Hello,
I need advice and experience with hookworms please. On Tuesday night, my dog was puking, and there was blood in his puke. He refused food that next morning and had diarrhea. I was freaking out! I thought he ate something. He has hookworm. The vet gave him panacur. Yesterday he was felling better and ate. His energy was better, he was feeling better! I WAS SO HAPPY. Today he refused the food with medicine in it. He had diarrhea in his crate, and I think he ate it. He had more diarrhea outside. He is not feeling well! I had to literally spoon feed the dog food with medicine to him and squirt water in his mouth so he would swallow. Someone told me panacur is hard on the stomach. I have also read that being really infested with hookworm can be impossible to get rid of. I have never had a dog with hookworm. Any experience from anyone? Is there any hookworm preventative that anyone recommends? I am open to all suggestions and experience. I always prefer natural safe remedies over medications and antibiotics. Antibiotics and panacur are so hard on the dogs tummy.

Sara,

I would keep the vet well tuned in to symptoms and continuing issues. Hydration is very important.

The meds will take a few to several weeks to really work, I think. You have to really clean up after the dog. I would use bleach but others might have better ideas.

Sometimes when meds begin to work, the dog will vomit or have continued diarrhea. It is important to be persistent with the meds, and follow the complete course of treatment, or so I am told.

What did the vet tell you? If he or she is like mine, I don't leave the exam room without a complete understanding of issues, alternatives, possible outcomes, possible additional courses of treatments, etc.

I absolutely agree with Mike's advice. Keep your vet apprised of how your dog is doing. If he seems too sick or something just isn't right, call them.

I would only add, since you asked about preventing hookworm, that virtually all of the commonly prescribed monthly heartworm preventatives also take care of hookworms.

What Mike and Cheri said.

I've had only one dog that had hookworm and that was 30+ yrs ago.

The one thing I recall was the vet saying that hookworm eggs can survive in the ground for many yrs.

The ideal situation to get rid of them in the soil was a long period of hot dry weather.

The ground can also be sterilized in different ways but, other then applications of salt that would ruin the soil I would check with your vet on that.

My understanding is that all the worms dying can make the dog sick. I never found panacur hard on my dogs stomachs and I had three of them on it at one point due to pyrantel not doing the job.

I always mixed it with one of the meat baby foods. My cattle dog would go all bug eyed for it.

If you need to keep giving panacur you might look at the sheep/goat 10% suspension to see if it will save you some money. It's the same stuff the vet gives you just labeled for a different species. When I had to do all three dogs it saved me a lot over buying the packets of powder. I got the dosage off the insert for the 10% suspension for dogs.