Okay guys, really need your help on this one.

Hey.

I am crossposting this from a different boad I belong to. Does ANYONE have any idea what this could be? The vets have no clue. Any suggestions are welcome

Read on:

This really has nothing to do with Pitts....but a medical question none the less....it's also a good lesson to anyone who is thinking of breeding irresponsibly without doing ALL the necessary tests before hand....here it goes:

I have a friend that has a male boxer about 2 1/2...someone wanted to breed him with their female so she did....knowing he had these problems before even breeding.....about every two weeks he bleeds EVERYWHERE...it's an extremely dark blood...she said it smells like parvo but he's been tested for it...she has taken him to about 5 different vets..they just blow it off as a virus...now here is the kicker...she has a 6 month old female from that litter when they breed him with their friend's....they both yesterday bleed everywhere..it took her almost 2 hours of cleaning to get rid of it...it isnt just dripping..it's like their insides explode...it isnt mixed with any other feces either..it's just dark smelly blood...ok..sorry I know this is so gross but she asked if anyone could possibly come up with anything..it is obviously genetic for it to now be effecting the pup.

 

Hey there - my niece had a boxer with a similar problem... The vet treated the dog for "corona" - not sure of the spelling - but from my understanding it is like parvo - just not deadly...... something worth looking into maybe?

 

correction

My neice said I was wrong and the disease is deadly........ ooops!!!

 

Just took a quick look at some books. It almost sounds like Hookworms. They're can be acquired before birth. Dogs infected can become anemic and have bloody, black, or smelly tarry diarrhea. Puppies can die without being treated. Some adult dogs build up an immunity, or they can have chronic Hookworm disease.

Don't know if this is what the dogs have or not. Sounded similar. I'll keep looking.

 

Thanks guys.
Lovedapits:
About the hookworms. How does a vet test for it? The person said her friend had gone to 4 or 5 vets to get tests and no one could figure out what it was. Are hookworms common? Or would you have to specify a test to have it done?

 

Hookworm infection in Dogs and Cats.

Hookworms have a direct life cycle meaning that they do not necessarily need a host to be transmitted. In pets, hookworm ova(egg) are passed in the host's feces and develop to the first larval stage if the temperature and humidity are adequate. Ova can hatch in 10-12 hours at 30 degrees centigrade and in 9 hours at 37 degrees centigrade. Infection can occur via ingestion or skin penetration(commonly infested thru the feet) followed by a pulmonary migration, a developmental stage in the gastric glands, or an arrested state in the muscular tissue in older animals. Migration and maturation occur in 17 days. Transport hosts, especially rodents, may play a role in the transmission of this parasite.

Clinical signs may be one or more of the following:

1. Intestinal blood loss causing anemia
2. Bloody diarrhea
3. Weight loss
4. Poor hair coat
Young dogs and cats are affected more severely,since they are less able to cope with depleted iron reserves.

Hookworms are diagnosed by fecal flotation(Veterinarian). The ova are unembryonated and must be taken from a fresh specimen since they hatch rapidly in warm weather. Therefore, unless you are going to the veterinarian quickly it is best to refrigerate stool samples or better yet have the vet extract the stool sample at their office. Your pet may not like that idea but it will yield the more accurate result.

There are many de-wormers available over-the-counter but they contain medications that are designed to "flush out" the parasite. But as the name implies, Hookworms hook onto the intestinal wall and "do not come off without a fight". Many pets experience mild to severe distress because of these de-wormers. These de-wormers were used by veterinarians decades ago, but veterinary medicine has come a long way since then.

Today, many anthelmintics are effective against hookworms in both dogs and cats. An aggressive treatment and prevention program as defined by your veterinarian normally entails two initial treatments 2 weeks apart(killing the hatched eggs and before they can hatch again and reproduce administering a second dose), plus an aggressive preventive program. Since the medication can only kill whats in the system monthly checkups for 3-4 months are needed until a pattern of negative tests results are established. Because of the life-cycle of the hookworm, monthly combo preventative can help control but not usually eliminate the problem.

Also, it is extremely important to thoroughly clean and disinfect the affected areas. If this is not feasible walk your pet in a different area and if possible away from where other pets go. ALWAYS, pick up after your pet goes to the bathroom to minimize the chance of reinfection.

 

Thanks NC. Does it say whether it is hereditary or not? I find it odd that the older dog has had it for so long, and the puppy now has it.

 

Like NCwickedone says, you will have to take the dogs to the vet for a fecal flotation. If that's been determinded, of course they will have to ve de-wormed. Use the RX kind from the vet, not the store or PetsMart. After the the intestinal tract has been cleared of worms, larva in the muscle tissue migrate to the intestines and repopulate them, so another deworming treatment is need two weeks following the first.

 

Hookworm is not hereditary. Pups get it before birth usually, or from skin penetration of the larva through the skin or, like NC says, through the bottom of their feet, or from eating the larva. The adult dogs have had it for awhile and the pups are just now becoming to have more larva populating. It's a quick test and your friend should know the results the same day. If that's what it is, kennel clean up is important, or she will have to go through the process all over again.

 

Thanks guys. I wil post all this info on the board, and hope this girl passes it on to her friend.