Please know in advance that he has been seen by a vet at least every two weeks throughout the duration of this ordeal.
History:
Dog at scat at the beginning of December. Mid December had middle-of-the-night vomiting episode. Brought him to ER. All bloodwork perfect except high eosiniphils and lymphocytes. Sent us home with a sub-cutaneous injection of fluids. No more vomiting. But a few days later he had projectile diarrhea with specks of blood in it. Brought this in to vet and she diagnosed him with hookworms.
Vet prescribed him Pyrantel suspension, one dose every two weeks for two months. We are in the middle of winter in Maine so we weren't worried about reinfection due to the bitter cold. We remove all the poop from the yard as we can, but since he has diarrhea more often than not, it's impossible to keep him out of it entirely. We have resorted to covering the splats we can't get off the ice with sand.
Gave him the last dose of Pyrantel a couple of weeks ago. Never really got his stool firmed up. He would have one sort of normal poop and then the next time he went it was like a cow patty. No blood after the initial two days.
Within a week of giving him the final dose of Pyrantel, he had an almost identical episode as in December. Middle-of-the-night vomiting for no known reason. Two days later, bloody diarrhea. Vet took another stool sample. Still positive for hooks. Gave him five days of Metronidazole. Seems like the bloody diarrhea just got worse. Had a couple of fairly formed stools after this, but the tail end had red blood on them. Fasted him for 24-hours then put him on a bland diet. That resulted in one formed poop, the next one a few hours later was just horrible to look at. Red and yellow jelly. Ugh.
Vet has given us Drontal now. We are supposed to give him one dose of this on Monday and then in two weeks give him a dose of Interceptor+. She's prescribed a hypo-allergenic diet (she suggested Hills Z/D).
So here's where I'm at...
I just want my dog better. He doesn't seem to be suffering. All of his bloodwork is pristine except for the eosiniphils. He's not anemic. His blood protein is perfect. But the poops are terrifying to look at.
1. What is the best hypoallergenic diet to try? Hydrolized presumably, but what brand?
2. Has anyone ever experienced anything like this and can give me some words of support? I am really freaking out and the stress of this is affecting my job and my marriage.
3. Is the hookworm treatment protocol normal? I am trying to read up on it but it seems like every website has different advice. Does anyone have experience with hookworm and how to get it gone fast and for good?
4. What else can I do to get him better?
History:
Dog at scat at the beginning of December. Mid December had middle-of-the-night vomiting episode. Brought him to ER. All bloodwork perfect except high eosiniphils and lymphocytes. Sent us home with a sub-cutaneous injection of fluids. No more vomiting. But a few days later he had projectile diarrhea with specks of blood in it. Brought this in to vet and she diagnosed him with hookworms.
Vet prescribed him Pyrantel suspension, one dose every two weeks for two months. We are in the middle of winter in Maine so we weren't worried about reinfection due to the bitter cold. We remove all the poop from the yard as we can, but since he has diarrhea more often than not, it's impossible to keep him out of it entirely. We have resorted to covering the splats we can't get off the ice with sand.
Gave him the last dose of Pyrantel a couple of weeks ago. Never really got his stool firmed up. He would have one sort of normal poop and then the next time he went it was like a cow patty. No blood after the initial two days.
Within a week of giving him the final dose of Pyrantel, he had an almost identical episode as in December. Middle-of-the-night vomiting for no known reason. Two days later, bloody diarrhea. Vet took another stool sample. Still positive for hooks. Gave him five days of Metronidazole. Seems like the bloody diarrhea just got worse. Had a couple of fairly formed stools after this, but the tail end had red blood on them. Fasted him for 24-hours then put him on a bland diet. That resulted in one formed poop, the next one a few hours later was just horrible to look at. Red and yellow jelly. Ugh.
Vet has given us Drontal now. We are supposed to give him one dose of this on Monday and then in two weeks give him a dose of Interceptor+. She's prescribed a hypo-allergenic diet (she suggested Hills Z/D).
So here's where I'm at...
I just want my dog better. He doesn't seem to be suffering. All of his bloodwork is pristine except for the eosiniphils. He's not anemic. His blood protein is perfect. But the poops are terrifying to look at.
1. What is the best hypoallergenic diet to try? Hydrolized presumably, but what brand?
2. Has anyone ever experienced anything like this and can give me some words of support? I am really freaking out and the stress of this is affecting my job and my marriage.
3. Is the hookworm treatment protocol normal? I am trying to read up on it but it seems like every website has different advice. Does anyone have experience with hookworm and how to get it gone fast and for good?
4. What else can I do to get him better?
