IMPORTANCE OF DEWORMING IN DOG
Compiled & Edited by-DR. RAJESH KUMAR SINGH, (LIVESTOCK & POULTRY CONSULTANT), JAMSHEDPUR, JHARKHAND,INDIA 9431309542, rajeshsinghvet@gmail.com
How to deworm your dog?
Deworming or also known as worming. This is a process of giving appropriate medication to the dog to get rid of the worms or parasites like tapeworms, hookworms, roundworms, whipworms. These worms dig up into the intestines of the animals and affect their digestive systems in such a manner that they are likely to lose weight, get pale gums, anemia and even result in bad diarrhea. Every pet parent wants their pet to be healthy, hearty and energetic so deworming plays a significant part to sustain a healthy lifestyle of your pet.
What do you mean by deworming?
Deworming (or commonly called worming) just means getting rid of worms like Hookworms, whipworms, roundworms, tapeworms etc. that manages to get into animal intestinal system and eventually affect their overall health adversely. Deworming medications are given in this purpose. It is a common situation with human beings as well as animals. A few general problems caused by Intestinal worms in dogs are anaemia, diarrhoea, weigh lose etc.
We had recently been receiving a bundle of queries from concerned pet parents regarding dog deworming like ‘how often should I deworm my dog?’, ‘what are deworming medication to be given?’, ‘how does dewormers work?’ etc. So, here we have come up with a comprehensive guide to answer all your questions related to deworming.
In case if we left out any questions you have doubts on or have any query related to pets, feel free to ring us or get in touch with us any time.
Symptoms suggesting that the puppy has Intestinal worms
Pet parents often look for guidance wondering the symptoms of dog having intestinal worms. Some of the commonly observed symptoms which can help you figure out if your Dog has intestinal worms are the following:
• Lethargy/ tiredness
• Worm segments around the anal area
• Loss of appetite
• Coughing
• Weight loss
• Anaemia
• Vomiting
• Pale gums
• Potbelly or bloated stomach area
• Bleeding
Given below are symptoms categorizedon the basis of various types of worms that cause them.
Whipworms:
These worms cannot really be noticed due to their extremely thin structures. Whipworms generally enter intestines through contaminated food or water. Some general issues caused by these type of intestinal worms are bad anaemia, bleeding etc.
Roundworms:
Roundworms are light brown or off white coloured worms that can be generally noticed in the dog excreta. These worms remain in the intestine and feed on the same, causing the common symptoms like stomach pains, losing weight, weakness and sometimes potbelly.
Hookworms:
Hookworms feed on intestinal blood and multiply themselves in intestine. Few symptoms of these types of worms having infected the intestines are diarrhoea, pale gums, weakness and tiredness, anaemia etc.
Tapeworms:
These cream or white coloured worm segments are found somewhat resembling cucumber seeds and can be sometimes found around the anus region on dogs and other pets. The common symptom caused by tapeworms is mainly itching around the anus of dogs.
What to do if your dog or puppy is showing symptoms of intestinal worms?
Well, before jumping into any conclusion and deciding yourself on any medication, it is recommended to contact your vet pet expert to diagnose and figure out the exact problem and its root. They will be able to suggest you the appropriate deworming medications.
So for once, it would be better if you consult your vet before deciding on the deworming medication and deworming schedule.
Importance of deworming for dogs
As a pet parent, you would only want good health and condition of your dog. Deworming is an important step in the direction of keeping your dogs healthy.
In this context you must note that it is totally normal and natural a thing for worms to develop in intestine. However, they cannot be allowed to remain and multiply in there. When worm infestation exceeds the normal limits, it can cause fatal health conditions in animals. In fact heavy worm infestation may even lead to death.
Moreover, this would not just be harmful for animals, but also for human beings. As a pet owner, you might often play with your pet or dog. You need to take care in this context that interacting with a severely infected dog can be pretty fatal for human beings. Thus deworming dogs on schedule is quite important.
Deworming Medications: Best Dog Dewormer
When it comes to worming, there are three alternatives available in market, i.e., syrup, tablets and XL tablets. Let us brief these three deworming medication alternatives for you-
Syrups:
Deworming syrups are ideal for the purpose of worming puppies. Pups can be reluctant to eating tablets and so syrups will be better for puppies weighing up to 5 Kg. Recommended syrups:
The syrup offer efficient remedies to the worms and can ideally steer clear intestine of hookworms, roundworms, tapeworms and Whipworms. The syrup is proven safe for puppies. There is no need to keep puppies empty stomach and hungry for deworming with this syrup.
Sky Ec is reliable deworming syrup for your puppy to kill away all the intestinal worms.
Good deforming syrup for pups.
Dosage: 1 Ml of Syrup per Kg (Weight of puppy) as per the Deworming schedule explained below.
Tablets:
Normal Deworming tablets are idea for growing puppies or ‘just turned adults’- ideally puppies weighing over 5-7 kg. So once your ‘paw-pal’ has crossed the 5 Kg weight, you can prefer giving him deworming tablets. Recommended Tablets
It is a wide Spectrum Dewormer and fights against roundworms, hookworms, whipworms and tapeworms.
Just like Sky Ec syrup, the tablets are FDA approved, reliable medications.
The product boasts to be free from side effects and safe for pups.
These tablets safely and effectively remove the regular intestinal worms with a single dose.
Dosage: 1 tablet per 10 Kg (Weight of puppy) as per the Deworming schedule explained below. In case of normal tablets, you are required to give about 1 tablet per 10 Kg body weight of the dog. This mean if your pup weight 30 KG, it needs to be given 3 tablets.
XL tablets:
Giving 3-4 tablets in a single dose can be troublesome in larger brreds. XL Tablets avoid the scenario. The general dosage for these would be 1 tablet per 35 Kg. So for an adult dog weighing above 30 Kg, XL tablets are ideal solutions.
Great dewormer for larger breeds.
is a reliable XL tablet that you can consider. The brand is a common Vet recommended brand, making it a trustworthy brand.
Summing up, or all the pet owners who had been wondering “what are the deworming medications to be given?” enlisted below is brief of the best dog dewormers available in market.
It is, anyway, best to consult a vet in selecting the dewormer. Certainly, an expert will be able to suggest best dog dewormer or best worming medications for your dog.
How do dewormers work?
When given an appropriate dosage as per prescription, deworming medications simply kill and flush out the worms that have been multiplying up in the intestine of the pets. These medicines simply help in getting rid of problematic worms from the body and in keeping the pet’s health intact.
Deworming Schedule
Mentioned below is the answer to the most frequently arising question in context of deworming- “how often are dogs wormed?”, “At what age of puppy deworming is to be done?” or “what should be the deworming schedule?” etc. The deworming dosage should be anyway as per the prescription of the vet.
A puppy must be first given the deworming dose at 3 weeks of age. There onwards, they must be dewormed every 2 weeks until they attain 12 weeks of age.
The frequency lowers with age. From 12 weeks of age to 6 months of age, deworming medications should be given every month.
In small and Medium breeds- From 6 months of age to 12 months of age, it is suggested to deworm your puppy every 2 months.
In Large and Giant Breeds– From 6 months of age to 18 months of age, it is suggested to deworm your puppy every 2 months.
The frequency of offering deworming medications would reduce and should be made stable once your dog attains adulthood (around 1 years of age in small and medium breeds and around 1 and half years of age in Large and Giant Breeds). Post this age, they must be dewormed every 6 months.
It is also advisable to change the brand of the deworming medicine and not use the same brand every time that is in case you have any doubt on it.
Deworming schedule for pregnant dog
Pet owners are often doubtful about deworming a pregnant dog. Here is the general deworming schedule you can follow in for a pregnant dog. Still, getting a nod and advice from vet is recommended. Deworming medication should be given 2 weeks before the delivery and also 2 weeks after the delivery of the litters.
Deworming Dogs during Pregnancy- is it necessary?
Pet owners often wonder ‘is deworming in pregnancy safe?’ Worms most commonly find their way to a puppy’s intestine while feeding on mother’s milk. So very obviously, if the parent dog is infected by these worms during the breast feeding period, there is a great likelihood that puppies will be infected as well. Thus to deworm breast feeding dog is very important. In case of a healthy dog, the general deworming schedule for pregnant dogs can be followed, as suggested above.
Reactions and Side effects of deworming
Sometimes, deworming makes dogs sick or uncomfortable, mostly for short time duration. Few generally observed deworming side effects are vomiting, mild diarrhoea (temporary), temporary appetite loss, worms on dog stool etc. These side effects of deworming generally fade and dogs get better within 12-24 hours itself.
However, in some cases, the dewormers can be harsh on the puppies and can cause allergic reactions like collapsing, unsteady walking, breathing troubles, drooling excessively etc. You must consider taking your dog to vet under these circumstances. It always advised to give them deworming before they go to sleep in the night.
Also, in case your dog or puppy has been worm infested heavily, the deworming process may cause intestinal blockage with dead worms. The symptoms suggesting this situation are continuous and prolonged pains and/or vomiting. Such situations can sometimes be harmful and may require an operation.
Reference-On Request
