How Often Are You Supposed To Worm?

[Guest greytful4]

How often are you supposed to worm them? What can you use andhow do you know if they need it? Reading that thread the other daymade me realize that my girl hasn't been wormed since I adopted her three years ago. I don't ever see anything unusal in her poop....

[Chicocat]

If you are using a monthly heartworm preventative like Interceptor, it takes care of most worms:

 

INTERCEPTOR Flavor Tabs for dogs prevent deadly heartworm disease, while protecting your dog against roundworms (Toxocara canis, Toxascaris leonina), hookworms (Ancylostoma caninum) and whipworms (Trichuris vulpis).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Guest jurishound]

We have regular (annual or bi-annual, depending upon the hound's age) fecal checks, which have always been negative, so we do not de-worm.

[winnie]

We just give Interceptor to our greys once a month.

[MerlinsMum]

deleted because I'm an idiot and posted my response in the wrong thread

 

Did anyone say "short bus"?

Edited September 19, 2008 by merlinsmum

[Jiffer]

I only worm mine when they come home. They aren't at risk for contracting worms at this point, so I don't fret over it. They do get annual physicals and heartworm checks, in addition, they take Heartgard Plus in the summer months.

[PatricksMom]

Monthly preventative/annual checks here, never needed more than that.

[Batmom]

Your monthly heartworm preventive should protect against a few basic types of worms (though not tapeworm, which dogs get from eating infected fleas; meds for that are different).

 

I usually don't give another wormer unless I see worms or they show up on a fecal exam. I end up having a fecal @ once a year -- because it's required for obedience classes, because something isn't quite right, or dogs have been someplace where lots of dogs go and we haven't checked in awhile. It's a quick, cheap check.

[Guest longdogs]

If you are using a monthly heartworm preventative like Interceptor, it takes care of most worms:

 

INTERCEPTOR Flavor Tabs for dogs prevent deadly heartworm disease, while protecting your dog against roundworms (Toxocara canis, Toxascaris leonina), hookworms (Ancylostoma caninum) and whipworms (Trichuris vulpis).

Not all monthly heartworm preventatives will do this, only those with additional drugs added for intestinal worms. Even these products often don't work against tapeworms and may not shift well-established colonies of whips or hooks.

 

Check what kind of heartworm preventative you are using, assuming you are in a heartworm area. It will say on the packet if it protects against worms other than heartworm. A plain heartwormer does not give additional protection. If you are using one of these, you should think about worming at least quarterly. Where there is a high risk of infection you may need to do it more frequently. Alternatively you can get a regular faecal test and act accordingly, although it's often cheaper simply to administer a precautionary pill.

 

If you walk your dog in parks or anywhere else frequented by other dogs, they are at risk of worms. If they get worms other than tapes you won't necessarily notice anything. Worm infections are generally not serious but one dog with worms will do a good job of infecting others. Children can also pick up certain kinds from dogs, so it is good in an urban environment to ensure your dog isn't part of the problem.