Hookworms Or Just Tummy Troubles?

[Guest DogNewbie]

Hey all,

 

So I have been doing lots of looking into hookworms around here and I'm not sure if that is the problem or if he just has a sensitive tummy. Here is the scoop:

 

We got Wiley in July 2013 from SAGA in Calgary. He is from a track in Iowa. Don't know how prevalent hooks are there.

 

Anyway, he has had pudding poops to almost good poops and it changes all the time. He has had about two incidences of very bad dierahea.

 

We have tried proboiotics, Iams green bag, yogurt, pumpkin, various other foods etc.

 

He was diagnosed with food allergies about 6 months ago. No soy or wheat for him! He is now on natural Balance LID duck and potatoes with their canned LID mixed in. As he won't eat dry kibble.

 

I am looking into the olewo carrots and I think we will try it.

 

He is a bit of a nervous hound and he gets stressed out easily. Having people over, moving furniture to clean, vacuuming etc. So I wonder if this is a part of the problem.

 

So my question is, does this seem like hookworms or a tummy problem or maybe something else. Thanks so much for the advice!

 

Merry Christmas!

[Guest karilynn]

Probably just tummy problems. I have a puddin' pooper myself. Been back and forth many, many times over what's wrong, is it worms, is it not worms, is it an allergy, is it nerves, etc. We've been to the vet many times. He's had fecals done, because I too thought maybe hookworms. Nadda, nothing. He even went through a dewormer treatment a few times, no change. He's a nervous guy, too. He does OK at home, but he gets nervous going anywhere else and he doesn't like change. Even telling him "NO" to get off of the sofa makes him upset and gives him the runs, so I try to be really, really gentle with his feelings. He's on a grain free, fish formula by NutriSource... we have had good results and a lot less diarrhea. I've come to accept him for who he is, a nervous poo-er and I realize that any change in his routine or a surprise trip to my parent's house will give him anxiety/excitement and I can expect the pudding poops. I also put yogurt in his food and I do believe it does help, but I'm not sure if there is a cure other than maybe trying more foods and seeing which one works better than the others. I would also recommend a fecal at your vet just to rule out worms, it'll make you feel better.

[Time4ANap]

We went through this for ages with Rocket, including de-worming just in case, changes of food, RX food, metronidazole, etc.

 

The vet finally diagnosed him with Stress Colitis. There is no rhyme or reason to what triggers it, but it often happened during or after him being boarded. He loves the boarding place, but something about the change of routine, mealtimes, or something else just causes stress on his tummy.

 

The vet finally prescribed Tylan up to 3 times daily. Normally we give it twice a day, once with each meal. We add a 3rd dose if symptoms appear. It has reduced the occurrences, and shortened the length of time that it goes on when it does happen.

 

For a hound recently off the track, worms of various types aren't out of the question, and can be hard to get rid of. Negative fecals are pretty normal. De-worming ona regular schedule for a bit can;t hurt, but you don;t want to over do it. Drontal Plus would be the way to go for hookworms. It;s pricey, but effective if they are in there. I would follow it with a course or two of metronidazole along with a bland diet to try and heal the tummy. Eliminating any possibility of worms is the first step to actually getting a diagnosis. We have not tried the carrots, having only recently heard of them, but they are definitely worth a try.

 

Whatever you try, be sure to make only one change at a time, and give it 1-3 weeks to be effective before changing or addng anything into the mix (except following the Drontal Plus with metronidazole and bland food - do those simultaneously so that the stomach can heal.)

 

Good luck! Hope your pup is feeling better soon. .

[Guest DogNewbie]

Thanks for the advice! Time4ANap does he get the drontal plus and the metronidazole at the same time? Is it a one time deal?

[tbhounds]

Might sound like a silly question but has he been to the vet or have you run a fecal analysis yet?

[Guest DogNewbie]

Ya, he has been to the vet, where he got Forti-Flora many times. He has been de-wormed, although I don't know what it is called. I haven't done a fecal, but every time he poops, I have never seen any worms.

[tbhounds]

Ya, he has been to the vet, where he got Forti-Flora many times. He has been de-wormed, although I don't know what it is called. I haven't done a fecal, but every time he poops, I have never seen any worms.

 

Your vet never sent a fecal sample to the lab???

[turbotaina]

Have a fecal done. You won't necessarily see worms or their eggs with the naked eye.

Edited December 21, 2014 by turbotaina

[Guest DogNewbie]

Ok i will. Thanks for the great information!

[tbhounds]

I know you mentioned that your hound has been de-wormed in the past but, you really need to run a fecal analysis. Even broad spectrum de-wormers won't cover all intestinal parasites. For example your hound could have coccidia or giardia-those requiring a different de-wormer.

Changing diet may be your answer also, however it's hard to determine if your hound will respond to a higher fiber diet or a low residue diet. It may be worth trying a higher fiber diet first--prescription W/D (from your vet) or adding foods like fresh green beans, sweet potato, Olewo carrots can all be tried. Also a lower fat diet will be beneficial -fat is very hard to digest and often will cause diarrhea. An example of low residue would be a raw diet or there are script foods available too.

Keep us posted!

Edited December 21, 2014 by tbhounds

[greytpups]

In my experience with hookworms, it's nasty. Katie had hookworms when we adopted her (we picked her up in Arkansas, aka hookworm heaven). It was the first time our vet saw hooks in over 30 years so it's not common here. However, she had really bloody diarrhea, was extremely lethargic and dehydrated , lost a lot of weight in a short amount of time and ending spending 3 days at OVC ( Ontario vet college). Many dogs die from hooks and they are incredibly hard to get rid of. All 3 of our pups were given panacur to make sure Katie got rid of them and Ben and Brooke didn't pick them up no matter how careful we were picking up her poop.

 

I'm not sure why you'd think it was hookworms, perhaps some other type of worms possibly. As I said, Katie went downhill very very quickly so I'm not sure how a greyhound would feel after almost a year and a half, especially their gastrointestinal system which would be very inflamed from the hooks.

[lukasmom]

Having heard two seminars by well respected vets who are greyhound savy all greyhounds have hookworms and they never truly get rid of them. They stay dorment in their muscles and in times of stress will come out.

Olewo carrots have worked wonders for my two hounds. One is a new hound, adopted in September who didn't have a real normal poop until he was on the Olewo carrots. Now they are great.

[GeorgeofNE]

Yeah, if your vet didn't even bother running a fecal exam, I'd love to know just how he diagnosed a food allergy to soy and wheat...

 

Food allergies are typically to the protein source, not the grain despite rampant belief that grains are now evil in a canine diet.

Edited December 22, 2014 by GeorgeofNE

[Guest Jana]

Both our boys struggled with this (lots of diarrhea, sometimes bloody, couldn't hold it - two trips to e-vet, etc.) until someone told me to try a lower protein food. We were on ToW grain free (32% protein) and switched to Nature's Select Cold River Formula (24% protein) and their issues went away almost immediately.

 

So in case the fecal analysis does come back negative for hook worms you might want to try a lower protein food.

[tbhounds]

Both our boys struggled with this (lots of diarrhea, sometimes bloody, couldn't hold it - two trips to e-vet, etc.) until someone told me to try a lower protein food. We were on ToW grain free (32% protein) and switched to Nature's Select Cold River Formula (24% protein) and their issues went away almost immediately.

 

So in case the fecal analysis does come back negative for hook worms you might want to try a lower protein food.

Often a lower fat percentage that is beneficial resolving diarrhea. Fat is very hard to digest. Edited December 22, 2014 by tbhounds

[4My2Greys]

Yeah, if your vet didn't even bother running a fecal exam, I'd love to know just how he diagnosed a food allergy to soy and wheat...

 

Food allergies are typically to the protein source, not the grain despite rampant belief that grains are now evil in a canine diet.

Grains also contain proteins which can cause problems. It doesn't mean that all dog's will have a problem with them, but definitely something to be considering if there is a problem.

 

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/gluten-sensitivity-may-be-a-misnomer-for-distinct-illnesses-to-various-wheat-proteins/

[PrairieProf]

Well I'm in Iowa and most everyone I know has Iowa dogs and I never hear about hookworm issues as a thing. It would seem you need to find a food that works better for your dog. Iams green bag has been great for many hounds. Mine responded best to lower fat and Hill's Prescription I/D has been best for her.

[duncan41]

Have your Vet send a stool sample out to be checked for parasites including an ELISA for giardia. Some Vets are experiencing more positives for parasites from samples sent to outside labs.

 

Just adopted a senior with an 8 year history of "colitis", regular stool samples, sulfasalazine, and metronidazole with prednisone for bloody diarrhea episodes. His former owners refused any and all additional testing. First stool sample that my Vet sent out came back positive for hook. After two doses of worming meds, the second sample came back positive for giardia. Since hookworm can hide or go dormant, it wouldn't surprise me if there is another positive result for hook from future tests.

[Aidansmom]

Not sure if its been mentioned in here before but try the Olewo carrots! After reading about them a number of times on these forums I tried them with my boy. His poos have always been a bit on the mooshy side and I feel adding the carrots to his evening meal really helped firm them up. There natural so it couldn't hurt to try.