hook worms

Question
My chihuahua got hookworms about 3 months ago and woke me up every hour or so with diarrhea  and the vet put her on worm medicine and 10 days of antibiotics. Two days after off of meds she started it again. We did the same meds again w/the same results. We put her on the antibiotics for 20 days and she didn't have diarrhea for about week after going off meds. So the vet said she may have to stay on antibiotics.  What causes this. He just said some dogs had to stay on antibiotics. Please advise me. She doesn't act like she is sick. she eats good and plays. She is 5 years old.  She never goes outside because she is pad trained. We don't know how she got the hookworms to start with.

Answer
Anna -


Your dog may have gotten the hookworms from her mother. Ask your veterinarian to redo the fecal exam to make sure she does not have another kind of intestinal parasite.  

It is possible that she may have intestinal problems due to something other than a parasite. Did you have bloodwork and radiographs done?  That will help you to rule out other gastrointestinal diseases.

You may also want to consider the food she is eating or inflammatory bowel disease.  Both can cause her to have diarrhea and a chronically upset stomach.

Best Regards,

Charlotte Sherrell, DVM