Question
Profile Image
Caitlin | 5 years ago
We Got A 3-4 Month Old Puppy In August, And He Has Showed Positive For Hookworms …

We got a 3-4 month old puppy in August, and he has showed positive for hookworms twice, then again for DNA of hookworms. We’re taking another sample this week to see if it’s still showing. The poor thing has been through two rounds of dewormer which made his bowel movements super frequent (in crate while we were at work , etc.). With the DNA, the vet had us give him his second month of heartgaurd, which he was due for. The foster family and his sibling who was with them reportedly do not have worms.

Are hookworms normally this difficult to get rid of? Should I talk to another vet?

2 Responses

Comments

  1. Krista Magnifico

    Hello,
    Yes hookworms can be a bugger to eradicate. Ask your vet for help with either someone from the lab services company they use to send diagnostics to, or help from the vet at the manufacturers company you buy your Heartworm prevention from (if it is labeled for hook worms). After rhat a second opinion with an internal medicine person might be helpful just to make sure it isn’t anything else. Or being exacerbated by something else. Often it isn’t just one problem. It can be others too. I hope this helps.

Regular Vet Visit
Profile Image
Krista Magnifico | 5 years ago
Greyhound With Chronic Hookworms
Treatment Cost (USD): $216.00
Dorie came in to see me as a walk-in emergency on Sunday. She is a 3 year old happy, healthy Greyhound. She was rescued from off the track about 1.5 years ago. When she first came to see me (for her new patient examination) we did an exam, gave her a microchip, reviewed her vaccine history and sent out a fecal sample to the lab. We send out a fecal (I feel it is imperative to send these to a lab and not do an at home test or do in the vet office as the lab gets better yields AND can help with issues like hers). She came back positive (3 plus A LOT!) for hookworms. Dorie was treated after her first visit with us and has been fine since. SHe has been on monthly flea & tick (credelio) and heartworm prevention (Interceptor Plus). Until last Sunday when she arrived back at my veterinary office with diarrhea. Every pet with diarrhea should have a fecal exam done.. every one. Missing the easy to diagnose is unacceptable in my opinion. I know lots of people dont want to spend (although I more often hear them use the word "waste" money or diagnostics, but I always say missing the most obvious and often very likely is just bad medicine. Start at the basics; diet, inappropriate food/treats/etc indescretion, and parasites for diarrhea if the pet is otherwise healthy (puppies I worry about stress, food, parasites and PARVO!).
0 Responses
Question
Profile Image
Pawbly | 8 years ago
My Cats Were Purebred (in My Home), They’re A Persian+Turkish Angora Mix And Are Already…

My cats were purebred (in my home), they’re a Persian+Turkish Angora mix and are already 3 years old, I haven’t given them any medications (except when they’re sick). I’ve never checked them for any hookworms, ringworms, heartworms or any other parasites/worms so are there any risks?

5 Responses

Comments

  1. Anonymous

    Because I am a stickler for accuracy in language: If they’re a mix, then they aren’t purebred.  The word “purebred” means an animal bred from parents of the same breed or variety.  Because you have two different breeds involved, they are a mix.

    That said…do they go outside?  Have you taken a fecal sample to the vet annually?  I give heartworm preventative 4x a year – my old man cat doesn’t go outside, and I get annual fecal and blood testing done for him.  Get fecals and blood panels done, at the very least, to make sure everything’s good.  Without a full picture of your cats’ health, you cannot make an educated decision on how to handle medications and the like.

  2. Zaid Kilani

    I’m really sorry for the mistake, so they’re not purebred (my cousin told me that that’s how purebred cats are and I believed him), anyways, I’m not an expert in cats nor am I accurate in language. My cats go indoors and outdoors whenever they want and I’ve never taken them to any fecal or blood tests but I do have a vet coming to my house every month for a checkup on my cats’ overall health.

  3. Anonymous

    If they go outside, then yes, they should be on heartworm preventative. I would also have them on an external parasite preventative/flea and tick preventative, as well.

  4. Andrea Cox

    Have they ever seen a vet?  Vaccines? If not and they are outside then you have more to worry about then worms. You need to get them checked out properly by a vet and you need to consider them to be indoor cats. Outdoors cats have a short life so and of around 5 years or less. I door cats can live up to 20. You say they have been sick before, most likely because they caught something outside. I would take to a vet and let them administer the medicines and preventatives.  It’s not that much money to have this done. 

Question
Profile Image
Laura | 9 years ago
A Friend’s Parents Are Out Of Town, And He’s Watching Their Dog. His Mom…

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.

12 Responses

Comments

  1. Anonymous

    thanks a TON. my friend is following this thread, so he’ll see the response. 🙂

  2. Anonymous

    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…

  3. Anonymous

    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.

  4. Mike W.

    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, and spent 2 weeks with my sisters prior. I think he was starting to get sick even then, though we chalked it up to age, different surroundings, and my mother being away. Even I chalked some of his symptoms the past few weeks up to old age.

    He originally had diarrhea and then bloody stools on the 27th or 28th of Feb, was diagnosed with dehydration and colitis on the 29th. Vet (not the usual lady) was reluctant to bother testing the small fecal sample I brought and was “sure they wouldn’t find anything” It was tested and positive for hookworms (3-4 on a 1-5 scale) I’m not sure if it was an oversight by myself or the vet, but I was not contacted with the results. My mother was, but is on vacation and never checked her multiple voicemails. 5 days prior to the ER he had been doing much better, long, perky walk, an afternoon of swimming. He had days where he acted like a puppy, but also days where he was very lethargic, but went downhill very very fast over a 36 hr. period. where he drank water, then threw it up tinged with blood.

    So he had a pretty serious hookworm infection which then went untreated almost a full month. He also swallowed 2 complete pairs of panties, which is behavior I’ve never seen from him.

    Immediately brought him to the 24hr. ER vet Thursday night, he was admitted, given meds, max IV hydration they could give, and was there until Saturday evening. I feel like this is soumething I should have caught earlier, though he appeared to have been doing better, and his symptoms mimiced the colitis symptoms the vet said would clear up with time.

    Also, the ER Vet gave me Rymidal to help with his mobility but I’m reluctant to give him it due to his age (Older humans can have bad bleeding on NSAID’s, I wonder if dogs are the same) and also because of what his system has been through. He gets around pretty well for 13, though I now have to help him into the back of the car, so I am thinking glucosamine and perhaps some at home exercises to strengthen his back legs might be a better idea.

  5. Anonymous

    thanks for posting updates, Mike. 🙂

  6. Mike W.

    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 tests. He gets his 2nd round of dewormer on 4/8 per the ER vet. 1st dose I gave him was 3/28 which I believe was Panacur, then on 4/8 he gets Pyrantel. Those 2 doses are all the instructions I got regarding deworming him. However, My basic understanding is that these hookworms can appear to be knocked out initially, but some will lay dormant and then things get nasty again

  7. Mike W.

    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 how much my dad will sabotage things. He’s incapable of properly caring for a dog, cannot/will not feed properly, and I can guarantee he will never pick up poop. I don’t expect he’ll follow my instructions even if I write them out and sit down to explain it all to him like he’s five.

    They’re used to just letting him out the back unsupervised and off-leash (invisible fence) but that cant happen anymore. They’re also used to having him go out whenever they happen to get up in the morning and to giving him free roam of the house. That’ll probably need to change, especially with the underwear eating. He’s been needing to go out between 2 and 6 am most mornings, usually more than once, so this should be….interesting.

    I’m excited to get back to my apartment and sleep in my own bed, but I’ll try and stop by often for the next few weeks to check in on him 🙂

  8. Anonymous

    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. 😛

  9. Mike W.

    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. No crying, pawing, overly insistent nose booping anymore. It’s more of a, lumber into the room, look at you silently, then lumber out.

    Been having some small pee accidents if I don’t have him out the door to go before 6 am. 6:25 this morning was too late.

    He’s tolerating the Orijen I bought. been giving him 1-5 pieces of kibble now and then with his food, just to see if he’d eat it, and so he doesn’t get too spoiled and forget what dog food is 😛 I did stress absolutely no treats or people food other than what he’s getting for meals,

    My sis and I found several pairs of underwear in my parents back yard, so yes, they’re very, very lucky. Odd that this behavior has just recently started though.

  10. Anonymous

    maybe they need to reconsider such long vacations. he’s trying to tell them something. they need to listen.

  11. Mike W.

    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 I was showing no symptoms. Aside from weight loss I’m not, so dog and human are in the clear.

  12. Mike W.

    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 / SUV.
    [URL=http://s1206.photobucket.com/user/MikeDubya1985/media/IMG_0932_zpsycasfvu0.jpg.html][IMG]http://i1206.photobucket.com/albums/bb451/MikeDubya1985/IMG_0932_zpsycasfvu0.jpg[/IMG][/URL]

    [URL=http://s1206.photobucket.com/user/MikeDubya1985/media/IMG_0946_zpsxjwbrfie.jpg.html][IMG]http://i1206.photobucket.com/albums/bb451/MikeDubya1985/IMG_0946_zpsxjwbrfie.jpg[/IMG][/URL]

Question
Profile Image
Pawbly | 9 years ago
Me And My Husband Rescued Grizz From The Local SPCA On Friday, November 27, 2015…

Me and my husband rescued Grizz from the local SPCA on Friday, November 27, 2015. The next day, he began to have diarrhea which cleared up by early Sunday morning. As Sunday progressed he became extremely lethargic and would not eat. We took him to the local vet, a VCA, on Monday Nov 30 and he was diagnosed with a yeast infection in both ears and GI parasites (roundworms and hookworms). Was given Panacur to deworm and drops for his ears. The following day, Tuesday, his lethargy continued and worsened to the point in which he would not move his head. We took him to the hospital at the VCA and found out he had a 104.9 fever. During the time of examination, his face and lymph nodes instantly began to swell and there was purulent discharge from his mouth. He was admitted for IV fluids and antibiotics. After no improvements and an onset of swollen painful joins on Wednesday, the Vets suspected Grizz had juvenile lymphadenitis. On December 3, he started on steroids, dexamethasone, but he only slightly improved. On Friday, Dec 4, we decided to care for Grizz at home and was given Clavamox (1ml/2xday) Enrofloxacin (0.8ml/day), Metronidazole (0.3 ml/2xday), Predisone (10mg/day), and Bupreorphine (0.1 ml as needed 3x a day) to administer to him. By the next day his fever had broken and each day he was becoming stronger where he was able to stand and eventually walk and play. The swelling had just about fully gone down by Tuesday Dec 8. After an initial check up on Monday, Dec 7, we were told to begin to taper the Predisone by 2.5 mg weekly beginning Dec 11. He was responding well to the initial taper dose until yesterday, Thursday Dec 17. Upon waking up Thursday morning we noticed he did not want to put pressure on his front left paw and was shaking. We took him to the VCA at 10am and he remained in hospital to be monitored and was administered his antibiotics, and an additional 5 mg of Prednisone (had already received his 7.5mg dose at 8am) and IV fluids. During his stay his fever reached as high as 104 but began to decrease upon us taking him home at 6:30pm. Throughout last night his fever increased again to 103.9 (temp taken by me by his rear leg pit). His continues to favor his front left paw and his shaking has persisted. Through his entire experience his appetite as remained strong and continues to do so. The most recent treatment plan is to increase Predinisone again back to 10 mg/day for 7 days where another visit will take place on Dec 24.

5 Responses

Comments

  1. Ashley Schaffer

    Why is that not good? That is what he started with before the initial taper and significantly improved. From my research it is 2mg of Pred per every 1 kg of weight. He currently weighs over 9 lbs which would put him at just above 8 mg of Pred and so 10 mg of Pred isn’t that far off, espeically since he is currently in his first relapse after the initial taper dose. What is your experience with Pred?.

  2. sonia de Nysschen

    just as in cortisone in humans you retain fluid so also animals.keep an eye and if anything give you doubt before 24 th dec get a second opinion 

  3. Ashley Schaffer

    Update: grizz’s fever broke by Saturday and has remained normal. He stopped shivering by Saturday completely. He is putting pressure on his front paw and no longer favoring or lifting it, despite the swollen weist joint that became inflammed on Friday and has not decreased since. I cancelled his vet appointment due his signs of improvement and will reschedule in another week or so incase the wrist joint does not change or decrease in swelling.

  4. Ashley Schaffer

    Note: it also looks like one back leg joint is also swollen. He did have swollen painful joints during his first hospital visit so I’m thinking this is just a flare up from the relapse? He doesn’t seem to be in pain at all

Question
Profile Image
Jana | 10 years ago
What Could A Dog Get Hookworms From In The Winter/subzero Temperatures? Bunny Poop?

What could a dog get hookworms from in the Winter/subzero temperatures? Bunny poop?

0 Responses