Deworming/Drontal Questions
Be warned some gross poo talk here....
First of all, let me say that my breeder who was GREAT with Bear (he had been dewormed and had his first set of vaccinations when I picked him up) has been not so great with this litter. When I picked Goldy up she was almost 7 weeks and had had no dewormer or vaccinations.
Also, upon bringing Goldy into my house I have put her on Flint River Food, which is what Bear is also on.
When I picked up Goldy on Wednesday we went straight to the vet for a quick checkup. The vet gave her a checkover, scheduled me for Tuesday for some vaccinations and sent me home with a dewormer (Drontal Plus).
I've never dealt with worms, so this was all very new to me. I gave her the Drontal Thursday afternoon and late Thursday night she woke up with diarrhea with a long (about 4-5inches) worm in it. Close to gagging, I cleaned everything up - then Friday morning more loose stool and a little worm (about an inch). I googled around online and found that it's not unusual for puppies to have some diarrhea during deworming but we're now at Saturday afternoon/evening and we're still having really liquidy stools, although I have seen no more worms.
She's eating fine, drinking fine, no vomiting and her energy is normal - as you can see from the pics.
Also, she's not pooping everywhere, she seems to be able to hold it until we go outside - she has had one poopy accident inside, but she was waiting for Bear to get leashed. She has not pooped at all in her crate.
I'm afraid to fast her since she's so small but am very open to suggestions and information. I've considered some bland chicken, but didn't want to start a finicky puppy.
Is the diarrhea normal during the deworming? How long before it should pass? Should I call the vet on Monday or will she be fine until Tuesday? Is the diarrhea more from the change in food and the change in atmosphere/home or from the parasites?
All of the info I'm finding on the net is all over the place. One site says Drontal shouldn't cause any side effects and another says that diarrhea is a normal side effect as the parasites pass....I'd really like someone to tell me of their experience if possible.
I'm not freaking out, overall she's fine - but I want to know what to watch for...
First of all, let me say that my breeder who was GREAT with Bear (he had been dewormed and had his first set of vaccinations when I picked him up) has been not so great with this litter. When I picked Goldy up she was almost 7 weeks and had had no dewormer or vaccinations.
Also, upon bringing Goldy into my house I have put her on Flint River Food, which is what Bear is also on.
When I picked up Goldy on Wednesday we went straight to the vet for a quick checkup. The vet gave her a checkover, scheduled me for Tuesday for some vaccinations and sent me home with a dewormer (Drontal Plus).
I've never dealt with worms, so this was all very new to me. I gave her the Drontal Thursday afternoon and late Thursday night she woke up with diarrhea with a long (about 4-5inches) worm in it. Close to gagging, I cleaned everything up - then Friday morning more loose stool and a little worm (about an inch). I googled around online and found that it's not unusual for puppies to have some diarrhea during deworming but we're now at Saturday afternoon/evening and we're still having really liquidy stools, although I have seen no more worms.
She's eating fine, drinking fine, no vomiting and her energy is normal - as you can see from the pics.
Also, she's not pooping everywhere, she seems to be able to hold it until we go outside - she has had one poopy accident inside, but she was waiting for Bear to get leashed. She has not pooped at all in her crate.
I'm afraid to fast her since she's so small but am very open to suggestions and information. I've considered some bland chicken, but didn't want to start a finicky puppy.
Is the diarrhea normal during the deworming? How long before it should pass? Should I call the vet on Monday or will she be fine until Tuesday? Is the diarrhea more from the change in food and the change in atmosphere/home or from the parasites?
All of the info I'm finding on the net is all over the place. One site says Drontal shouldn't cause any side effects and another says that diarrhea is a normal side effect as the parasites pass....I'd really like someone to tell me of their experience if possible.
I'm not freaking out, overall she's fine - but I want to know what to watch for...
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Beth on
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Hmmm. Certainly if she had a heavy worm load, that can cause loose stools and sometimes even vomiting.
Jack came from a spotless breeder, wormed with two sets of shots, with coccidiosis. Very common in puppies going through weaning/ rehoming, it is a protozoa not killed by dewormers. He needed to take a pill for about a week.
She is probably fine, but based on the, um, less-than-perfect experience with the breeder, I'd be a bit concerned that what sounds like mostly harmless loose stools could potentially turn into big messy projectile diarrhea. Did the vet do a stool sample when you took her in?
If a stool sample was done and she's eating and drinking and not feeling warm, you're probably ok to wait til Tuesday. If no stool sample was done, you might want to call and see if they can squeeze her in Monday and do the sample then. We were lucky with Jack and caught the nasty before he became symptomatic. He had mildly loose stools, but coccidia can cause bloody diarrhea.
I checked Jack's records, and he was wormed 4 times before we got him at 10 weeks, and then once with interceptor right before we got him (heartwork/ general de-wormer). I looked online and young pups should be dewormed every 2 weeks. So, if Goldy was not wormed at all, as I said she could easily have had a heavy enough worm load to make her have diarrhea for a few days.
Personally I would not fast a puppy. She'll be ok; weaning is tough on them to begin with and the home change alone can cause some messy stools in a worm-free puppy.
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Permalink Reply by Stephanie on
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I'm bringing a stool sample in with me on Tuesday. Thanks for the info. We haven't had any bloody stool yet, just mushy (or as I call them, ploppy poopy) and one kind of liquidy at this point.
Also, thanks for the second opinion on the fasting, wasn't sure about that one.
Her eating and drinking is going well, she drinks quite a bit - with Bear I cut off water kind of early in the evening, but I've been leaving it out for her with the diarrhea and she's definitely been taking advantage of it. I'd rather wash a peed on towel in the washer than clean up a crate filled with ick.
Do you think I should try some bland chicken or do you think it's too early to go switching food sources around on her?
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This is just my personal opinion since I have no medical background except what I read in popular media, so take it with a grain of salt. :-)
I would not make any changes to diet, as pup has had enough changes already and another could make things worse instead of better.
If she is having soft mushy stools that still (not to be gross) have body to them (something you can scrape up), then I would keep her on her normal food, make sure she's hydrated, and keep an eye for elevated temperature, skin that does not pass the snap-back test, or pale gums, as well as any lethargy.
If she has liquid diarrhea, I would call the vet immediately, even if it's a Sunday, because of her small size. They might want to give her IV fluids in that case just to be safe.
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BTW, if a vet or knowledgeable breeder advised me to fast a puppy or give chicken and rice, I would not hesitate to do so. I would just not make the decision on my own, because of the tiny size of a puppy. :-)
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Permalink Reply by Jane Christensen on
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Sorry I can't help about the diarrhea but I had a stray pup years ago that had worms like that after she was wormed! I called the vet because I had never seen such worms but they knew what they were! You could call the vet on Mon. if it continues that long but as long as she's eating and drinking and has energy I wouldn't worry but they might want her to be over this b/4 they give her the shots also? Did your breeder send some food along so you could slowly transition her? That could be another part of the problem. I think I would let the breeder know she had worms because that really should have been done b/4 she left. My moms get wormed b/4 they are bred and then not till after the pups are weaned but it appears to me that maybe they're not on top of that???
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Good point about the food! WIth Jack and Maddie both I kept them on what they were at with the breeder for several weeks before I started to transition to what I wanted them on.
I'm also a fanatic about food transitions; I start with one tablespoon per meal, and then increase by one tablespoon every few days. When I reach half-and-half I stay there for a week or so. It's kind of a pain, but Jack has a slightly sensitive stomach so I use an abundance of caution.
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I'm a fanatic when it comes to food and I send a 5# bag when my new pups go home and suggest and even google the closest dealer....it's one of my weird things I have to do!!!!
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