Arrrggggghhhhh Hookworms!

[Guest Mossy]

Just here to vent.

Philly came from the track with these nastly little things. He was treated with drontal but got really sick so we switched to another med that the name now escapes me. After numerous poop tests, he was still turning up positive so we decided to treat every 3 weeks for 4 months.

And it worked!!! (Or so we thought).

He was given the all clear with a final poop test in March of this year. I was so happy, I squealed at the office during the phone call from the vet.

Fast forward to late July, early this August, he started having loose poops. Ugh, I feared the worst as I hadn't changed anything. Sure, I'd snuck in some table food here and there but nothing more than a small piece of chicken. Was even planning on switching his food thinking that was it (Purina Pro Plan chicken)

Vet confirmed the worst today. They saw some eggs in a recent stool sample.

I'm devastated (for him and me). We worked so hard!!!!

I don't have a yard so I have to walk him and he's never eaten anything off the grass on walks (he'll lick a wet spot on the grass which I assume is pee from another dog but that's about it).

 

Oh well,

 

We'll be going back to 3 wk treatments of the medication (the name of which still escapes me).

 

Oh and I know some flea and tick meds also help with deworminf and stuff but Heartgard and Nexgard made him ill (lost appetite and loose poop with heartgard; vomiting with nexgard).

 

Any recs on flea, tick, heartworm preventitive will be appreciated.

 

 

Rant over.

Thanks for listening.

[greysmom]

Hooks are getting resistant to deworming meds, especially in dogs coming up from Florida. It can take months of treatment to get rid of the little suckers. Panacur is the treatment of choice, but you may need 4-6 rounds of it. Then you should get clear fecal tests at 2 weeks following treatment, two months, and 6 months, to make sure they are cleared.

 

There are literally hundreds of hookworm threads here as they are so pernicious. And it really is worth doing everything you can to clear them - they can really destroy the intestinal lining and cause issues for the rest of their life.

 

Heartgard and Nexgard are pretty much what everyone recommends for flea/tick/heartworm. Most dogs tolerate it fairly easily. Make sure you are giving it after a full meal to minimize upset as much as possible. I might also give an acid reducer (pepcid or omeprazole) 20 minutes before eating that meal, and the next one, to sort of buffer the stomach.

[LaFlaca]

My new girl, Lola, has hooks, not surprisingly. We just adopted her almost straight off the track. My previous girl, Wendy, needed three rounds of Panacur to get rid of the little critters.

 

We've used Trifexis for flea, heartworm and intestinal parasite prevention here with great success. It does not prevent ticks but, fortunately, these have never been a problem for us.

[NeylasMom]

Hookworms suck, that's for sure. Keep fighting them.

 

Did you try the Heartguard once the decals were clear or only when you were giving the multiple rounds of dewormer? I just wonder if it wasnt the med so much as everything else going on, or the med combined with everything else. Ive used Heartguard Plus on all of my dogs with no issue. Not saying yours can't have one, but I suspect it wasnt the med alone so perhaps worth trying again once you've cleared out this infestation and his gut has calmed down. I would consider using Vetriscience Probiotic BD for gut health/support through and for a while after this.

[sobesmom]

Hooks are a B*****. I had 1 foster that came to us with them. Scoop every poop immediately. Treat constantly.

[racindog]

He probably didn't pick them up again. More than likely there were still a few remaining inside him that didn't show on that negative test. But that is not unusual that is just the way hookworms are. You just have to be super persistent as you are doing and eventually he should clear them. I have heard of others having diarrhea from Heartguard products. I use Tri-Heart Plus right now and used to use Interceptor and have never had any problems and I believe them to be very safe. And to the flamers: yes I am aware that both Heartguard & Tri-heart have ivermectrin as the active ingredient:) It is actually the flavoring/palatability additives in the Heartguard that is supposed to actually caused the diarrhea.

Edited August 23, 2017 by racindog

[Guest Mossy]

Thanks for the encouragement all.

I will try the heartgard again.

We are on Pyrantel every 3 wks for 3 rounds and then reevaluate.

Maybe try something else if that doesn't work.

 

Now I won't be able to find a sitter for him for when I'm out of town (1 recently rejected me when I told him Philly had hooks). Will have to board him at the vet likely just to be safe.

 

Sigh

[GeorgeofNE]

You HAVE to have him on something for heartworm, and all heartworm meds treat certain other parasites. Not sure about hookworms, but one thing I make sure NOT to do is give the heartworm and the flea/tick preventatives on the same day. I give heartworm the first Saturday morning of the month (it often gives my dog soft stool so I like to do it on the weekend so we don't risk an accident while I'm at work) and I give the flea/tick the following Saturday.

[Guest cyndisue]

Have you looked into using food grade diatomaceous earth?