Question by ?shelter puppies rule?: please help my dogs keep getting hookworm?
I have 2 dogs just over 1 year old. they are inside dogs but I take them to the woods every day because 1 of my dogs is part border collie and really high energy he needs to run. I watch them though and they don’t eat feces.

they have been getting hookworm or giardia for months. each month, one dog is positive, and the other is negative then they switch when i retest both the next month. It’s been giardia maybe 3 times. It’s mostly hookworm.

they get heartworm preventative every month which is supposed to prevent hookworm too but it’s not working!

please help because i don’t know where the hookworms are coming from. every time after the woods i wipe off their paws and body.
I wash their bedding once a week.

the vet suggested just having them dewormed every 3 months but that’s toxic chemicals in their body every 3 months! i want to stop this cycle.

Short of not going into the woods again, what else can i do? how do i prevent hookworm? where does it come from? The ground? the water? feces? deer? (there are alot of deer in the woods)

please help!
the vet usually gives me panacur to give them whether it’s hookworm or giardia. tmw though he’s going in for a pill instead i don’t know what it’s called yet though, the vet said it’s as effective as panacur.

Best answer:

Answer by AUSSIEMOM
giardia comes from contaminated water.
TREAT BOTH DOGS at the same time.

Dogs are prone to be parasite central at times. They are the primary host for heartworms, a parasite that infects cats and even humans. Fleas and ticks adore them and they are a breeding ground for hookworms it seems. Dogs can easily get hookworms and they aren’t as immediately detrimental to your pet’s health as other types of parasites, but it is important to spot and eradicate hookworms as soon as possible or your dog could end up suffering and costing you a great deal of money in vet bills in the long run.

What are Hookworms?

Hookworms are small, worm-like parasites that live inside dogs and feed off of them – similar to a heartworm. The fact that hookworms and heartworms are parasites that live inside dogs is essentially where the similarity ends, because they do not look the same and they live in entirely different parts of the dog’s body. Hookworms get their name from the small hook-like feature on their head that they use to dig into the wall of a dog’s intestinal tract – it helps to keep them there. They draw blood from the walls of the intestines and have been known to cause severe anemic problems in young dogs. In most cases hookworms are a puppy problem, but they can develop in adult dogs as well.

How do Dogs Get Hookworms?

Hookworms can be passed to dogs through a couple of methods. The primary causes of hookworms for dogs are through the mother’s milk when nursing, through the top layer of their skin, through the mouth and even through the placenta before the puppy was born. It is a rather natural thing that many puppies go through and for veterinarians, deworming young dogs is a standard practice and is advisable for all newborn puppies whether they are known to be infected or not. The younger the dog is the more prone to hookworm-related anemia they are, so it is imperative to get them treated as soon as possible.

The Trouble with Hookworms

Anemia is the primary problem that puppies go through as a result of hookworm infection. This is because the hookworms attach themselves on the dog’s intestinal walls and draw as much blood as they can, procreate and suck more blood. If you were losing that much blood, you would be infected too! One female hookworm can lay thousands upon thousands of eggs daily, so the problem of hookworms is virtually unimaginable to halt or contain without professional or medical assistance. Sometimes, when a large number of eggs are present it is possible to spot the infection through an examination of a puppies’ feces, but not all the time.

Treating Hookworms in Your Dog

Lucky for you and your dog, hookworms are quite easily treated. Mostly an oral medication is all that is needed to cure the problem, but a follow up treatment a few weeks later to kill any remnants that may have hatched. Your veterinarian may even have a dewormer that tastes great, so your dog will lap it up like a treat. This is one of the simplest pet related problems to treat and it is relatively common and if detected early, hookworms can be a thing of the past.

Know better? Leave your own answer in the comments!

Question by knottyceltic: How do you best prevent a cat or dog on a raw food diet from getting intestinal parasites?
as most raw meat proteins have some degree of bacteria/virus or parasite how do you best prevent them from getting these infections from their diet? ie. Trichanosis from pork, parasite worms from fish etc.

Best answer:

Answer by akitagrl07
If you are using human grade meats, that isn’t really an issue. For fish and some wild game, I know people usually freeze for 3 months to kill any parasites in the meat.

Add your own answer in the comments!

Question by kathy_is_a_nurse: Is it necessary to get a heart worm test for your dog every year if he has been getting his pill every month?
I got a notice from the vet. I assume they will do the heart worm test, which will cost money, and then sell us the heartworm medicine at a mark-up. I know I can get the same medicine at a discount elsewhere. I don’t mind taking him in for the test, if it is necessary, but is it? He’s never missed a dose since we had him tested originally, so could he still get heart worms?

Best answer:

Answer by torbaynewfs
Check with your vet. I test every three years, OK’d by my vet since I keep the dogs on the medication year round. SOme will do testing ever other year, some will still make you test yearly. IF that is the case, you might want to switch to a more progressive vet. I see no need for testing yearly if you are careful with the prevention.

Know better? Leave your own answer in the comments!

Question by American Eskimo Luver: I am getting a rescue dog who just recovered from heart worm?
So I am getting a dog from the shelter and he had stage four heart worm, they didn’t think he would make it, but he did. Then he had baby heart worms and we got to see him and everything and they said he could only go on short walks while he had the baby worms. Well now that he is cured and everything, will he always have to only go on short walks or can he go on a long walk and possibly a short jog?
It has been like a week.

Best answer:

Answer by Sassy
I use to work as a vet tech and my dog actually ended up with heart worms…we treated her and she is fine, lazy but fine! Long walks shouldn’t be a problem..how long has it been?

Know better? Leave your own answer in the comments!

My friends dog has round worms. It pooed them all over my floor. should i now be freaking out about getting them? and will the same thing happen to me? i dont want to poop out a whole lot of worms… that makes me lose sleep. and should i immediately assume my dog has them and treat it with wormer without any signs of infection? will that hurt my dog? any help is appreciated.