Worming

[skwo2]

I have been worming Chelsea regularly with a worming tablet, which combines heartworm, tapeworm, roundworm together.

Someone told me that I don't have to do worming regularly (except heartworm), unless I see there are worms in Chelsea's poo. Is that correct?

[Rysup]

Depends who you ask. It is recommended you worm them every 3 months, and not all worms will show up in the dogs poo.......so you would have to get a sample checked at the vets to be sure.

[skwo2]

Want to ask, what worm will not be shown in poo?

It is just a concern that we are feeding the dogs too much unnecessary "medication"

[puggy_puggy]

Intestinal worms need to be done at least every three months.

[Rysup]

I am not sure, but I cannot tell you what a hookworm looks like. I've only ever seen tapeworms come out of the dog before worming.

[~Anne~]

You only need to worm every 3 months if your dog is;

- in regular contact with other dogs and their droppings

- you are in a high worm infestation area

I use Sentinel Spectrum which covers heart worm, fleas and all intestinal worms and is given monthly. My dogs are in the higher risk category though due to the rescues coming and going.

[Miranda]

You need a wormer that covers whipworm and hookworm as well skwo2, I buy Canine All Wormer tablets from Vet-N-Pet Direct, you can buy them in bulk or as singles or if you prefer chewables Drontal are very good although more expensive. I worm mine two three times a year and give monthly heartworm preventative. The only worms you're likely to notice in droppings are usually roundworms (they look like spaghetti) in very young puppies or tapeworm segments (they look like cucumber seeds). Most adult dogs are immune to roundworms once they reach six months of age (although they do become active again in pregnant bitches) so you're not likely to see roundworms in adults unless they're very stressed and/or their immune system is compromised.

Edited June 23, 2008 by Miranda

[skwo2]

I am using Spectrum Interceptor. It is just this person whom I met in another forum, telling everyone that there is no need to do worming, unless they see worms in the dog's poo.

So from what I see in the replies here, there are worms that we can't see in the poo, and dogs do in fact need to be wormed.

[Miranda]

I am using Spectrum Interceptor. It is just this person whom I met in another forum, telling everyone that there is no need to do worming, unless they see worms in the dog's poo.

So from what I see in the replies here, there are worms that we can't see in the poo, and dogs do in fact need to be wormed.

The person in the other forum is misinformed, other than tapeworm segments you are highly unlikely to see worms in poo, especially whipworm and hookworm, they are just too small. So yes, dogs should be wormed at least twice yearly with a complete all wormer.