On The Topic Of Hookworms, Tortoises & Greyhounds

[LaFlaca]

Does anyone know if tortoises can transfer hookworms to dogs? Are reptile parasites/nematodes transferable to mammals, specifically canines?

 

We've been battling hooks for almost a year now. It occurs to me that the tortoises that frequent our yard may have something to do with Lola being reinfected.

 

Thoughts?

[KF_in_Georgia]

From quick Googling: Tortoises can carry oxyurids (pinworms) and ascarids (roundworms) http://www.britishcheloniagroup.org.uk/vetscorner/parasites. I don't see anything that says whether those parasites are cross-species or not.

 

I don't find any indication that hookworms show up in tortoises.

 

On the other hand: "In dogs that are cleared of their adult worm infections, the intestinal tract can be repopulated by preexisting, dormant larvae from the somatic tissues that periodically become activated and resume development." That chipper bit of info comes from the Companion Animal Parasite Council: https://www.capcvet.org/guidelines/hookworms/ So Lola could be reinfecting herself.

[LaFlaca]

On the other hand: "In dogs that are cleared of their adult worm infections, the intestinal tract can be repopulated by preexisting, dormant larvae from the somatic tissues that periodically become activated and resume development." That chipper bit of info comes from the Companion Animal Parasite Council: https://www.capcvet.org/guidelines/hookworms/ So Lola could be reinfecting herself.

 

Great. Thanks for the info. and the fabulous links, though.

 

I really enjoy our tortoise neighbors and would hate to have to relocate them.

[greysmom]

From what I know, once hooks are in your yard they are always there, capable of reinfecting dogs that use the space. Particularly if they eat grass (or other deposits) in the yard.

 

I know out at our adoption kennel they spread a thick layer of borax all over the common turnout area every so often to kill any parasites in the sand. I'm told the sharp edges on the borax scores the shells or cuts the covering on the worms and kills them.

 

"Larval leak" is a huge issue with hooks. They can show up months after treatment. Our vet requires three negative fecal tests - at 2-3 weeks after treatment, 2-3 months, and again at around 4-6 months - to make sure the hooks are completely cleared.

Edited July 15, 2018 by greysmom

[LaFlaca]

From what I know, once hooks are in your yard they are always there, capable of reinfecting dogs that use the space. Particularly if they eat grass (or other deposits) in the yard.

 

I know out at our adoption kennel they spread a thick layer of borax all over the common turnout area every so often to kill any parasites in the sand. I'm told the sharp edges on the borax scores the shells or cuts the covering on the worms and kills them.

 

"Larval leak" is a huge issue with hooks. They can show up months after treatment. Our vet requires three negative fecal tests - at 2-3 weeks after treatment, 2-3 months, and again at around 4-6 months - to make sure the hooks are completely cleared.

 

We've been dealing with this for almost a year. I'm going nuts trying to figure out what's behind the consistently positive fecals. We share our yard with countless other critters; tortoises, raccoons, possums, rats/mice, feral cats and God-knows-what-all-else. I've treated the grass and soil as well as the dog. We've lived here for 35 years, always with a dog, and have never had this problem. Even our vet is stumped. I'm tempted to pour concrete all over the 200+ square feet of yard and just be done with it!

[buddibear]

Going on 8 months with positive fecal for hooks. Protocol has been Advantage Multi, 5 days for panacur on food 2nd day is 2ml liquid Ivermectin. Repeat every 2 weeks then test in 1 month. Testing this week shows 1 sickly egg in slide.

[KF_in_Georgia]

The problem is that "completely cleared" may not be possible since the hooks can remain dormant in the dog until triggered (maybe by a later illness or other stress?).

My current girl might have dodged hooks, but she was kenneled for years in Florida, so I doubt it. The boy was treated for hooks his first summer with me (2016).

As of January 2018, both dogs had negative fecals. The boy has a tender digestive tract, and anything can throw him into a spell of soft poop, but his output when he has hooks is beyond "soft poop." As long as both dogs are having reasonable output, I'll just test for parasites once a year. I'm not going to assume either dog is clear--just that there's not an active hookworm infestation. Happily, neither dog is a therapy dog, so I don't have to worry about a revival of hooks getting the dog kicked out of a therapy program. (That was a concern with my previous two dogs.)

[Time4ANap]

You might try spreading food grade Diatomaceous Earth to the grass/soil with a hand spreader or bulb spreader. It doesn't take much, except you will need to re-do it when it rains. Info - here: https://www.hunker.com/13405975/how-to-treat-your-yard-for-hookworms

 

We use it for fire ants. I buy mine on Amazon and the 20 lb bag i bought several years ago is still going strong. A little goes a long way.

 

Also - it won't hurt the dogs.

[LaFlaca]

You might try spreading food grade Diatomaceous Earth to the grass/soil with a hand spreader or bulb spreader. It doesn't take much, except you will need to re-do it when it rains. Info - here: https://www.hunker.com/13405975/how-to-treat-your-yard-for-hookworms

 

We use it for fire ants. I buy mine on Amazon and the 20 lb bag i bought several years ago is still going strong. A little goes a long way.

 

Also - it won't hurt the dogs.

 

Thank you!