[Malina314]

Hi all, today started out as a perfectly normal day - Robin (10 weeks old) woke up today at around 7 AM, I fed him breakfast at 8, and played with him for some time until lunch (I also crated him so he napped before lunch for about an hour). At lunch, I fed him his dosage of panacur (2nd round - we gave it to him 2 weeks ago) with a little bit of yogurt mixed in it (he loves yogurt). After that, he was relatively normal - played in the yard, took a 30 minute nap, and then something changed.

At around 3 PM or so, I took him outside and noticed something odd - he peed in 3 different areas, in tiny little spurts. I have never seen him do anything like that - he always pees in one location, and that's it. I proceeded to play with him outside for another 20 minutes or so, and then took him inside to play in the exercise pen. I was shocked to see that he almost immediately ran for the exit, and started clawing at it, which he has never done before. I took him out again, and he peed, but then his behavior shocked me again. He instantly began pulling at the leash to run back to the house, tail tucked between his legs, and he has never done that before either. I took him inside, and he still didn't settle. I tried to put him in his crate, and he screamed like he has never screamed before - barking, whining, and panting too.

So far, it has been 4 hours of complete and utter chaos in the crate - he climbs the walls and paces in circles. He has had to pee every 10 minutes or so, and he is drinking lots of water (he works himself up in his crate, starts panting, and then takes a long drink and has to pee). Now, before this, he was relatively good in the crate - a few weak whines every now and again, but he would settle almost instantly and sleep for a good hour or two - like a log. His behavior right now is over the top and bizarre, and he's been awake for so long that I'm 1000% sure he's tired (and probably overtired). I don't think he's in pain, because every time I take him out of the crate now, he kind of reverts to his old self and completely stops with the whining and excessive barking. He is also eating well - he ate his dinner without problems, and is very responsive to training (with treats and with his kibble).

Is this a reaction/side effect of the panacur? I called my vet and asked, and they said that they don't think that's the case. But I read online that some people's dogs were hyperactive after they took panacur - it's not common but supposedly might occur. The vet said he might have a UTI, and I can bring him in tomorrow. What am I supposed to do tonight? I'm of half a mind to drive over to my emergency vet and have them run every test in the book because I'm extremely frightened. I keep a very watchful eye on him all the time when he is in the pen and when he is outside, and I do not believe he has ingested anything foreign. Should I take away his water so he stops drinking so much? What can I do to calm him down?

 

[Malina314]

I forgot to mention one thing - yesterday while we were playing outside, I accidentally tripped over him when he got in between my legs while I was running. He made a loud yelp but other than that got back up and has no signs of physical injury - no limp, no swelling or tenderness (I checked to see if he would flinch when I prodded him anywhere). But it has now been over 36 hours since that happened. Is it possible that that accident could be causing his strange behavior? Or is that not likely?

 

[Tagrenine]

I think it is likely he has a UTI. The good news is that it is not a crazy emergency and he will feel better once they culture and start antibiotics. For little puppies I bet it burns and scares them quite a bit.
I would not worry so much about the panacur or injury.

 

[LA152]

I would also guess UTI. My dog got them a few times in her older years and it made made her per frequently, including accidents in the apartment which was NOT normal for her. After the first time I was able to identify it quickly from the frequent peeing and get her right to the vet to get antibiotics.

 

[Sweet Girl]

My first thought was also UTI, so do get him to the vet where they can take a sample and get him on antibiotics. But also mention that you did trip over him just so they can check him over and make sure there is no injury.

 

[Malina314]

Hi guys, thank you for your responses. As an update, we finally got Robin to settle down for sleep last night around 11 PM - he was so exhausted, his eyes were a little bloodshot, but he kept fighting to stay awake for some reason. Eventually though, he did fall asleep, and he slept like a log; we were able to put him in his crate without any fuss. He woke us up twice during the night (very normal of him), and this morning he seems to be all better. Peeing is normal, no odd behavior outside or anything. He's currently taking a nap, so no more hyperactivity.

I'm starting to think this is not a UTI though - I'm a bit confused as to how a UTI could have gone away in a night. Yesterday he was peeing every 10 minutes or so. After 11 PM though, he settled and went back to his normal pee schedule. Also, I thought UTI's needed medication to go away. I'm convinced that it has to be the panacur - it is literally the only thing that was different from his regular schedule - but I'm going to give it to him again today and see how he reacts/changes. I do have a vet appointment scheduled for tomorrow afternoon, so hopefully they will be able to provide some insight.

 

[Tagrenine]

Hi Malina, glad to know things are better.

It could still very easily have been a UTI. Sometimes they go away themselves, not too often, but it does happen. I would definitely still culture and ask for a urinalysis to rule out any other causes of excess urination or discomfort.

Please do not believe it was the panacur. It is one of the safest drugs on the market and should not have any effect on the urinary system.

 

[Dunmar]

He may have finally drank enough water to mask the irritation. The weaker the urine, the less it hurts. I would still have his urine checked

 

[Sweet Girl]

I still think it is well worth getting him checked for a UTI or other pain. If it is a UTI, he can develop a fever and get dehydrated very quickly (little puppies dehydrate way faster than older dogs) and he will literally seem to shrivel up and be lethargic. It is not a big thing to get him checked. It will give you peace of mind if he doesn't have one, and it will be good for a vet to put hands on him and make sure there is no other pain.

 

[Malina314]

Hi all, update again - so yesterday at lunchtime, I gave him his panacur dose, and after ~2 hours, he began to exhibit the same behavior he did on the first day of his panacur. He became crazed, hyper, and would not settle down at all. I took him outside and played in the yard with him until he got tired and laid down, but his eyes just would not close at all. I held him a little and he fell asleep in my lap, but the second I tried to put him in his crate he started howling and whining and barking. Again, he was drinking a lot and peeing a lot; eyes were bloodshot but he was very restless. Eventually, he settled down at 12 AM for his first nap since 3 PM. It was a long 9 hours of trying to deal with his craziness. He slept like a log, and only woke us up twice to go outside.

This morning, he was fine as usual, albeit a little bit tired - no frequent urination or anything. His stool is normal, and he was able to quickly settle in his crate for a nap after morning playtime. I just gave him his (hopefully) last dose of the panacur, so I'm fully expecting to deal with the same craziness this afternoon/evening.

I have a vet appointment later today for a distemper vaccine/checkup. I'm hoping the vet will have some answers for me; I know panacur is supposed to be very safe and that hyperactivity is not a listed side effect, but perhaps the process of killing off the worms is what is making him so crazed - i.e., this is just a sign that the medicine is working, maybe.

 

[mylissyk]

There are other dewormers. I would ask the vet to make a note in his file that he reacted this way to the Panacur, and to prescribe something different.

 

[Tagrenine]

I agree, and make sure your vet contacts the company. Even if this is specific to your pup, it could be a result of contamination at the clinic, issues at the supplier, or simply an adverse reaction by your baby. But the developer should know, since it is such an odd adverse reaction.

 

[Malina314]

Just wanted to give a final update to the whole situation! So we took Robin to the vet on Friday (3 days ago), and brought along a urine sample. I talked to the vet about his hyperactivity while on panacur, and she told me that she really doesn't think that it was the panacur that caused it, and it would have to be a very rare case if it did. I'm a scientist myself, so I like to trust the experts; I accepted that answer and just hoped that whatever it was would go away soon with time. We received a call the next day from the vet saying that it looks like Robin has a low-grade UTI, and they prescribed some amoxicillin for him to take over the next few days. So we started him on that today, and hopefully he will be back to normal soon.

I'm still a bit confused - does a UTI get worse during the day and then suddenly gets better at night? What's been happening is that he's only able to pee a few droplets during the evening (when he suddenly gets hyperactive), but the rest of the time, he's able to pee a continuous stream. At nighttime, he also pees a significant amount in one go. I would assume that with a UTI, he would have difficulty urinating every time he tried, not just during the evenings. But who knows? LOL I'm just ready for it to be over.