LaFlaca
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Posts posted by LaFlaca
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Lola acted as if she had never eaten a square meal in her life when she first came home. A year later, she still enjoys her meals but is not desperately hungry and will even skip breakfast occasionally. She will, however, sell out her own mother for a piece of cheese.
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As my first Grey, Wendy, aged she too would 'urp' a small amount after meals if she drank water immediately after eating. I restricted her water for 1/2 hour after meals. Poor girl...getting old sucks! Maybe it's time for pee-pee pads since she's not enjoying going out to potty? Or doggie diapers? I think I've seen them on GT called 'bad girl panties'.
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You might try spreading food grade Diatomaceous Earth to the grass/soil with a hand spreader or bulb spreader. It doesn't take much, except you will need to re-do it when it rains. Info - here: https://www.hunker.com/13405975/how-to-treat-your-yard-for-hookworms
We use it for fire ants. I buy mine on Amazon and the 20 lb bag i bought several years ago is still going strong. A little goes a long way.
Also - it won't hurt the dogs.
Thank you!
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From what I know, once hooks are in your yard they are always there, capable of reinfecting dogs that use the space. Particularly if they eat grass (or other deposits) in the yard.
I know out at our adoption kennel they spread a thick layer of borax all over the common turnout area every so often to kill any parasites in the sand. I'm told the sharp edges on the borax scores the shells or cuts the covering on the worms and kills them.
"Larval leak" is a huge issue with hooks. They can show up months after treatment. Our vet requires three negative fecal tests - at 2-3 weeks after treatment, 2-3 months, and again at around 4-6 months - to make sure the hooks are completely cleared.
We've been dealing with this for almost a year. I'm going nuts trying to figure out what's behind the consistently positive fecals. We share our yard with countless other critters; tortoises, raccoons, possums, rats/mice, feral cats and God-knows-what-all-else. I've treated the grass and soil as well as the dog. We've lived here for 35 years, always with a dog, and have never had this problem.
Even our vet is stumped. I'm tempted to pour concrete all over the 200+ square feet of yard and just be done with it! -
On the other hand: "In dogs that are cleared of their adult worm infections, the intestinal tract can be repopulated by preexisting, dormant larvae from the somatic tissues that periodically become activated and resume development." That chipper bit of info comes from the Companion Animal Parasite Council: https://www.capcvet.org/guidelines/hookworms/ So Lola could be reinfecting herself.
Great.
Thanks for the info. and the fabulous links, though. I really enjoy our tortoise neighbors and would hate to have to relocate them.
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Does anyone know if tortoises can transfer hookworms to dogs? Are reptile parasites/nematodes transferable to mammals, specifically canines?
We've been battling hooks for almost a year now. It occurs to me that the tortoises that frequent our yard may have something to do with Lola being reinfected.
Thoughts?
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from Miami, Florida. -
Maybe cramps...but they usually yelp when cramping after a run. Could just be muscle fatigue. Make sure there's no blood in the urine after a hard work-out.
Rhabdomyolysis, Tying-up, Monday morning disease. This acute exertional myopathy of racing Greyhounds and working dogs is characterized by muscle ischemia secondary to exercise or excitement.
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Dropped off a stool sample for my girl yesterday. Waste of $50 b/c I already knew she would still be positive by her output and its cyclical nature of being loose and mucousy at times. Count is +1 so lower than previous sample months ago, which was +2/3. I guess I mainly wanted to prove to the vet she still has hookworm. She has been dewormed every 2 weeks for almost 8 months. Went through a 6 month supply of Advantage Multi with another box on the way. She isnt being reinfected since she refuses to go #2 in the backyard. Good news is she is mainting a healthy weight for her, at 51 lbs., and eating very well. Waiting for a call back from the vet tonight.
Cant wait for this day to be over. Work was stressful and now Im sick over this. Plus I have a cold.
(Big sigh)
My on-going apologies for any punctual errors as I use my cell phone to post.
Thanks for reading.
So, in your case, the problem is not environmental. She's not getting reinfected from the soil in the yard. My vet is convinced Lola is getting reinfected from the soil in the yard. What the heck is going on here.
Lola is also eating well and maintaining a healthy 73 lbs.
Did your girl come from a Florida track? I'm curious as to where all these dogs with super-worms are coming from.
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from Miami, Florida.
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Sounds like he might be in pain or feeling some weakness. Time for a wellness check. Hope it’s nothing more than “accumulated youth”.
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It does sound like you need something for the larval leak. I'd definitely start on Advantage Multi. Did Lola's hookworm level go down at all? How long have you been treating her?
I've been treating Lola for hooks, on and off, for almost a year. She came home in August with the expected load, had a couple of negative fecals, but they always recur. I've never asked about the level. Would I have to keep using the Advantage Multi forever as a preventative or only until we get several negative fecals?
Can you explain larval leak? I've not been able to find anything online that explains this in a way I can understand.
Is the 'level' the number/percentage of parasites found in the fecal sample?
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I just emailed my vet and asked if she would approve the use of Advantage Multi in addition to the Panacur and Trifexis we are already using. My poor Lola! If the hooks don't kill her the anti-parasitic poisons just might. I HATE this.
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Lola has once again tested positive for hookworm. I am despondent. The vet is stumped. Poor Lola is miserable; gassy and desperately licking her itchy anus. Another round of Panacur. <sigh> Vet is going to do some online research. I'll continue to keep the yard immaculate and will spray with Wondercide again. With the rain and blistering heat we've been having, Miami is hookworm heaven. So frustrating. I've never experienced anything like this before. None of my non-Greys ever had hooks. My first Greyhound, Wendy, came to me with a load but two rounds of Panacur took care of business and she never again had a problem with parasites. What has changed? I can only surmise that it's the worms themselves mutating into super-hooks. Hope you all are having success beating these
worms! -
Peace to your broken heart. Rest well dear Samlur.
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CGS If you can SEE worms, then they are NOT hookworms. Probably tapeworms, roundworms. Take a stool sample to vet and get it checked out. Its not unusual for hounds to have worms & parasites there are many types. Good luck.
Oh, crap!!!!
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Maybe theyre maggots? Time for a visit to Dr. Google to see what a hookworm looks like. Even when Lola tested positive I never saw worms in the poop-can or in her feces on the ground.
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Us too. It was very heartening to read of your successes as they came in. A few months ago we were all in the same boat.
That nasty business with the Diamond naturals formula change certainly didn't help matters either.
We're going to test again on the 27th, just for my own peace of mind, when I take Lola in for vaccinations. I'll let you guys know the results.
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All clear for both dogs!! It has been a long 6+ months.
Thank you cgs for starting this particular thread with all the information compiled at the beginning, and LaFlaca for the info on the Wondercide, and everyone else who chipped in!
What worked:
3 rounds of:
Day 1 - Advantage Multi/Advocate
Day 2-4 - Safeguard/Panacur
each round starts 3 weeks apart.
Picking up the poop when it drops, even if you have to dig it out of the grass.
Keeping your dog away from potential (re)infection sites like M&Gs, pet stores, and other events with fresh from the track dogs.
What didn't work:
Safeguard/Panacur (3 day course) by itself on a three week cycle with or without Heartgard Plus
Drontal by itself on a three week cycle with or without Heartgard Plus
We are going to go monthly on the Advantage Multi for three months (in place of the Heartgard Plus that we suspended when starting the Advantage Multi) and retest again in mid-August.
Huzzah! What a mission. So glad it's over.
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I couldn't tell if it made mine sleepy.
Is it just the regular 5mg melatonin that you can get in the people vitamin section?
Just curious. Mine just have the regular kennel bald spots, except Hobbes who wasn't a track dog. He has a full coat everywhere.
Our vet says large dogs like ours can take up to 6 mg. I give 5 mg. of Solgar brand melatonin which can be purchased just about anywhere that sells vitamins including Amazon. I use Solgar because my own doctor recommends the brand. My dogs both had typical Greyhound bald necks and thighs which resolved with good diet, grooming and melatonin.
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I finished the third round of the Advocate/Panacur treatment yesterday. The yard had been treated with the wondercide twice now, and the dogs have had no visible sign of hooks now for weeks. I am hoping that the third time is a charm and this is it. No one seems sick or distressed. Stool is firm and consistent. Activity and general health seem normal.
Fingers crossed. Testing in three weeks for Cita.
Same here. Finished 4th round of Panacur one month ago. Treated yard twice with Wondercide. Picking up poop almost before it hits the ground! Going to the vet on the 27th for vaccinations so will test again then. Lola seems hookworm symptom free so...
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My two Greys have not experienced any side effects from melatonin. Although I do give it with dinner, it does not seem to cause sleepiness. Of course, I always consult our vet before I give any supplement or medication to my dogs.
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I didnt know about Melatonin either. Dosage?
I give 5 mg. daily at dinner. Just toss it in with her food.
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Carl had bald thighs, a vet suggested melatonin. It really worked, he ended up with a thick pelt on his neck, thighs filled in - not completely, but mostly, same with his chest. I have him at night, it never changed his energy level, etc.
Melatonin is like Rogaine for Greyhounds (and other breeds). If you stop giving it, the hair falls out again. Gave it to my first Grey for 11 years with no ill effects and am giving it to my present Grey for her bald thigh syndrome.
Even our vet is stumped. I'm tempted to pour concrete all over the 200+ square feet of yard and just be done with it! 
Thanks for the info. and the fabulous links, though. 
from Miami, Florida.
worms!
Greyhound Growling
in Training and Behavior discussion
Posted
100% in agreement. My first Greyhound, Wendy, was with me for almost 12 years. In all that time she never, ever showed any aggressive behavior. However, she would not tolerate an arm resting across her back when she was lying down. She'd growl and walk away. Not aggression, just communication.