and after taking a course in parasitology, I'm oddly fond of parasites...). So I'm going to assume it's to do with the wind blowing stuff onto it, especially since it was only the one poop in a specific spot near the conifers in our case.


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## sabrinaliorti

Did you end up finding out what it was? My 8month old pup just had a loose stools with the white specs in it. The wind didn’t blow anything into it because I went right away to pick it up and noticed the specs.


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## Apex1

Loose stools and white specs is usually worms(the ones in the original picture look like hookworms). Take a stool sample to vet.


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## Calipso

Some brands of kibbles have something in them that can produce white specs in stools. I thought Gypsy had worms because I was seeing the specs. Turns out it was a false alarm. But white specs are something to watch for. If you're not sure, it's easy enough to do a course of wormer to be sure.


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## ZeusM

I'm bringing this back from the dead. My dog has identical poop. Not everyone tho and has been de wormed and on sentinel. I just took this pic


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## Femfa

In your case it looks more like tape tbh.


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## ZeusM

Femfa said:


> In your case it looks more like tape tbh.


Think so? To me looks nothing like what google shows and also nothing on inside of poop. Just outside and there super tiny. Dog has been deformed 2x and also took sentinel.


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## Magwart

Why haven't you taken a sample to your vet for a fecal test?


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## ZeusM

Was there for his 16wk shots showed them a pic and asked about test and they said to try and deworm first


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## Femfa

The fact that the poop isn’t solid, and it looking like there is potentially eggs or cysts in there is what makes me think that. A picture isn’t the same as doing a fecal test, and Magwart brought up a huge point that “just deworming” doesn’t get rid of anything unless it’s a prescription dewormer. I’d double check with your vet, but I’m pretty surprised that they’d just prescribe something without having a diagnosis myself.


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## ZeusM

Femfa said:


> The fact that the poop isn’t solid, and it looking like there is potentially eggs or cysts in there is what makes me think that. A picture isn’t the same as doing a fecal test, and Magwart brought up a huge point that “just deworming” doesn’t get rid of anything unless it’s a prescription dewormer. I’d double check with your vet, but I’m pretty surprised that they’d just prescribe something without having a diagnosis myself.


They didnt prescribed anything. They gave me panacur which is OTC but I'll her a decal test some because the problem is still there. Also that one just happened to be loose most of them are solid there were kinda loose when he got on a grain free food. Switched him to victor dog food. He loves it


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## ZeusM

Glad you mentioned cysts. After a quick search a found Gardia and after reading and looking at pictures of that I believe that's what it is. Calling vet in A.m.


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## Magwart

Panacur does help with giardia, but only if you give it for 5-7 days (7 is better than 5). That's why it's so important to know what you're giving it for. If you gave Panacur for a typical 3-day deworming dose, it would punch giardia down a little and seem to get a bit better, but then it would come right back.


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## ZeusM

Magwart said:


> Panacur does help with giardia, but only if you give it for 5-7 days (7 is better than 5). That's why it's so important to know what you're giving it for. If you gave Panacur for a typical 3-day deworming dose, it would punch giardia down a little and seem to get a bit better, but then it would come right back.


Yea it was your typical 3 day dose. Vet opens at 8am. I'll keep everyone informed to what it was. May help someone else out. I wish the OP would give update. Mine look identical to that pic


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## Magwart

Just keep in mind that giardia doesn't always show up on a fecal test. Sometimes it does! It's worth doing because it's so inexpensive. That test basically is basically just a smear of poop on a slide that they look at under the microscope. The dogs don't shed cysts constantly, so if your dog isn't shedding them at the moment they take the sample, they won't see them. If they happen to catch them on the slide, you'll get a cheap, quick answer.

You can do two other things if the fecal test is negative and you want to test further: 

(1) Cornell's giardia ELISA test (a test that identifies giardia even when the dog isn't currently shedding cysts) -- or IDEXX's SNAP giardia ELISA test -- probably close to $100 (the SNAP tests offer instant results in the clinic)

-OR-
(2) IDEXX's diarrhea PCR test -- around $225 -- but it can identify the DNA of giardia and over a bunch of other infections in a single fecal sample (I think it's one of the most sophisticated fecal diagnostic panels I've seen -- the same technology human hospitals are using). It's overkill for many situations though. From one sample, it tests for:
Giardia, Cryptosporidium, Salmonella, Clostridium perfringens enterotoxin gene (quantitative), Clostridium perfringens Alpha-toxin gene (quantitative), Canine enteric Coronavirus, Canine Parvovirus 2 and Canine Distempervirus. It takes a week to get back the results on the PCR test, as it has to go off site to a lab.


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## ZeusM

Dropped off a sample. Should know later today or tomorrow about this mysterious poop.


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## ZeusM

Well poop came back perfect no signs of any parasites or anything abnormal...they think its fly larvae


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## Femfa

ZeusM said:


> Well poop came back perfect no signs of any parasites or anything abnormal...they think its fly larvae




That’s good! Could be. If we don’t pick up right away, the old poops get fly larvae. It’s really more of a concern if it comes out that way, lol.


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## k9education

Magwart said:


> (2) IDEXX's diarrhea PCR test -- around $225 -- but it can identify the DNA of giardia and over a bunch of other infections in a single fecal sample (I think it's one of the most sophisticated fecal diagnostic panels I've seen -- the same technology human hospitals are using). It's overkill for many situations though. From one sample, it tests for:
> Giardia, Cryptosporidium, Salmonella, Clostridium perfringens enterotoxin gene (quantitative), Clostridium perfringens Alpha-toxin gene (quantitative), Canine enteric Coronavirus, Canine Parvovirus 2 and Canine Distempervirus. It takes a week to get back the results on the PCR test, as it has to go off site to a lab.


I just ordered this test at my (NJ) vet (IDEXX #3808); it was $138. My poor dog has all sorts of stuff going on and the opportunistic parasites are taking advantage of his weakened immune system.


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## johnf

Does your dog chew on a white plastic bone? I have just noticed this exact thing on my dogs poo and wondering what it is. looks the same. tiny white specks. they look like fiber or something. not moving, poop otherwise looks healthy. ??


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## Apes

mlisek995 said:


> My pup is almost 8 months old, and out of nowhere I just noticed these white tiny specs in her stool. Last night she had a fairly loose stool, but tiny white specs in it.
> 
> 
> ** Be Advised I will Attach A Picture*
> 
> 
> She also had them in her stool this morning, except this stool was firm and regular like all the rest of hers have been. She is on Sentinel Spectrum and Frontline Plus which she get's every month. I'm not sure if this is a type of worm or not? As well as I'm not sure where she would've gotten it. I just wanted to ask around before I was forced to spend $50 on a fecal sample at the vet.




Hi sorry but I am just curious to know if you found out what this was? As my pup is 6months old and and he has this too!


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## Damicodric

Relax.

My dog’s stools get these, most often, in Spring through Summer months in southern New Jersey. I never see the specs during cold months.

They’re not on the stool as soon as they go, but usually appear within 15 - 20 mins. I know; that’s fast, but they do.

I haven’t nailed it down, but I’m relatively sure it’s fly or maggot (or some other insect) eggs. I know it’s NOT from my dogs, so I’m not exactly breaking out the microscope, either.

I pick up after my dogs almost immediately. It goes into a hefty bag which is then returned into a large sealed black plastic commercial container, until the next go ‘round. Point is - although the container is sealed tight, in the warm months, a fly or two will find its way into the container. I’ll spray the container to kill them and any insects, but invariably, I will find the identical white specs (eggs) around the edges of the bag.

They’re not intestinal parasites from your dog.

Best of luck to you and your pup.


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## chenbao

NTA. He’s a homeless dude with a cat that you graciously allowed to stay with you. And now he has a puppy?
I just got a puppy. Puppies are annoying as ****. Mine somehow figured out how to poop out the tail hole of her diaper. Only an ******* can’t follow simple rules and takes advantage of the charity of others.


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## Allicat23

mlisek995 said:


> My pup is almost 8 months old, and out of nowhere I just noticed these white tiny specs in her stool. Last night she had a fairly loose stool, but tiny white specs in it.
> 
> 
> ** Be Advised I will Attach A Picture*
> 
> 
> She also had them in her stool this morning, except this stool was firm and regular like all the rest of hers have been. She is on Sentinel Spectrum and Frontline Plus which she get's every month. I'm not sure if this is a type of worm or not? As well as I'm not sure where she would've gotten it. I just wanted to ask around before I was forced to spend $50 on a fecal sample at the vet.


I ran across the picture you posted and wanted to ask if you ever found out what that was. My dogs poop looked like that yesterday and thinking back on it, it’s looked like that before. The white things on the outside didn’t move but when I broke open the poop teeny tiny things on the inside were moving. I’m assuming they were tapeworms. But what in the world is on the outside? Just wondered if you ever figured it out.


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## Magwart

@Allicat23 - Small white things moving in the poop (like small pieces of rice) are likely tapeworm segments. You need some praziquantel -- it's available OTC from pet supply stores. You'll probably need a whole package of the OTC stuff, if it's a big dog. Example:
Bayer Tapeworm Dog De-Wormer, 5-count - Chewy.com (Petco sells it too). 
Or you can get a single Drontal Plus pill from the vet (RX only) -- they may need a fresh sample of the poop dropped off in a ziplock bag. I like Drontal Plus because it will also get other stuff that may not be visible, and it's very effective.

You also need to treat your dog for fleas, and treat your yard too. Fleas transmit tapes, so where there are tapes, there are also fleas. I would put the dog on a high-quality, RX-only oral flea preventative from the vet while you work to figure out where the fleas are coming from (Nexgard, Simparica, Bravecto, etc.)


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## Tiffanyoverlander

mlisek995 said:


> My pup is almost 8 months old, and out of nowhere I just noticed these white tiny specs in her stool. Last night she had a fairly loose stool, but tiny white specs in it.
> 
> 
> ** Be Advised I will Attach A Picture*
> 
> 
> She also had them in her stool this morning, except this stool was firm and regular like all the rest of hers have been. She is on Sentinel Spectrum and Frontline Plus which she get's every month. I'm not sure if this is a type of worm or not? As well as I'm not sure where she would've gotten it. I just wanted to ask around before I was forced to spend $50 on a fecal sample at the vet.


Did you ever figure out what these are? My 4 mo golden retriever has these and she also has been having loose stools. I first noticed it about 3 wks ago. Called vet described it as 'looks like specks of sawdust' picked up pills for I think they said tapeworm. Looseness did get better but would still see these. Had last set of vaccines yesterday and I took in a sample of her poop they said it was nothing. Now this morning her poop has alot of mucus and did see moving worms but also may been maggots but I did collect more of her poop and also the worms. But I'm at a loss of what to do and what it is. I'm so tired of worrying about it!


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## dogma13

Tiffanyoverlander said:


> Did you ever figure out what these are? My 4 mo golden retriever has these and she also has been having loose stools. I first noticed it about 3 wks ago. Called vet described it as 'looks like specks of sawdust' picked up pills for I think they said tapeworm. Looseness did get better but would still see these. Had last set of vaccines yesterday and I took in a sample of her poop they said it was nothing. Now this morning her poop has alot of mucus and did see moving worms but also may been maggots but I did collect more of her poop and also the worms. But I'm at a loss of what to do and what it is. I'm so tired of worrying about it!


Tiny specks are usually just fly eggs which were laid after the fact.Tape worm segments look like rice.Round worms look like spaghetti. The lab tests look for eggs which are microscopic that are not visible.
Your dog's issue may not be caused by worms at all. Talk to the vet again.


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## runtex22

Hi, Did you find out what the timing white things were ? My dog has the same thing. Thank you so much for any help. This is very stressful as she is nursing now. Will got to the vet today.


Tiffanyoverlander said:


> Did you ever figure out what these are? My 4 mo golden retriever has these and she also has been having loose stools. I first noticed it about 3 wks ago. Called vet described it as 'looks like specks of sawdust' picked up pills for I think they said tapeworm. Looseness did get better but would still see these. Had last set of vaccines yesterday and I took in a sample of her poop they said it was nothing. Now this morning her poop has alot of mucus and did see moving worms but also may been maggots but I did collect more of her poop and also the worms. But I'm at a loss of what to do and what it is. I'm so tired of worrying about it!


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## dogma13

Tiny specks are usually just fly eggs which were laid after the fact.Tape worm segments look like rice.Round worms look like spaghetti. The lab tests look for eggs which are microscopic that are not visible.
Your dog's issue may not be caused by worms at all.


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