Some one "dumped" a dog on me. She is 2,she is not"fixed",she has not seen a vet since she was 9 mo.nor has she had any shots since than. She is skinny so I thougt she might have worms. I got some"hartz, Rid worm liq." and gave her the recommended dose two weeks ago. Today she had live worms (looked like magots) in her stool. I dosed her again. Two questions, 1) does this really work? 2) will my other dog catch them?

Please don't use the Hartz product anymore. If the worms are alive, it is not working.

I know the vet is an expense, but if this dog has not been to one since she was 9 months old, I would recommend taking her for a full physical as soon as possible.

You want to make sure she hasn't contracted heartworm or lyme disease. I would have him pinpoint what worms are there and make sure there are no other parasitic infections. Use the dewormer that he/she sells to you and ask for an additional dosage for your other dog, because yes, he can pick them up too.

You can do the regular shots in increments. Just give her what the vet thinks is necessary for right now. The spaying can also be done at a later time. There is nothing to prevent you from breaking up the vet visits to make it affordable. But, it is important that she have the checkup and anything serious gets taken care of immediately.

Good Luck.

The most critical thing now is a heartworm test if you have mosquitoes where you are. Dogs will at the most appear to get winded easily, and then just fall dead one day. Get her checked. The cure is fairly expensive, but we lose fewer dogs now that with the old arsenic remedies. Then get her on a preventative. I use Heartgard+ and in the flea season, Revolution. Both kill many other worms too. The vet will insist on rabies because it is required by law.

Keeping the other dog away from her stools should reduce the chances of it picking them up. If it is on a product such as Heartgard+, it is less likely to pick them up too. Actually, they still get stuff, it is just that it kills them off before they can become a problem.

Don't put off spaying too long unless you are sure she only recently went through her season. They come about every 6 months. Once she starts, the vet will want to wait until it is over. It can be a big hassle, the mess, the flaky behavior, creative, strenuous attempts to get loose, male dogs hanging around, etc.