Deworming is one of the routines that we must set as dog sitters. This can be internal or external, depending on whether the parasites are located outside or inside the dog’s body.
Deworming, in addition, should start at fifteen days of age and will be repeated throughout the dog’s life. Let’s see when a dog should be dewormed and how often we should repeat it.
Index of contents
- 1 Internal deworming
- 2 External deworming
- 3 How often do you worm a puppy?
- 4 How often deworming an adult dog?
- 5 What are the deworming products?
- 6 My dog has parasites although I parasitize it
Internal deworming
Internally, dogs can be infested with different parasites. The most common are those that occupy the digestive system. But there are also parasites that will lodge in the lungs or in the heart.
It is very important that we use antiparasitic products against these worms. First of all, because some are capable of causing serious diseases that are even fatal. An example is the heartworm that causes filariasis.
But, we must also protect our dog because several of these parasites can be transmitted to humans. Children are especially susceptible because they can ingest soil where worm eggs are found or eat with their hands unwashed.
- Types of worms in dogs and their treatment
External deworming
There are several parasites that we can find on the body of our dog. Fleas and ticks are by far the most common. Depending on the area in which we live and the dog’s own predisposition, we will find more fleas, ticks or both.
External parasites are not just an aesthetic nuisance. Ticks, by sucking blood for food, they are capable of transmitting serious diseases such as babesia or erliquia. Furthermore, fleas also cause hemobartonellosis or transmit intestinal parasites such as tapeworms.
As both are blood-borne parasites, severe infestations can also cause anemia. Also, fleas bite other animals and humans. They are difficult to remove from the environment.
- Diseases that infect fleas
- Tick-borne diseases
How often do you worm a puppy?
Puppies can acquire parasites from their mother or the environment from the moment of their birth. Taking into account the characteristics and development of intestinal worms that can affect them, fifteen days of life has been set as the date of the first internal deworming.
But a single deworming is not going to be enough to eliminate all the worms to which it will be exposed. So another internal deworming is set at fifteen days and this is repeated every 2-4 weeks. It is tried to coincide a few days before each vaccine, since, for its administration to be effective, the dog must be well dewormed.
Once the vaccination schedule has been met, at the latest at 12 weeks, the internal deworming regimen will follow the recommendations for adult dogs. As to external deworming, it is advisable to start it even if the puppy has not yet gone outside. It will be our veterinaryn who should recommend the product suitable for puppies.
How often deworming an adult dog?
Dogs can contract parasites both internal and external to the environment or contact with dogs or animals. It is easy for intestinal parasites to go unnoticed because in a healthy dog they usually do not give symptoms. But they will be able to transmit them even to humans. The same is the case with external ones. In addition, fleas infest the environment.
In it their larval forms grow. If we do not prevent the dog from contracting fleas, we can find the house infested, its eradication being complex. The internal and external deworming of adult dogs adapts to their living conditions. As a general rule, external deworming is monthly and internal deworming every 3-4 months.
But it will depend a lot on the selected product, since some maintain the preventive effect for more than four weeks. Instead, In cases such as the time of strong presence of fleas, it may be necessary to deworm within four weeks. That is why it is important to establish, together with the veterinaryn, the most suitable deworming schedule.
What are the deworming products?
In the case of puppies, the most used for internal deworming is syrup, which we can easily administer with a syringe. When they grow up and in adult dogs, pills are often used. There are them with flavors that are pleasant for the dog, which encourages them to eat them by themselves, as a treat.
Regarding external deworming, pipettes and necklaces are widely used. In smaller dogs, both in age and size, the spray can be used. Periodically we find advances in the world of deworming.
Thus, products are launched that are increasingly active against more parasites and their different growth phases or that, with a pipette or tablet, eliminate both internal and external parasites. Depending on the area in which we live, these products must act against the snot that transmit heartworms or leishmania.
My dog has parasites although I parasitize it
No dewormer product will be 100% effective. Furthermore, although we have discussed a monthly or quarterly frequency for deworming, there will be circumstances where more frequent deworming is required.
On the other hand, there are parasites that may not be included in the product that we have chosen. An example is giardias, which are not usually removed with regular dewormers.
Therefore, if our dog has diarrhea we must go to the vet. They can be parasites even if we have dewormed them. The vet will have to give us specific treatment.