Ashlea Veterinary Centre Ltd, Unit 2b Port Road Business Park, Carlisle CA2 7AF  Reg no: 4759132

Worm control

for dogs

(01228) 549177

Worms

Roundworms: Sadly all puppies will have roundworms.  

The dog roundworm is a dangerous parasite, dangerous to both dogs and humans, because of the tendency for its larvae to leave the intestine and migrate around the body by way of the bloodstream.  In this way they can reach the puppy while it is still in the womb by crossing the mother’s placenta.  

And if that were not threat enough, larvae are passed by the mother in her milk for 4-6 weeks after giving birth!  Puppies with heavy infestations will fail to grow well; they may suffer recurrent chest infections (because of migrating larvae) and in rare cases the worms can cause intestines to become blocked and to rupture.

Puppies should be wormed from two to three weeks of age, with the dosing being repeated every three weeks until they reach 12 weeks of age; thereafter once a month until six months old.  We prefer to use a drug containing Fenbendazole, given as a three-day course; this will kill both adult worms and migrating larvae.  (Pet shop puppy wormers containing piperazine are far less efficient and will have no effect at all on the migrating larvae)

Adult dogs should be treated to eliminate roundworms four times a year.  While there are some efficient products sold through pet shops, some of the ‘multi-wormer’ tablets available are relatively old-fashioned drugs with very limited efficacy.

In the practice we prefer to remove both roundworm and tapeworm using a product which will reliably remove both forms of worm in a single treatment.   Please contact us for further advice.

Tapeworms:  Infestation with tapeworm will become evident as individual segments break free from the ‘tape’, passing to the exterior to be found stuck to hair close to the pet’s anus.  There are several forms of dog tapeworm; all involve an ‘intermediate host’.  As most dogs no longer have access to raw offal, tapeworm should only be a problem to those dogs which have suffered a flea infestation.

Lungworm:  To date we have yet to hear of a confirmed case of Lungworm in Carlisle.  However should this worm becomes established within the local snail and slug population our advice regarding worming will have to change radically.  To control the worm adequately we shall have to move all dogs to monthly worming with a product which has been shown to control the parasite.  We currently advise the use of the drug Milbemycin in a monthly combination product which controls worms, roundworms and fleas.  All dogs on our in-house healthcare schemes will already be receiving suitable monthly treatment which will prevent lungworm infestations.