Hookworms are an intestinal parasite found in 99% of greyhounds from Florida. While we treat each greyhound for hookworms when they arrive from the track, these parasites can be very difficult to eliminate. They have become resistant to most common treatments. Because of their complex lifecycle, they can also be difficult to detect with the standard fecal exam.
Many veterinarians in NC prescribe Drontal as a first line treatment. Drontal, years ago, was prescribed as a one time treatment to eliminate hookworms. However, this is no longer effective when prescribed in this manner. On top of that, Drontal can be quite expensive.
A more cost effective method of treatment is using pyrantel pamoate, which can be purchased on Amazon for about $21.00 for a 16 oz. bottle. This should be enough for a full course of treatment for your newly adopted greyhound. The treatment consists of 7 ml. of the medication over their food once every two weeks. This should be continued for three months, at which time it would be prudent to have your grey tested to make sure the treatment was effective. If a heartworm medication such as Heartgard Plus is used, it also contains a low dosage of pyrantel, which may help to prevent future reinfection of hookworms.
For persistent cases, we recommend this more aggressive protocol developed by Jennifer Ng, DVM: Hookworms and Racing Greyhounds (updated 11/14/2019).
A comprehensive presentation by Dr. Ng on hookworms and treatments can be viewed here: Treating Drug Resistant Hookworms
Additional hookworm treatment resources include: