How often do your worm your dogs?

[Kacee29]

Hi all, have a 4 year old JRT. She’s our only pet. I worm her every 2-3 months. When we first got her as a pup I did it every month for a year or so after but decided to wait a little longer between doses after a while.

I have a friend. She has multiple pets and into de worms them once a year and said it’s unnecessary to worm so often? Surely not? Only having one dog it doesn’t break the bank.

How often do you worm yours?

Surely once a year isn’t enough particularly if you have lots of pets? One could have them and get passed on to others?

Twice a year

Every six months - we ge the worker through a pet plan with the vets and that's how often they will supply it.
We also let her have hair on dried rabbit ears as apparently they're a natural dewormer as well as a great chew.

*the wormer

We’re on a pet plan with the vets, so however often they supply it! I think it’s 3-monthly. The cats are once a month.

Apparently if you check internet it’s cheap to send away for a worming count test

as allegedly it removes the need for constant treatment

Ours is monthly through the vet pet plan. Tick and flea is done 3 monthly.

Only if we see evidence of worms (usually because the cats have come in with worms) then we do them once, then again a month later. Usually once or twice a year. I don’t believe in over worming and building resistance to wormers. I’m hoping to do worm tests too, like we do with the horses.

Unsure yes, that’s what I meant by test - we do a worm egg count test with the horses.

Once a month is a hell of a lot of chemicals to put into your dog when it probably doesn’t have worms.

When I see evidence of worms....

Literally can’t remember when I last wormed my JRT and she’s 12 next year.

Just got some kittens, I remember the cats at my parents when I was a child always had to be wormed so i imagine that it will become a more regular event.

She also doesn’t have her ‘annual’ jabs any more and she’s not had those for years either....

Used to be twice a year for my dog, but my vet now gives me a dose every 3 months. He said it depends on the brand as they recently changed and some need/recommend more frequent than others

My dog is a disgusting scavenger so he gets wormed every 3 months based on the likelihood of him picking up something grim on his travels 🤢

I'm sorry but no photos?!

We have a 10 month old JRT and we use the pet plan. I think the wormer is every 3-6 months? This is Edgar.

Worms...

If they have eaten anything raw (like if ive got some fresh rabbits shot by a friend). that hasn't been frozen.

If they have had fleas.

I see evidence of worms.

New puppies are done a few times after they come home then move to the adult schedule.

Fleas - when I see evidence, house treated annually anyway with Acclaim or Indorex

It depends on how often your dog has access to raw meat, other animal faeces, etc. If your dog is only on your property with all poo picked up regularly and only ever walked on a lead you can worm infrequently. Do check what wormers to use - there are excellent full coverage wormers, but some only treat a specific worm type, not all. Using a complete wormer is better. Nowadays I worm based on the dogs condition as I can tell immediately when he has worms as he loses a little condition by his spine (it is miniscule but it's about knowing your own pet) and I can feel it straight away, but every dog is different.

My vet did an excellent talk about worming dogs a few years ago and it really helped understand how to choose the best approach for individual dogs. Maybe take a look online for similar.

Also for anyone who mentions the type of worm counting and wormer resistance above (we also have equines) he said that wormer resistance is not appearing in dogs, that it's a large animal issue and thus there isn't a need to frequently change wormer types or delay worming to stop resistance in dogs or cats.

6 monthly or more frequently if I see worms. Fleas 2 or 3 times over the year, usually twice in summer and once in winter, again I'll do it if I see a need.

Adult pet dogs are not really at risk from worms in most cases, they are generally immune and will not get ill even if they pick up the odd worm, and there's not really much logic behind worming them every 3 or 6 months. The exceptions are if they are raw fed, if they are allowed to roam freely around farms or are likely to scavenge dead animals. Tapeworm treatment is important for those dogs especially if walked on farmland, to stop them spreading tapeworms to sheep.
Toxocara is a worm that can very rarely cause blindness in children, but fresh dog poo is not dangerous, so even if you have children, they are not at risk from your own dog unless poo is lying round in the garden. (If you want to be sure a dog does not have toxocara you would need to worm them monthly).
Puppies do need regular worming. Old or sick dogs may also benefit.

Most wormers will state every 3 months. I used to be quite regimented but with covid we’re pretty overdue. I’d advise every 6 months as a bare minimum.

Hmmm think I'll check our worming programme then as it seems like maybe it's too often compared to everyone else. However, we do live rurally, the dog eats anything - bird poo, cow poo, sheep poo, horse poo - he hasn't caught a mouse for a while but he ate them too.

The one I use says 3 monthly, but monthly for lungworm. So I do a 3 month gap, then 1 month and repeat.

He adores gross dead things and catches his own, and has had horrible worms in the past that caused him a lot of discomfort. In theory I don't want to over worm but its sensible for him.

Worm counts are good too, have done that in the past

Mine gets Bravecto and milbemax 3 monthly from the vets.

Every three months or when I remember

Every six weeks.

Anyone who has a dog that accesses any footpaths through farmland should worm their dogs regularly.

Dog poo can be extremely harmful to cows, it can make cattle abort their calves.

Every 3 months.

He's raw fed; he is regularly walked in an area many other dogs are walked; regularly walked in a forest; he's a bit of a scavenger and will drink water from wherever he finds it.

Vet knows all of this and added the relevant wormer and flea treatment to his Pet Plan.

Given that he also has many hairy/furry treats, which also acts as a natural worming treatment. But it is flukes etc I am most aware of, from streams, puddles, local lake etc.

Ooh! I lie. It's monthly because of lungworm, given where we are!

Thanks all. When we first got her the vet said monthly then we decked ourselves to do it every 3 months as the vets were selling us advocate which was working out pretty expensive.

We do live in a rural area so will stick to 3 months!

What a cutie @ApollO88 🥰