So we just found out that Japer has whipworm and hook worm.

He had diarrhea off and on for a few weeks and then last Thursday he started sleeping more and Saturday his eating dropped off to maybe a half a bowl full a day.

We thought the diarrhea was from the peanut butter we put in his kong at first because it seemed to be the only time he'd have the problem.

But Our neighborhood is infested with whipworm because people do not pick up after there dog so he is always at risk of getting them. It can live in the ground for a few years. And the only way to get rid of it (other than people not being so lazy! Sorry big pet peeve of mine is people not picking up after there dogs) is to dig up the yard a few inches down and bring in new dirt and grass. Which our neighborhood wont do.

So we have to change his heart worm to one that treats whipworm as well. It's advantage multi. Thank goodness there's a treatment that will help prevent him from getting it again. But it does not treat ticks. So the vet gave us a tick collar in order to not double up on the medication.

Does anyone know anything about the tick collars? I've never used them. Our vet uses them as well as another girl in the office and she has a husky mix.

Oh how I hate whip worm. Poor guy. Shortly after we moved into our house five years ago I noticed my one dog Roxzanna looking a little thin. I assumed it was because we had a bigger back yard, and she was getting more exercise. So I increased her food, but didn't notice any change, so I took in a stool sample, and sure enough she had whip worm. I thought well maybe the previous owners of the home had dogs. They had already moved out of the house before we seen it. Come to find out years later, he had been breeding dogs. I was going to try the advantage multi on Lucian myself. I wasn't aware it didn't treat ticks. Never heard of a tick collar either. I would think it would be just as useless as a flea collar. Hope he gets better soon!

I have used tick collars my vet recommends them. My dog are on Trifiexs and it doesnot treat for ticks. Currently they don't have one on but the temps have gotten cooler.

These are the ones I used.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000RGMJTC/ref=oh_details_o01_s00_i00

Jasper, I had that problem when we lived in a high density community. It has not been an issue since moving out of high density living (apartments and townhomes) and into suburban single family home neighborhoods.

Jasper9 wrote:

So we have to change his heart worm to one that treats whipworm as well. It's advantage multi. Thank goodness there's a treatment that will help prevent him from getting it again.

The Advantage Multi won't prevent your dog from getting worms again. Like any wormer, it only kills the worms that your dog has when it is given each month.

Jasper9 wrote:

So the vet gave us a tick collar in order to not double up on the medication.

Does anyone know anything about the tick collars?

I wouldn't use a tick collar. Not only do they have harmful chemicals but they also often do not protect the entire dog. With such thick fur I have heard of numerous huskies still getting ticks on various parts of the body away from where the tick collar is.

Instead of a tick collar I would highly recommend using Rose Gerianium oil. It is a safe, natural essential oil that does an amazing job of repelling ticks. Generally a single drop on the collar and/or harness once a week should do the trick. However if you live in a heavy tick area you can always apply it more frequently and liberally. When using oils the drop(s) should be on the part of the collar/harness that faces out, not facing the skin.

My dogs used to get ticks when they were on chemical preventatives (K9 Advantix). Once I stopped using Advantix and went all natural with the oils in June 2010, not one of my dogs have not gotten a single tick since the switch.

Huskyluv wrote:

Jasper, I had that problem when we lived in a high density community. It has not been an issue since moving out of high density living (apartments and townhomes) and into suburban single family home neighborhoods.

The Advantage Multi won't prevent your dog from getting worms again. Like any wormer, it only kills the worms that your dog has when it is given each month.

I wouldn't use a tick collar. Not only do they have harmful chemicals but they also often do not protect the entire dog. With such thick fur I have heard of numerous huskies still getting ticks on various parts of the body away from where the tick collar is.

Instead of a tick collar I would highly recommend using Rose Gerianium oil. It is a safe, natural essential oil that does an amazing job of repelling ticks. Generally a single drop on the collar and/or harness once a week should do the trick. However if you live in a heavy tick area you can always apply it more frequently and liberally. When using oils the drop(s) should be on the part of the collar/harness that faces out, not facing the skin.

My dogs used to get ticks when they were on chemical preventatives (K9 Advantix). Once I stopped using Advantix and went all natural with the oils in June 2010, not one of my dogs have not gotten a single tick since the switch.

So he's just always going to have whipworm? Well as long as we live in the neighborhood. Is this going to hurt him?

Good to know about the Rose oil, we will have to try that. He loves going on hikes. Do you have to reapply the oil if the collar gets wet?

ljelgin That's the same collar they put Jasper on.

No, that doesn't mean he is always going to have whipworm. I just wanted to make sure you understood what the Advantage Multi does. It does not prevent the dog from getting whipworms. Each month when you give him a dose of Advantage Multi it will kill any whipworms that he might have picked up since the previous application. Basically it's giving a wormer each month whether they have worms or not. It's the same as any heartworm pills or heartworm and intestinal wormer combination. They are just monthly wormers that we give to kill off anything they might have acquired between each monthly dose.

We go on hikes all the time and behind our house are woods loaded with ticks. I only apply the oils once a week even if their collars get wet. Now if they were full on swimming then I'd probably reapply the oils once the collar dries.

Thank you for the help!

Jasper is on the mend. His appetite is back and his energy is well on it's way to being what it was when we got him. In fact we went on a 2.5 mile walk/jog/swim (he swam i didn't water's too cold) last night and I think I got tired before he did.

His poo on the other hand hasn't improved as far as consistency. I'm going to give it till tomorrow and then call the vet to see if this is just something that takes a while to return to normal.

Anyone know how long the diarrhea can last when treating for worms?

Jasper9 wrote:

His poo on the other hand hasn't improved as far as consistency. I'm going to give it till tomorrow and then call the vet to see if this is just something that takes a while to return to normal.

Anyone know how long the diarrhea can last when treating for worms?

My Sebo went 9 months after I rescued him before he had consistently solid poo. He had whipworms, hookworms and was malnourished, 22lbs.

Try this or something similar (any good probiotic) on his food.

http://www.naturesfarmacy.com/store/details.php?prodId=363&category=45

Probiotics restore the naturally occurring bacteria in the gut.

It really depends on the individual. None of my dogs have ever had diarrhea or even soft stool from worms, I guess I'm just lucky!