[BlackRaven515]

My husband and I adopted our black lab mix, Cormac in August from a rescue. Since we have had him we have been dealing with various parasite and gastrointestinal problems. Long story short, he came to us with tapeworm and was treated, then tested positive for round worm about 2-3 weeks later. We changed vets during the roundworm issue because we were unhappy and our new vet made sure he was dewormed appropriately and gave us a heartworm preventative. Well, when we sent out the second stool sample to ensure the round worms had resolved, the test came back showing that he had whip worm eggs! We then gave him 3 days of Panacur C, waited 3 weeks and finished a second round of Panacur C this past Saturday. I'd say his stools had been better, but still loose through this process. Sunday (day after round 2 of Panacur) he was due for his heart worm so I gave him his new heart worm Interceptor Plus for the first time. The last four days he has had horrible diarrhea, and his stomach is constantly gurgling. My vet seems to think the interceptor shouldn't be causing his stools to look as they do. Watery and there is mucous throughout. We sent out another sample to be tested, but if it comes back clear she said we will have to go down the road of blood testing with Texas A&M to rule out gastrointestinal disorders which will be very pricey.

I am so overwhelmed with this whole process and I am wondering/hoping maybe we didn't get all the whipworms? I am wondering if anyone else has had an experience like this dealing with intestinal parasites and how long it took to get rid of whipworm because I know that they can be beasts to get rid of. Also, maybe all the medications he has been on since August can lead to irritation in his intestinal tracts? Any answers anyone could give me, I would really appreciate!

 

[storyist]

It surprises me that you've been through 3 different kinds of worms, one right after the other like that. You don't say what the particular wormers given were, but most wormers take care of more than one kind. For instance, Panacur C should take care of both round worms and whip worms, and a while back my vet told me it had been approved for tapeworms too, although when one of my girls had tapeworm (my yard is a haven for rabbits), we used praziquantel.

Is there any chance he's picking up worms somewhere in his new environment, something like a doggy play area where he could pick up something from other dogs' poop?

Anyway, as to now, sure, wouldn't your digestive system be upset if it had been hit with so many meds one after another? You do know that the Interceptor Plus contains more than heartworm preventative? It also has more wormers in it. From what I read on the package insert I think praziquantel can be rough stuff. This forum forbids members to ask for or give medical advice, so I hope this can be just one owner to another asking for advice about testing, experience with such stuff, etc. In your shoes, if Cormac doesn't seem to be in pain or suffering other than nasty diarrhea and is still eating and seeming alert otherwise, I'd try maybe a day's fast and then very bland diet (boiled or baked skinless chicken and white rice, for example) and see if his guts start to settle down before signing up for the expensive testing.

You don't say where you live, but if it's somewhere that gets a good winter, you may not need heartworm preventative some months of the year. You might want to check that out.

I hope you get this all settled and have a lot of good years with Cormac.

 

[BlackRaven515]

So my pup was given three different wormers. The type of tape worm he had he was never dewormed for (this was a mistake done by the rescue as he was infested with fleas when they found him). Panacur was only given once he was diagnosed with whipworms as our new vet wanted to try another kind of wormer that seems to work best for whips. She also said that the whipworm infection probably went undiagnosed because she was the first to do a more thorough stool testing.

I do know that interceptor contains the medication which is why I was wondering if anyone else's animals may have had the same reaction after taking it. He is not in any pain and he is eating, drinking, and playing normally. He has been on a bland diet since yesterday along with Tylan powder and his stools were firmer this morning. He lost his appetite for one day earlier this week when my husband and i could hear his indigestion, but ate the following day no problem.

We live in Michigan, but since we now have whipworm in our environment he will need his preventative year round to prevent re-infections. I am just looking for others experience with parasitic infections in their dogs and possible repercussions from the medications!

Thank you!

 

[Knute]

While I was living in China the battle against parasites was a regular routine. I began a monthly regime, on Vet advice, to eliminate parasitic worms. I was using a wormer medication called Fenbendazole. I was using a 10% solution for goats and administering 3 ml for 3 consecutive days once a month. The Fenbendazole targets the worms, specifically hook, round, whip and some tape. Dosage is based on the dog's weight.

Only had 1 round of worms, then went onto a preventative routine.

Absolutely, discuss this with your VET.

This medication is commonly used in livestock.

 

[Lillith]

If you know the worm problem has been solved and he is no longer infested, just give his poor gut a chance to settle down and return to normal before you do the tests. The combination of the worms, then the medications, and then the worms dying off and being flushed from the system can wreak havoc on the digestive system. If you're still seeing problems in a month or so, then do the tests, provided he is otherwise healthy and acting normal aside from the diarrhea.

I use Sentinel Spectrum for my dog, which covers heart worm, whipworm, roundworm, and some other worms, as well as fleas. It's just a once a month chew that prevents infestations, which has been successful thus far. I've never seen any ill affects from it, and I've used it for 4 years.

 

[BlackRaven515]

If you know the worm problem has been solved and he is no longer infested, just give his poor gut a chance to settle down and return to normal before you do the tests. The combination of the worms, then the medications, and then the worms dying off and being flushed from the system can wreak havoc on the digestive system. If you're still seeing problems in a month or so, then do the tests, provided he is otherwise healthy and acting normal aside from the diarrhea.

I use Sentinel Spectrum for my dog, which covers heart worm, whipworm, roundworm, and some other worms, as well as fleas. It's just a once a month chew that prevents infestations, which has been successful thus far. I've never seen any ill affects from it, and I've used it for 4 years.

If you know the worm problem has been solved and he is no longer infested, just give his poor gut a chance to settle down and return to normal before you do the tests. The combination of the worms, then the medications, and then the worms dying off and being flushed from the system can wreak havoc on the digestive system. If you're still seeing problems in a month or so, then do the tests, provided he is otherwise healthy and acting normal aside from the diarrhea.

I use Sentinel Spectrum for my dog, which covers heart worm, whipworm, roundworm, and some other worms, as well as fleas. It's just a once a month chew that prevents infestations, which has been successful thus far. I've never seen any ill affects from it, and I've used it for 4 years.

I just spoke with my vet today and he tested negative for all parasites. She and I both agreed to allow his gut to settle down with a gut friendly food and if the diarrhea comes back following the tylan powder we will look into other options. The more I look at his history and medications the more I am convinced his gut is very angry. Fingers crossed!

 

[Mithency]

feed raw grated carrot

 

[robrofox]

I'm so sorry that you have had to suffer so much because your pet has such severe helminthiasis.

 

[DaySleepers]

This thread is nearly two years old and the original poster hasn't been active in some time, so I'm closing it to further replies. Please feel free to start your own thread, or join in any of our current discussions!