Pet Medications: Dog Wormers

All dogs should be treated regularly with intestinal worming products. The frequency of treatment depends on many issues, principally the age of the pet and the environment in which the animal resides. For example, puppies require more regular worming than adult dogs in the same environment, farm dogs with access to offal may require more regular tapeworming than an urban dog.

The effects of intestinal worms on dogs include (but are not limited to) failure to thrive, anaemia, diarrhoea, malnutrition, poor hair coat, scooting and blood in the stools. Most intestinal worms are readily spread between animals via eggs in the faeces so faecal hygiene is a vital component of intestinal worm control.

Types of Wormers Available

Intestinal dog wormers are available as drops, tablets, chewables, pastes and spot ons. The ease of administration is often a major consideration for pet owners when deciding on which product to use. The choice of a product which also combines treatments for other parasites of dogs should also be considered as both a cost-effective method of wormer treatment and also to reduce the number of different pet medications being used on your animal.

Dog Wormer Dosage

The dosage of wormer given to any animal will be determined by its weight. It is essential to dose accurately in order to gain effective control over intestinal parasites. It is also important to recognise the difference between the pet med wormers used for dogs and those used for cats. They are not appropriate for use between species.

Regularly giving intestinal worm treatment is a vital component of any pet med health care program for all dogs and should be commenced from puppyhood according to the manufacturer's recommendations. It is always a reasonable idea to worm with appropriate wormer pet meds any new animal entering a household if that animal's worming history is unknown.