More Hookworm Questions...

[LoveMyGrey]

I'm new to this forum (and greyhounds) and have learned a lot from all the great posts here, but I do have some additional questions. We adopted Coco about 6 weeks ago and she was hookworm positive (shocking). The group we adopted from gave her a dose of Pyrantel the day we picked her up and instructed us to give her 4ml every 2 weeks. I have been doing just that, but her poop tends to get worse for a day or two after the treatment, is this normal? She has only had 1 good, pick up able poop since we have had her. I do my best to pick it all up, but it really is impossible as it mostly comes out as a soft serve plop! I've read that Panacur and Drontal don't really do the job, plus the hookworm ingredient in Drontal is Pyrantel. The vet is telling me that I need to give her 6ml of Pyrantel based on her 62lb weight. I don't want to overdose her as it seems her tummy might be sensitive. We give her Sentinel for heartworms/hookworms. Any thoughts?

 

I was feeding her Whole Earth Farms Chicken and Rice and I am slowly transitioning to Merrick Lamb and Sweet Potato, I'm only up to about 1/4 Merrick per feeding. I am thinking she could have an issue with chicken so I thought I would change her protein source to see if that makes a difference. She eats whatever I put in front of her without issue. I have been giving her a good quality probiotic and digestive enzymes and this week I have started her on 8 gentleman, a chinese medicine supplement that is mixed with her food. I read in a forum 8 gents helped another grey with very loose stools. This morning she woke us up early and my husband took her out. She urinated but didn't immediately poop, he waited and she eventually pooped but about the same time her tummy started making all sorts of gurgling noises and she started eating grass. She came back in and started putting everything (including her blanket) in her mouth as if she was starving. Her tummy was still going so I only fed her half her normal breakfast and she has settled down on her bed and the tummy seems quiet. I feed her 1.5 cups of food about 6:30am and again about 4:00pm.

 

She is such a great girl, but to me she seems to be taking a bit to become comfortable on our walks (or anytime we leave the house or yard). She used to freeze every few yards, now it is a good bit better and I'm so proud of her, so hopefully this is getting better.

 

Any help or suggestions about our situation will be very appreciated!

[LaFlaca]

For a great conversation on hookworms, I would refer you to the thread - http://forum.greytalk.com/index.php/topic/322685-hookworm/

 

These little buggers seem to have become super villains who are resistant to the usual anti-parasitic protocols.

 

Another must-read is the Prison Greyhounds Program protocol - http://prisongreyhounds.org/Hookworm%207-2018.pdf

 

My dog, Lola, and I have been battling hookworms since she came home in August of last year. Panacur and Trifexis were not getting the job done so, with her vet's approval, she's been put on the Prison Greyhound's hookworm protocol. We're almost 3 months in and will follow the protocol for 6 months until February.

 

The gurgling sounds might be from gastritis which can be caused by the worms. Some dogs will experience diarrhea from the meds.

 

If I understand correctly, it sounds like you're changing her food quite often, At least for now, I might stick to a single type of food with limited ingredients until the hookworm situation is under control. Frequent changes in diet can also cause digestive distress. Probiotics are, in my opinion, an excellent addition to your dog's diet.

 

Coco has only been home for 6 weeks which is a very short time in the grand scheme of things. Baby steps, patience and lot's of praise and treats are what is required at this time. As I mentioned earlier, I've had Lola for a year and we're both still learning and changing. Enjoy your girl and

Edited September 30, 2018 by LaFlaca

[Time4ANap]

There are a number of people here who have been battling hookworms for a year or so. The current generation of hooks seem to be more resistant to the meds as time goes on. It is a battle, and is not out of the ordinary with a new dog from the track or a group. You may have to re-dose regularly for a while. The whole thing with the meds is timing, and there is really no way to know if you got them or not until you have several clean fecal tests in a row. One clean fecal means nothing except there were no worms / eggs in that sample. You can easily have another positive sample in several weeks, so stay diligent, and be sure to keep the yard clean as well as pickup immediately when out for walks.

 

The sources that LaFlaca posted have good info in them. Hang in there. You will get through it, but it takes some time.

[LoveMyGrey]

Thank you guys for the advice, I will check out those links! When we got Coco from the rescue I asked what food they had been feeding her and I was told "whatever was donated", so I just picked a food initially. But as the weeks went by and her poop didn't improve at all, I thought it was possible she may have a chicken allergy, so I thought if that was the case I should try her on lamb. I will give her the pyrantel today as I know she needs to be rid of those nasty worms!! We're gonna get'em!! Thank you both again!!

[XTRAWLD]

Certainly ease up on the dietary changes. Gotta tackle one problem at a time and you won't know which one is causing the bigger problem. Sounds like it's been a few different kibbles within the 6 weeks. Transitions to one food usually take that long if you have a sensitive stomach hound.

Fwiw, my boys never did well on lamb, loose stools. A chicken allergy might not necessarily translate to the nasty D either (rather might have a skin reaction). She might benefit from going on a bland diet for a week or so, broth and rice just to start to get the stomach happy. Forti flora might also be helpful at this point, but im not sure if that has any interaction with the meds (it's just a probiotic).

[NewGrey2017]

Ours had hooks at a 3+ level for the first 4 months we had him. His stomach was a mess. We were food switchers and I think we did him a disservice while trying to help him. For the past 5 months or so, we've fed him Iams Green Bag Mini chunks, a small amount of Iams canned, Olewo carrots (he now hates these and tries to leave them) and one packet of Forti Flora with breakfast. He eats around 6:30AM and 5:00PM. He has been a constant 73 lbs (1 lb over racing weight). When we got him he was 64 and dropped to 62. The vet told me "the hookworms are stealing his protein."

 

To get rid of hooks, we followed this protocol, which our vet got from the greyhound program at Ohio State. This was the email from OSU to our vet:

 

We have had success using monthly topical Advantage Multi, followed by within 24 hrs an appropriate dose of Drontal Plus. Not sure why it works. We used 6 greyhounds, one with >1 yr history of hooks. In several dogs it took up to 3 months for them to go negative whereas others went negative (no ova detected) sooner. At least twice over the 9 month trial, a two owners did not follow the 30 day/monthly dosing and their dogs went positive again. We hope to get this work published as we have just finished the clinical trial. The dogs will remain on the Advantage Multi without the Drontal Plus to see if we can keep them negative.

 

We got 3 negative fecal checks in a row after that protocol and we continue to have him on Advantage Multi. I'll probably get another check in January.

 

The gurgling noise also happens to my dog. It is usually in the morning and he goes and eats grass too. They are a sensitive stomach breed. Mine still throws up here and there and has the occasional bout of diarrhea, but nothing like those first 5 months we had him. I think feeding him the same thing for months has paid off.

 

My advice would be: Less is more. Cut back on everything until the hookworms are gone. Pick a dry food and stick with it and don't add too much in. You'll never know what worked or what made it worse. If you want to add anything, the Olewo Carrots are the only thing I'm positive helped my dog. He hates them, but we sneak them in there.

 

Good luck.

[LoveMyGrey]

Thanks guys!! I appreciate all the advice. I have Drontal Plus but can't find the Advantage Multi locally so I will get a Rx for it and have it filled online. That protocol seems to be what works!! Once I get her transitioned over the the lamb I don't plan on changing the food and I'll get some of the carrots that were suggested. Thanks again for all the help!

[Guest Kelasmom]

We adopted from Florida and were of course, hookworm positive 5+. She was treated 6 days with Panacur, wait 3 weeks from the last dose and treat 6 more days. Fecal test 2 weeks later was hookworm negative. Just wondering how long I should wait to request another fecal test. The vet did not say she needed a retest.

[LaFlaca]

We adopted from Florida and were of course, hookworm positive 5+. She was treated 6 days with Panacur, wait 3 weeks from the last dose and treat 6 more days. Fecal test 2 weeks later was hookworm negative. Just wondering how long I should wait to request another fecal test. The vet did not say she needed a retest.

I would suggest a month after the last dose. If negative, at least 3 additional consecutive tests at monthly intervals to confirm negative for hooks.