a friend’s parents are out of town, and he’s watching their dog. his mom doesn’t administer parasite preventative during the winter and the poor old dog has a BAD hookworm infestation. he’s at the vet’s for this now, but my friend’s wondering about the house, yard, car, etc. he’s calling his doctor regarding how to deal with his own system, but he could use help with clearing the environment.
any suggestions/help would be greatly appreciated.
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thanks a TON. my friend is following this thread, so he’ll see the response. 🙂
hah, i hear ya! he’s angry about the situation – they left knowing the dog wasn’t feeling well, and it’s taken weeks to figure out the cause of the problem. it also explains the weight loss, even though he’s finally at a healthy weight (especially for a big basketball-headed lab).
now to get him healthy and keep him trim…
yeah. he’s the most responsible member of the family, especially when it comes to the dog.
he’s the one who got them to feed meals, and set amounts at each meal. he’s the reason they’re feeding a high quality food. frankly, i think he should just take over total care of the dog – he’s the reason the dog gets to go to the beach, plays fetch, goes for walks, you name it. he’s a big ol’ sweetheart of a mooshdog who actually tolerated my crazypants dobe when she was a pup, and he deserves the best care.
thanks for posting updates, Mike. 🙂
maybe they need to reconsider such long vacations. he’s trying to tell them something. they need to listen.
oof, yeah, 66 is too low. i’m sure your parents will put the weight back on…hopefully they do so *slowly*
that a lab has gone this long without eating underwear is amazing. they’re lucky. 😛
Hey everyone, Thanks again for the help! I want him to be as healthy as possible in his last year, hopefully years. Suggestions on what preventative to get him on? Sentinel Plus, Spectrum? Iverhart? Is this (dewormer / worm preventative) something that we might want to switch / rotate every few months? This is the family dog, we got him back in 2003 when I was a teenager, so he lives at my parents house (they’re retired) He’s doing much, much better, though I am worried about re-infection given that he’s 13. He’s been with me since beginning of Feb,… Read more »
Today was the 1st day since the ER visit that I’ve left him alone during the day and couldn’t stop by at lunch, so I had a family friend check on him. Perky, excited, alert, hopping around and very happy to get a bite of chicken as a treat and a short walk. I’ll talk to my mother later this week and make sure he gets a followup vet trip soon (early april) that I’m going to try and make. We’ll see what preventative to get him on and also see about another round or two of dewormer and poo… Read more »
Ah, reply got eaten. His person is home. He greeted my parents to death by tail wag and full on butt wiggle, then pranced around with a bone. He even drank some water from his water bowl, though only a bit. Ive been adding water to his food to keep him hydrated. He was 66 lbs when the ER discharged him!, so we’ll need to put weight on him. I’d like him between 75 and 80, no more than 85 lbs. I think my mom will be willing to put in the work, though it remains to be seen just… Read more »
Well, he’s an amazingly well-behaved, laid back dog. Even as a puppy he really never chewed things he wasn’t supposed to ate bad stuff etc. I did stress that, basically, they’re going to have to act as though they have a puppy again. keep doors closed and confine him to certain areas of the house if they’re going to keep it as cluttered as it is. Can’t really rely on him to tell them he needs to go out. I’ve been noticing this even before he got sick. In old age he’s just not vocal / animated in telling you.… Read more »
Mom was opposed to 2 months vacation instead of 1, but Dad won out on that one. Zack continues to improve. He’s eating, finally drinking water and keeping everything down, there have been no accidents so far this week, and my mother says he’s “Very perky” He’ll get another dewormer treatment later this week. I did have someone remind me this past weekend that “he’s 13 and you might have to put him down soon.” Yeah, thanks. As if I’m not acutely aware of that. Checked with my Dr. and was told not to worry about myself as long as… Read more »
Got him on Iverhart Max, he’s gained weight back, and was hopping around in excitement when I stopped by this past weekend. Seems to be back to his old self. We also started him on Glucosamine (human kind) and it appears to have really helped him get around. Hell, he jumped out of the back of my mother’s SUV this weekend and proceeded to go on one of the longest walks he’s been on in a long, long time. It’s been a few years since he’s felt spry enough to jump down out of the back of a truck /… Read more »