Marty - What I Know Now Vs 8 Months Ago...

[MDBeland]

We adopted Marty December 2017. He came home December 17th, 2017 and celebrated his 3rd birthday with us on Jan 3rd.

 

1. Our adoption center feeds Diamond High Energy grain free food.

2. We kept Marty on this food for 3 weeks and he had terrible greyhound gas.

3. At 3 weeks we transitioned to Purina Pro Plan Focus Adult Sensitive Skin and Stomach. This helped with the gas a lot.

4. At around the 3rd month we transitioned to the Taste of the Wild Pacific Salmon which is grain free. This food got rid of all the gas.

5. He had his wellness checkup with our vet and he checked out just fine.

 

So I learned if there is gas - change the food to a better quality.

 

Medical Issues 4 months in:

 

1. This past April in a rapid 3 day period things changed: I noticed a tiny bit of blood and mucus in Marty's stool, he also threw up, and then I noticed visible worms in his stools - immediately called the vet and went to pick him up a dose of Drontal. Things cleared up immediately and everything was ok. Eating habits never changed very food driven, rushed through meals, and he is keeping weight - healthy 74 lbs.

 

Medical issues reappear 2 months later:

 

1. This past June Marty threw up again. This time instead of just calling I immediately took him to the vet for eval and was diagnosed with hookworms. He was given another round of Drontal.

 

2. I then started doing a lot of research online about hookworms and decided to go ahead and start feeding him Food Grade Diatomaceous Earth - 1 tbsp of DE mixed with 1 Tbsp of plain yogurt once a day. I am hopeful this supplement will ward off future infections.

 

3. 2 weeks later I had them run a fecal check and it came back clear. I am still a bit pessimistic due to my research online stating that fecal checks for hookworms are not always correct.

 

July - curious "looking back" at hind end behavior?

 

1. Mid July Marty started quickly looking back at his hind end during meals and periodically on our walks. I thought this might be a sign for an anal gland issue. His appetite also decrease and he did not rush through his meals like usual. He would nibble and walk away. I took him back to the vet for eval.

 

2. The doc ran a full check up, expressed the anal glands everything turned out just fine, he was not tender anywhere, and she said his glands were just fine. He had actually put on 4 pounds as well (up to 78 from 74). Then came the fecal test - he showed positive for hookworms - 100 plus eggs on one slide. She then gave him a round of Panacur and gave me 3 more dosages to give to him at home (2 for 2 consecutive days and then another for 2 weeks later.) Doc wants a re-check in a month. She attributes the possible looking back behavior to inflamed intestine due to the infection. If this behavior doesnt clear up in a month she will get an x-ray. Everything else is completely normal - gait is normal - no pain. She also checked/palpated his colon - everything perfectly fine.

 

3. During this time his appetite is pretty poor in the morning. I have to constantly call him back into the kitchen to finish his breakfast. His appetite for dinner is better and takes his time now without hurrying trying to eat as fast as he can - At least he doesnt woof his meal down real fast like before. I am attributing this to he is not 100% due to the meds and infection?

 

August

 

1. Last week I took in another stool sample for recheck. The test came back positive, but this time the numbers greatly reduced to 15+ eggs rather than 100! Doc gave another dosage of Drontal to hopefully knock out the remaining infestation.

 

2. The "looking back" behavior has decreased especially at meal time. It happens every so often on our walks, but not much anymore. I am hopeful once he is totally over this hookworm issue this will completely stop. If not then I will definitely be getting him an x-ray.

 

3. In 2-3 weeks I will take in another stool sample for recheck. I am hopeful that with him being on DE for a complete month plus with this last dosage of Drontal we will have knocked out these resistant hookworms. If not then we will move to the Advantage Multi + Drontal regiment.

 

All I can say is if you adopt a racing greyhound expect for them to have this resistant hookworm infestation. Being a new owner I was completely confident that the dose of deworming they gave Marty on "take home day" would have knocked out anything he would have picked up from the kennel/track.

 

If I adopt another racing greyhound I'm having a fecal check done by my vet right from the beginning to knock out these worms and not relying on the one deworming dose from the track.

 

Marty is the best dog ever and I just want him to be 100% as quickly as possible!!!

Edited August 13, 2018 by MDBeland

[greysmom]

One dose *used to be* plenty. But there has developed a more drug resistant strain of hooks, now coming out of Florida, but it will be spread far and wide soon. If you search in Health and Medical here there are numerous threads about them, and about various treatment regimens that have helped. It *often* requires multiple months of treatment to clear these little buggers.

 

Remember you need to keep your yard really spotlessly picked up - as in, pick up poop as soon as you can so you can keep them out of your soil.

 

My vet always says three negative fecals - one at two week, one at two months and one at 4-6 months - before you can really say your dog is hooks free. They are notorious for hiding in tissue and reemerging to reinfect over and over again.

 

Good luck!

 

And yes, most greyhound gas comes from being on a food with too high a protein level, or an allergy/intolerance to an ingredient (either a protein or the carb source in the food). They can also get bad gas from parasites. Grain free is basically a marketing tool because dogs are omnivores, not obligate carnivores like cats. Dogs need some source of carbohydrates for good health and energy - "grain free" foods just get their carbs from peas or potatoes. Find a food with good quality ingredients and manufacturing standards, that enables your dog to hold his weight and energy for his level of activity. Whether that's a "high quality" food or the one you buy at the feed store, it's all about what your dog does well on.

[Time4ANap]

What Greysmom said.

 

Note that changing foods doesn't always mean a "better" food, but a different or better protein for your particular dog. It takes some trial and error. The food could be one that everyone considers to be crap, but if it works well for your dog, then it's a good food for your dog. There is no rhyme or reason to what works for each dog and it can be frustrating finding that one food, so the best bet is to try different protein sources and narrow it down from there.

 

Hooks are frustrating. Good luck and you will conquer them, it just takes time and diligent monitoring.

[MDBeland]

As far as the yard is concerned we do not have a fenced in yard so Marty is always on leash and we go for walks - he never defecates in our yard. On our walks I always carry a pooper scooper with me and the stools never hit the ground. I discard the poop into the woods across the street away from other houses/yards.

[MDBeland]

I forgot to add...

 

Walking - stay away from long grass/wood line. On a couple of occasions I found a tick or two on Marty. Ever since finding those ticks I made it a point on our walks to stay away from the wood line/long grassy areas. We stick to the cut grass and neighborhood. Since doing so I have not found one tick on Marty.

[MDBeland]

I started Marty's facebook page today - here is what I have so far:

 

https://www.facebook.com/kiowasafemarty.beland.3

[LBass]

Your Marty is a good looking fellow.

[macoduck]

Cute kissy spot on that handsome head.

[BlissfulSandy]

On 8/13/2018 at 12:28 PM, greysmom said:

One dose *used to be* plenty. But there has developed a more drug resistant strain of hooks, now coming out of Florida, but it will be spread far and wide soon. If you search in Health and Medical here there are numerous threads about them, and about various treatment regimens that have helped. It *often* requires multiple months of treatment to clear these little buggers.

 

Remember you need to keep your yard really spotlessly picked up - as in, pick up poop as soon as you can so you can keep them out of your soil.

 

My vet always says three negative fecals - one at two week, one at two months and one at 4-6 months - before you can really say your dog is hooks free. They are notorious for hiding in tissue and reemerging to reinfect over and over again.

 

Good luck!

 

And yes, most greyhound gas comes from being on a food with too high a protein level, or an allergy/intolerance to an ingredient (either a protein or the carb source in the food). They can also get bad gas from parasites. Grain free is basically a marketing tool because dogs are omnivores, not obligate carnivores like cats. Dogs need some source of carbohydrates for good health and energy - "grain free" foods just get their carbs from peas or potatoes. Find a food with good quality ingredients and manufacturing standards, that enables your dog to hold his weight and energy for his level of activity. Whether that's a "high quality" food or the one you buy at the feed store, it's all about what your dog does well on.

Hello Greysmom,  I just adopted a Grey 3 days ago, and she has hookworms and is on Drontal and Advantage Multi.  She has been fed Natures Grain Free Chicken Sweet Potato, Pumpkin at Foster parents for the last 4 weeks.  I want to transition her out of the grain free and was recommended Wholehearted...I think it is one of Petco's brands, the trainer boohooed Purina Pro Plan because of the unnecessary corn ingredients etc. My concern is her bowels and would love your suggestions on dog food. Thank you so much. 

[cleptogrey]

1 hour ago, BlissfulSandy said:

Hello Greysmom,  I just adopted a Grey 3 days ago, and she has hookworms and is on Drontal and Advantage Multi.  She has been fed Natures Grain Free Chicken Sweet Potato, Pumpkin at Foster parents for the last 4 weeks.  I want to transition her out of the grain free and was recommended Wholehearted...I think it is one of Petco's brands, the trainer boohooed Purina Pro Plan because of the unnecessary corn ingredients etc. My concern is her bowels and would love your suggestions on dog food. Thank you so much. 

GRAIN FREE????  the adoption group should know about this- and i just looked up wholehearted. please read this as well as the other posts on GT re: grain free food https://vetnutrition.tufts.edu/2018/11/dcm-update/

i wouldn't poo-poo purina pro plan focus. it's a good solid food that many dogs are responding to well. 

[BlissfulSandy]

Thank you for the fabulous info on DCM, and the confirmation on Purina Pro Plan. What is your transition food formula recommendation?

[MerseyGrey]

Hi BlissfulSandy,

welcome to the wonderful and unpredictable world of owning a greyhound! No two days are ever the same - except for the snoozing, dozing, napping and sleeping.

If you google dog food transition you’ll find plenty of info on how to transition your food. Most people will recommend that you take at least a week to completely change foods, but if your dog has a sensitive tummy you might want to take it a bit more slowly. When we switched food, we took a bit longer and just mixed the new food into the old in the bag, gradually topping up the old bag with the new food. When that bad was empty we switched to the new food lock stock. Give it a try for a while if you’re not sure if it suits your dog - you don’t want to change the food too regularly otherwise your pooch’s digestive tract will never settle. Ours is on Royal Canin which he seems to enjoy, although we are mixing it with a wet food gravy with added bran which he absolutely loves. Our vet also recommended Hills but he is less keen on this, so RC it is!

good luck with your new grey!

[BlissfulSandy]

57 minutes ago, MerseyGrey said:

Hi BlissfulSandy,

welcome to the wonderful and unpredictable world of owning a greyhound! No two days are ever the same - except for the snoozing, dozing, napping and sleeping.

If you google dog food transition you’ll find plenty of info on how to transition your food. Most people will recommend that you take at least a week to completely change foods, but if your dog has a sensitive tummy you might want to take it a bit more slowly. When we switched food, we took a bit longer and just mixed the new food into the old in the bag, gradually topping up the old bag with the new food. When that bad was empty we switched to the new food lock stock. Give it a try for a while if you’re not sure if it suits your dog - you don’t want to change the food too regularly otherwise your pooch’s digestive tract will never settle. Ours is on Royal Canin which he seems to enjoy, although we are mixing it with a wet food gravy with added bran which he absolutely loves. Our vet also recommended Hills but he is less keen on this, so RC it is!

good luck with your new grey!

58 minutes ago, MerseyGrey said:

Thank you MerseyGrey, So nice to get such wonderful feedback and great suggestions!  It's been 10 years since I had Grey litter mates, so I am a bit Grey green. RC is super food for sure, and heard Hills is great too. I already purchased a small Purina Pro (non shredded) like MD Beland recommended in his notes.  Unfortunately I purchased a "20 lb" bag of Nature's Grain Free, since I wasn't going to start the change until she got more acclimated in her new surroundings, but I don't think I should wait much longer since her bowels have been mushy since the Foster had her.....over 4 weeks, and on Drontal and Advantage  which doesn't t help.  I will try substituting 1/4 C  Pro Plan for Nature's Grain Free each meal for a few days and gradually increase.  I sure hope it helps her tum tum.  I am also adding just a little white rice.  White rice is easier to digest for humans, whereas brown rice is more difficult to digest. She is a gem....they ALL are precious!  Thanks again MerseyGrey; I love this forum, and thanks so much for reaching out and sharing.

 

 

57 minutes ago, MerseyGrey said:

 

 

[cleptogrey]

you can cut the current food by 1/4 cup and substitute the pro plan, wait a day or 2, go up to 1/2 cup- and increase to full amount by 1/4 c at a time.

do see what the base food is- how many calories in a cup(all on the bag) and try to stay with those parameters. so, if you are feeding chicken- stick w/ chicken. a mature dog who is not out running all the time needs max. 1200 calories a day, maybe even less. remember a couple of vertabrae should show as well as the last 2/3 ribs. in the long run a heavy dog will wreck havoc on their rear as they age. the old tale that the dog needs to gain weight after they leave the track is an old tale. greyhounds are slim, sleek animals. they should not look like labs.

savor is a lessor formulae of the pro plan focus. pro plan sport is their high end food for very active dogs. my whippet was on that when he first came to us. but he was living in a kennel situation burning calories like mad. he went from 4 c/sport to 2 c/pro plan focus and maintained his weight and glorious coat. i will say i did not need a supplement for coats on focus.