My dogs keep getting hookworms. How can I prevent recurrence?

I can certainly understand being frustrated with this problem! Drontal, in my experience, is a great deworming treatment, and it often takes at least two treatments to kill all the worms. That's because the first treatment kills the adult worms already present, and the second kills the ones who had not yet hatched at the time of the first treatment. Preventing worms does require treatment with a deworming medication every three months, and each dog in the house should be treated to prevent reinfection. I would recommend giving all the dogs in your home Drontal, and giving them this treatment every three months. You can also give them Panacur instead of Drontal, it's a good deworming treatment that works well in my experience.

Hi, thanks for using PetCoach! Hookworms are treated with deworming medications. I like panacur. I would treat twice for 3 days, 4 weeks apart and retest Maximiliano's stool 4 weeks after the 2 round. I would also put him on a monthly heart worm preventative as the medication also deworms the dog monthly. To prevent reinfection and ground contamination you should walk him on a leash and immediately pick up all stools and discard them. Do not let children play in contaminated areas. They should always where shoes outdoors. Strict hygiene and hand washing. People, especially children, can get hookworm. https://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=13555 https://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=35037 I hope this helps and I wish you and Maximiliano the best!

Hookworms are present in the environment so Sugar may be getting constantly reinfected. The best way to prevent this is to have her on a monthly heartworm prevention (like Heartgard or Trifexis). This will protect Sugar from heartworm disease and intestinal parasites as well. However, the problems you describe Sugar as having sounds more like skin allergy issues rather than a problem with worms. You may want to post another question or request a consult so we can try to help you get to the bottom of Sugar’s problems. Best of luck! Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Yes, I recommend treating with first round then repeating a round 3-4 weeks after the first. Then her stool rechecked 4 weeks after the 2nd round. Be sure to start your dog on a good heartworm preventative like Intercpetor or Sentinel which can help prevent reinfection with Hookworms. If your dog has been off heartworm preventatives have her tested before restarting. I hope this helps and good luck!

I have attached a handout below with more information for you. https://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=1530 Hookworm eggs are not immediately infectious, so there is no need to wash sheets and bedding. Similarly, there isn't any need to wear gloves when petting Lady or wipe the floor. Humans are most commonly infected from soil that is contaminated with hookworm larvae, so it would not be recommended to go outside barefoot to help prevent infection. Here is more information on humans. https://www.cdc.gov/parasites/hookworm/index.html The best way to prevent infection to yourself or other dogs is to keep Lady and any other dogs on a monthy heartworm preventative that also includes a dewormer for hookworms. And right now, be sure to pick up her stool immediately after she goes, so the eggs don't have time to hatch and get into the soil Good luck! I hope that was helpful. Thanks for using PetCoach.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! There are many ways to treat things that are all appropriate. The dose of dewormer is weight dependent so if the same drug was used it is likely the new dog weighs more or they used a different dewormer. A lot of vets use the heart worm prevention as a dewormer because it also takes care of intestinal parasites. It is really Vet preference. I hope this helps!

Just in case, make sure your veterinarian is confirming the presence of roundworms (tapeworms can sometimes be confused for roundworms). If tapeworms are present, Koda will need a special medication. The two most common reasons for persistent infection with roundworms are not yet clearing the infection he was born with (yes, they can be infected in uterus) or your yard is contaminated with roundworm eggs (one study showed roundworm eggs remained infective for 20 years). Continue with the routine dewormings and start him on a heartworm prevention like Interceptor. You should also alert your vet who may change the deworming schedule. Remember that these worms can also spread to humans so make sure to practice good hygiene. Here is a link with more helpful information: https://www.petcoach.co/article/roundworms-toxascaris-leonina-toxocara-canis/ I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.