Guest laura150 Posted April 16, 2014 Share Posted April 16, 2014 Ernie had bloody diarrhea on Sunday/Monday so I took him to the vet yesterday and brought a stool sample. Sure enough, he's filled with hookworms and whipworms. He's been on Heartguard since we got him but apparently it's not fool proof. So he was prescribed Panacur. I asked the vet what to do about his diet because he was having diarrhea (not terrible, but every time he went out). She suggested he eat Science Diet r/d canned food as it would really help firm up his stool. So I gave him the first dose of Panacur last night with the canned food (she told me to give him a can and a half for dinner). He gobbled it up and had the panacur.Fast forward to 11:30pm and he's whining to go out every half hour. He's been having terrible diarrhea. I've actually seen some worms come out (which makes me think he might have roundworms because I've read that you can't see hook or whip worms in poop). In all that I've read about Panacur, it seems like side effects are minimal. Is it the food that the vet told me to feed him that's making him so sick? We were literally outside every half hour from 11:30-5am. He's got three days of the medication and I don't think I can do three nights in a row of this. Should I put him on a rice and boiled beef diet instead? I'm concerned about dehydration from all of the diarrhea. Anyone have any suggestions on how to get him to drink? Has this happened to anyone else when their dog took panacur or should I probably be pinpointing the food? Poor Ernie!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tbhounds Posted April 16, 2014 Share Posted April 16, 2014 (edited) He may need metronidazole also at this point. I never heard of panacur causing diarrhea. R/D is a very high fiber food and is known to bulk up the stool-ie works well to firm up stools. Call your vet-explain what's happening-I suspect they will recommend starting him on metronidazole and they may want to give him an injection of centrine to slow the GI tract down and stop the cramping. They also may want to switch the panacur for strongid T. Edited April 16, 2014 by tbhounds Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
riverbosun Posted April 16, 2014 Share Posted April 16, 2014 Had this with Abe and the vet thought it was due to how infested he was. I was also boiling chicken which he most likely was sensitive too so I changed to Hamburg. He told me to skip a day and then resume. Also Metronidazole was added with Panancur and did the trick. I have had to worm him a couple of times since and had no problems. Quote Barbara Majestic and Ranger "If you want to hear the patter of little feet I'll put shoes on my dogs." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest laura150 Posted April 16, 2014 Share Posted April 16, 2014 I just called the vet and told them what happened last night. The receptionist told me that it was normal when de-worming. I was like, this is going to happen for the next three days? She was like, yes, most likely. I said, if someone told you to sit tight and just keep on having diarrhea for 3 days pretty much every hour on the hour, would you listen to them? No offense to her, but I'd rather talk to a vet. My poor pup. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CharlieRhea Posted April 16, 2014 Share Posted April 16, 2014 talk to the vet not the receptionist, you deserve that. Yes, do try some boiled burger and rice. Hope Ernie feels better fast, hang in there and again call vet and get some metronidazole Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
a_daerr Posted April 16, 2014 Share Posted April 16, 2014 Poor thing. I agree that the diarrhea is probably attributed to the parasites, not the food or the Panacur. But I'd definitely ask for some Flagyl at this point. Having prolonged diarrhea for more than a few days can turn into a much bigger problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest laura150 Posted April 16, 2014 Share Posted April 16, 2014 If they are hesitant to give me metronidazole or Flagyl to give to him, should I push it with them? I hope that Panacur is going to town killing those worms. He's so miserable How do they get worms if they are on Heartguard medication? Is it possible that he had them before we adopted him and are just now hatching? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Time4ANap Posted April 16, 2014 Share Posted April 16, 2014 In addition to adding Metronidazole, switch to multiple small feedings, like 4 or 6 a day depending on what your schedule allows. Putting all of that high fiber food into him in one shot is probably contributing to the blowout, but the Panacur is also doing it's job by getting that initial wave of worms out of him. Slowly work him back on to his regular feeding schedule once his tummy is recovered and stools start to firm up. For bland diets, I use Evanger's Organic Canned Chicken, and add some mushy, overcooked rice or pasta to it. We usually feed smaller meals 4 times a day when tummy issues develop so that meals are easier on the stomach. Quote Camp Broodie. The current home of Mark Kay Mark Jack and Gracie Kiowa Safe Joan. Always missing my boy Rocket Hi Noon Rocket, Allie Phoenix Dynamite, Kate Miss Kate, Starz Under Da Starz, Petunia MW Neptunia, Diva Astar Dashindiva, and LaVida I've Got Life Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
a_daerr Posted April 16, 2014 Share Posted April 16, 2014 If they are hesitant to give me metronidazole or Flagyl to give to him, should I push it with them? Yep, I would. Best to take care of it now before it gets worse. The last thing you want is an e-vet visit if he would become severely dehydrated and need IV fluids. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest laura150 Posted April 16, 2014 Share Posted April 16, 2014 Ahhh, that makes sense about the high fiber food. He ate with gusto last night and I was relieved that he felt well enough to eat. I will definitely do the smaller meals. He's not into eating anything this morning so I'm going to keep offering him a little bit of food. How is metronidazole administered? Is it a pill? How often do you usually give it out? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
a_daerr Posted April 16, 2014 Share Posted April 16, 2014 How is metronidazole administered? Is it a pill? How often do you usually give it out? Yeah, it's a pill. Everytime we've had it, it's been 1.5 pills twice a day for a week. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Time4ANap Posted April 16, 2014 Share Posted April 16, 2014 Forgot to mention - if he isn't drinking, you can mix some Pedialyte with his water, or a couple splashes of Gatorade. Don't over do it, and only add it once or twice to get him drinking, You don't want to add it every time you fill the bowl. Rocket has a sweet tooth, so I've added Gatorade to get him to drink and it has worked. You could also try giving him some broth instead, or 50/50 mix of broth and water - anything along those lines to get him to drink should be fine. Keep an eye out for dehydration. Lift the fur on his back. If it stays up, he is dehydrated. If it snaps back into place, he's okay. Quote Camp Broodie. The current home of Mark Kay Mark Jack and Gracie Kiowa Safe Joan. Always missing my boy Rocket Hi Noon Rocket, Allie Phoenix Dynamite, Kate Miss Kate, Starz Under Da Starz, Petunia MW Neptunia, Diva Astar Dashindiva, and LaVida I've Got Life Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest laura150 Posted April 16, 2014 Share Posted April 16, 2014 So I ended up taking him to the vet again this morning. I saw another vet because the one he's seen before wasn't there yesterday. The vet I saw this morning did a rectal exam and there was a lot of blood. She thought it was from all of the straining. He's pretty dehydrated so they are giving him an IV for some fluids. I can pick him up later today. She agreed that it was weird that the first vet wouldn't have suggested an anti-diarrheal even after I asked for one yesterday. I'm hoping that he just has a really sensitive tummy and is reacting to the food and the meds they have him on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tbhounds Posted April 17, 2014 Share Posted April 17, 2014 Blood in the stool is caused by bowel inflammation--the metronidazole will help reduce the inflammation. No offense but, the first vet you mentioned would not get my business. Yikes Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juliemac Posted April 17, 2014 Share Posted April 17, 2014 How's Ernie feeling now? Hope that he's feeling a bit better with the extra fluids, and those nasty little buggers are all out of his system quickly. And I hope YOU'RE getting some rest soon!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest laura150 Posted April 17, 2014 Share Posted April 17, 2014 Ernie is doing better! I picked him up from getting his IV yesterday and he came bouncing down the hall to greet me. I could feel it in his fur/skin how much more hydrated he was and he just looked better and happier. Last night he had two spurts (sorry, that's just so gross) of blood but then this morning, while it wasn't super firm, his stools were mostly free of blood and he wasn't straining. I'm wondering if the blood was from having a rectal exam. I was concerned but since there was none this morning, I feel a little bit better. They gave me metronidazole and it's seemed to make such a difference. He's drinking and seems back to his playful self. He didn't wake us up once to go out last night. He has one more dose of Panacur tonight and then we have a little break before we start again in 3 weeks. Has this ever happened to anyone before? Heartguard Plus not preventing hookworms? We are switching him to Sentenil starting this month which covers all and whipworms. Thank you for everyone's advice and great tips. The vets were impressed with my knowledge of all things poop. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.