At What age do I de-worm my puppy?  

Puppies 4 to 12 weeks of age should be wormed every two weeks.

From age 12 weeks to 6 months puppies should be wormed monthly

From 6 months onward dogs and puppies should be wormed every 3 months.

What are some of the symptoms that my dog or puppy has intestinal worms?

  • Loss of appetite

  • The dog’s coat is in poor condition

  • The dog has a pot belly appearance – especially in puppies

  • The dog or puppy suffers weight loss

  • Diarrhea (sometimes bloody diarrhea)

  • Vomiting

  • Lethargy

  • Anemia – The dog or puppy has pale gums

  • Worm segments around the anal area. These segments look like small grains of rice or sesame seeds.

  • Continual licking of the anal area

  • The dog or puppy scoots around on it’s rear end.

  • Coughing if juvenile roundworm have migrated to the dog’s lungs

What are the types of intestinal worms that infect dogs?

Tapeworm in dogs

You can often see the dried sections of tapeworm around the dogs anus. They resemble rice grains. Dogs will often scoot around on their rear end due to the irritation. 

Flea control is an important part of preventing tapeworm. 

Hookworms in dogs

Hookworms are very small worms that have hook like mouth parts that burrow into your dog’s intestinal wall and suck blood. They can cause anemia, black or bloody diarrhea and sometimes death in puppies. Diagnosis is made by examining the feces for eggs under a microscope

Most often found in humid tropical areas. Can infect humans.

Roundworms in dogs

Dogs can become infected with roundworms by eating infected lizards, mice, birds and other prey. Puppies can be infected by their mothers. They can also become infected from ingesting soil contaminated by infected faeces. If your puppy vomits up a worm there is a good chance it is a roundworm. Roundworms will look like spaghetti in the puppy’s feces.

Roundworms can be passed on to humans and children are most at risk.
Whipworm in dogs

Often hard to diagnose from a stool sample. Chronic weight loss may be a symptom of whipworm together with feces that has a covering of mucous.

Whipworms are not passed on to humans.

What de-worming medication should I use for my puppy?

Ask your vet for the best worm medication for your dog or puppy.

You can often purchase de-worming medication over the counter at your vets without a consultation fee.