Common questions that we get asked as vets is “How often should I worm my cat or dog” and “What should I worm my cat or dog with?” It’s great that many pet owners ask this question, because we know that many pet owners don’t realise they should worm their pet so frequently.
Why should I worm my pet?
There are many benefits to worming your pet, and remember, even healthy asymptomatic looking pets can have worms!
The main symptoms of worms in your pet will be:
- Increased appetite but not gaining weight
- Weight loss
- Evidence of worms in their vomit or faeces
- Diarrhoea
- Dull, coarse fur
- Pot belly particularly in kittens and puppies
Not only will regular worming protect your pet from disease, it also helps keep your family healthy as worms from dogs and cats can cause illness in humans too.
How often should you worm you pet?
We recommend that your cat or dog is wormed every 3 months, this is even more important in pets that spend time outdoors including cats that go hunting. If your cat does go out and hunt then they should be wormed monthly, but for an indoor cat you can reduce this to every 6-12 months. Puppies and kittens will initially need to be wormed more frequently as they can get worms from their mother’s milk.
It is important that your dog or cat is protected from roundworms AND tapeworms. It is also advised that your dog is covered for lungworm. Over the counter wormers do not protect against lungworm and can ony be provided by prescription from your vet. While lungworm is not that common, it can be deadly and therefore preventing infection is highly recommended.
Check out our selection of dog wormers and cat wormers.
For further information you can email us at [email protected]
