Worming – what are your options?

Regularly worming your cat or dog probably doesn’t rate first on your list of fun pet care topics but it’s important to stay on top of – for the health of your pet, yourself, and your family!

Common animal intestinal worms such as roundworm, hookworm and whipworm can cause our pets to become unwell with vomiting, diarrhoea, weight loss and weakness, especially in vulnerable puppies and kittens. Severe worm burdens can even be fatal to very young animals.

Some tapeworms, such as Echinococcus granulosus, can also pose a significant health risk to people. Dogs that have access to fresh livestock carcasses can become infected with this tapeworm. People can then be at risk of developing a potentially dangerous tapeworm infection if they inadvertently come into contact with the dog’s faeces.

It is recommended to worm puppies and kittens every two weeks up until they are 12 weeks old. Thereafter, it is recommended that your pet is wormed every three months. In rural areas, where pets have access to livestock, we may recommend administering an additional tapeworm treatment every month in addition to the quarterly all-wormer doses.

For routine worming of your dog or cat, it is best to use all-wormer products that include tapeworm prevention. These include products such as Milbemax, Popantel or Drontal. For specific tapeworm treatment, you can consider the use of products such as Droncit. Speak with the vet or veterinary nurse for worming advice specific to your pet.

To reduce the risk of getting worms from your pets, remember to always wash your hands after handling your pet!

If you have trouble worming your pet, just ask our helpful team for assistance.