How To Check Your Dog For Worms

At some point in your dog’s life he might have worms. These are picked up from contaminated ground and droppings, and any dog who spends time outdoors is likely to ingest some worm eggs at some point. You can encourage your dog from eating garbage, but it’s an uphill struggle, as many of them are hardwired to seek out whatever’s lying around.

Breeds Bichon Frise running on grass outdoors

Dogs like this Bichon Frise will sometimes pick up worms by eating scraps they find outdoors

Typical symptoms of worm infestation in dogs include diarrhoea and vomiting, coughing, weight loss, pot belly, low energy, dull coat, and dragging their bottom on the ground. In rare cases worm infections can be fatal, so it is important that you get rid of them as soon as you notice that your dog is infected. A regular de-wormer is the best way of keeping on top of the problem.

How To Deworm Your Dog

Worm medication is most often in tablet or paste form, but an injection can be given by your vet if necessary. It is essential that you give the correct dosage as prescribed by your vet, as this will vary for the size of your dog. It is also very important that you clean up after your dog, otherwise he may be re-infected by the worms his body has just ejected!

Wormers provided by your vets will remove any worms present, but will not protect from future infection. Look out for worm symptoms in the early stages of a dog’s life, as Ringworm is often contracted from the mother before the puppy is born.

Puppies needs to be wormed every 2-3 weeks until the age of 12 weeks. From here on, worm your dog monthly until it is 6 months old. From the age of 6 months, you should worm him every 3 months.