Worms - never knew this!

[Frazzledbutcalm]

Just found out yesterday ... all worming tablets (including vet ones) DON’T give long term protection! I assumed that as you have to worm them every 3 months, they were actually protected all that time ... but they’re not!

So lovely dcat who is an avid hunter basically could permanently have worms. In the past 3 months he’s been wormed 3 times due to me finding worms on him twice. I asked the vet why he keeps getting them despite being wormed religiously 3 monthly ... that’s when I found out. So the tablet actually only kills the worms they have at that moment, meaning if he hunts the following day and eats something contaminated, then he has worms again!

I assumed they gave long term protection the same as flea treatments ... but no.

Well that's news to me too ...

I knew. But if you work monthly and get a week clear how much damage can they do in 3 weeks?.

I didn't know that either. Our lad goes outside but isn't any good as a hunter so hopefully less chance of worms!

Nobody I know knows ....

fluffy .. they’re supposed to be done 3 monthly.. they can be done monthly, if necessary, for roundworms and heart worms (I think). The tablets cover other worms so can’t be just automatically given monthly. I don’t understand this explanation but will know more after my vet appointment. How much damage can they do in 3 weeks? I imagine, in my boy, possibly quite a lot .... he hunts daily so if he’s eating animals with worms even just 3 times a week, that’s a lot of worms quickly building up in him presumably, and possibly also from the day after he’s had his tablet, not 1 week later, so for him he could actually have worms 28 days out of each month!

It was quite a shock to learn this about the tablets ... I imagine most people don’t know how they work.

I did know that, as it's why cats most prone to worms need more regular doses.

I think we need a poll

I’d never even heard animals could be done more frequently than 3 monthly ...

I always figured this must be true, it's only good on the day, but would harm the animal (not to mention expensive) to have much more frequent doses.