HOOKWORM ??

Hi-
My dog has just gotten over hookworm 2 weeks ago. She was given Drontal and once her stool came up negative for hookworms we gave her Heartguard Plus to prevent it. I now see her with some of the same symptoms our vet& websites had mentioned- licking her paws A Lot, coughing a little, inconsistent eating...However her stool looks really good- no black tarry stools, no blood or diarrhea like last time. Does this mean she got it possibly and the Heartguard is preventing it???

[Aleda M Cheng, D.V.M., C.V.A]

Ask your veterinarian if she could be treated with Drontal once more.  In really persistant infections I will give my patients one Drontal and repeat the dose in 2 weeks.  Follow that with stool checks 2 more times over the next month.  

Heartgard Plus will help prevent your dog from acquiring new hookworm but will not help with an active infection.

The most common cause of paw licking is Atopy, or food allergy dermatitis.