Worms - That Won't Go Away!

[Guest nonna49]

Truth be told, we may NEVER be able to get rid of hookworms in our greys. The parasite runs rampant in the racing community. It can go dormant for years then resurface and wreak havoc in what appears to be a healthy dog. Technically, there is no 'cure' for hookworms. We can medicate, test, medicate test until we're blue in the face and not get rid of this most insidious parasite. In some states, vets can not say a hookworm test was 'negative' they can only say NOS or NOP...no ova seen, or no ova present.

 

Hookworm meds only kill the eggs. The mature worms migrate, feed and breed. There is no 100% solution. There is no finite cure. Diligence, particularly in climates hospitable to hookworm is of paramount importance. In areas where hookworm is rare, we need to treat just as aggressively.

 

Common diseases in retired racing greyhounds, per every forum I read are anemia, IBS or other gastro-intestinal upset, food intolerances without accompanied itching associated with food allergy. All of these may be misdiagnosed hookworm, meaning NOS in any number of fecals, done at the local level or state laboratory, or complications from hookworm infestation.

 

Bacterial infestations such as giardia, clostridium, coccidia have similar symptoms to hookworm; poor appetite, lethargy, diarrhea, gas. The dog has cyclical episodes of all or some of these symptoms, we take our sample to the vet...no bugs/ova present...flagyl, metronitizole, condition clears up...we think we're done. Same thing with food intolerances. Changed to thus and so food...problem cleared...

 

My Dash lived with us for four years...we didn't see ova in ANY sample until the last six months of her life. By then the damage was done, she was severely anemic. We did everything the vet books said to do...we still lost her. Her post mortem showed a spleen 3+ times normal size that in no way resembled a dog spleen. It was tested...no cancer...probable cause? Long term, undiagnosed hookworm infestation. This isn't the opinion of one vet...it's the opinion of several vets in Arizona, Colorado and Wyoming. Former veterinary professors from University of Arizona, Colorado and Wyoming.

 

None of us wants to think our precious babies have hookworms. It somehow not only reflects badly on where and how the dogs were whelped, housed, fed and treated prior to coming into our homes, but it makes us feel as though we're at fault. The truth is, there is nothing we have done, nothing we can do. Until racing dogs are treated, tested, documented and regulated from whelping to retirement, the problem will exist.

 

Some of us have read that the lifecycle of a hookworm is 21 days. We give our pups Heartgard Plus or some other treatment hoping to rid the dog of the parasite. We give these medications once every 30 days...there is a flaw in this treatment, it helps, everything we do helps, but it does not fully protect or cure the dog. Pyrantel is one of the ingredients in Heartgard Plus...it is effective in killing hookworm eggs, however, the dose in the monthly treatment is very low compared to the aggressive treatment with pyrantel administered by our vets.

 

Once we have identified the problem most of us are on a regimen of panacur, pyrantel and other meds. Sometimes it works, quite often it's an uphill battle.

 

Hookworms go dormant and they become resistant. It's a fact of life. We treat and maybe get 50% of the eggs...the other half hatch out and go do their damage...lay eggs...if we catch it just right, we may get 50% of the next batch...but do we get them all? Nope.

 

Dogs get hookworm in three primary ways:

1. From their dam at whelping

2 .From hookworm infestation in their food, the sort of raw, unsanitary food fed by some trainers at some tracks

3. From their environment, picked up in areas where the habitat is suitable to the hookworm

 

I have two grey-babies...both are two and a half years old. Neither went to a kennel or foster care before coming to me. One I've had for 10 days, she was tested within 48 hours of coming into my custody. Luckily ova were present which allowed us to begin aggressive therapy immediately. My other dog did not show ova, over many fecals until she had been with us six months. She too came to me directly from the track, no kennel, no foster.

 

I am a cranky, old Italian lady...I've been around dogs all my life...multiple breeds...my father bred and hunted with bird dogs. I've lived all over the U.S and Europe. I've never had a dog with hookworm, not even the hunting dogs, until I adopted retired racing greyhounds. I live in north eastern Arizona, it's an arid plateau, 5,000 feet above sea level, the climate is inhospitable to hookworm, but I've had three greys in 11 months all with hookworm.

 

Let us not be delusional, hookworm is a HUGE problem in our breed of choice. I see no cure or foolproof treatment. Our only recourse is to be aware and proactive...if it's diarrhea, gas, intestinal distress, orangey poop, dark urine think hookworm FIRST not last. Otherwise we are using the shotgun approach to solve a collateral problem while the hookworms continue to debilitate our kids-in-dog-clothing.

 

Respectfully,

tlv