Distemper Vaccine And Worms (yes Those Ones)

[Guest EustisMom]

Went to the vet today for Eusits' distemper shot #3. He's 6 1/2 months. I was told it should have been done last week, so where it was slightly off for timing, he should get a 4th ("strongly recommended" by the vet). Got home from the vet and the postcard was in the mail saying he was due the 11th, it was mailed the 10th and today is the 14th. Maybe I should go on the soapbox to rant while I'm at it

 

Anyone have experience with this? Am I going to be shelling out another check to them (which I will if it's truly valid), or are 3 shots enough? He meets the occasional dog, and he's the only one we have.

 

OK, now the worms...he has gone through the meds for the kind you can see - which are gone. They are telling me he still has hookworm eggs (he went through Drontal once already). He also has another parasite now, sounds like cocciXXXX, and he has to take Albon for 2 weeks for those. We have always picked up his droppings as soon as he drops them since day one (don't need kids or him stepping in them). Any advice? He might get the occasional chipmunk/squirrel/rabbit droppings but I really don't think he has eaten those - I'm just trying to figure out how/why this is happening.

 

 

[Guest meakah]

Normally we do a series of 3 for pups and sometimes a series of 4 is done if they are started really young. If you are getting the 3rd at 6.5 months (and only 1 week late)...IMO, you do not need a 4th.

 

As for the worms....not sure why you are having so many problems. Is this what you are talking about? ---> Coccidiosis

If so, does your dog have diarrhea? Bad water seems to be the main culprit.

 

[Guest EustisMom]

Thanks for the info, I've been busy and haven't been able to get on for the past couple of days.

 

As for the worms, I am sort of lost on how he got reinfected. We clean up immediately after he goes. Maybe the drontal caught them in a weird part of their lifecycle?.?.?

 

As for the other issue, I guess it's the 'coccidia" parasite. that's what the albon is for, which I swear gave him diarrhea. I called the vet, they think it was from the parasite (which he hadn't had the diarrhea before that). I took him off the med Sat and Sun, to let him get back to normal bm's. I cut down the dosage today to 1 1/2 tablets (he is supposed to be taking 1 3/4), so far so good.

 

I'm hoping this run on the meds will take care of everything.

 

 

[Guest longdogs]

They don't pick up hookworms from eating poop. The hookworm larvae are in the environment around where egg-laden poop gas been deposited even when the poop has gone. Clearing up immediately after your own dog, if it is infected, is a good idea because the larvae take a while to develop and move away. The larvae then burrow into any suitable host they come into contact with. That's why a few infected dogs in a shared area can infect a lot of others and why it is difficult to prevent reinfection. Using a combination intestinal wormer/heartwormer can help keep thing under control but more powerful treatments are usually needed from time to time.