Recent studies into the worming of pets in the UK have resulted in a change in the recommended frequency with which you should worm your cat or dog.

Roundworms (Toxocara canis and Toxocara cati) and tapeworms commonly affect puppies, kittens and adult cats and dogs. Roundworms pose a Public Health threat in that they can infect your family; young children in particular are at risk from the migrating larval stages of the roundworm which can result in blindness. The hunting tendency of cats and the very nature of dogs to have their nose into everything, as well as the common existence of fleas on most pets makes routine worming an important health consideration for your pet and you.

Puppies and Kittens - need treatment from a very early age, usually from 2 weeks old for puppies and 6 weeks of age for kittens. Thereafter we advise every 2-4 weeks depending on the treatment used up to 12 weeks of age, and then monthly up to 6 months of age.

Adults dogs - The frequency with which an adult dog should be wormed varies depending on the age of the dog, whether the dog is mostly indoors or out on daily walks, and the presence of children in the household. If there are young children in the house and the dog is a young adult, goes outside a lot and comes in contact with other dogs or their faeces, then worming once a month is recommended against roundworms. Treatment for roundworms comes in a variety of preparations, either tablets orally or spot-on treatment that can be put onto the skin. In households where there are no children then worming every 3 months is likely to be adequate.

Adult cats - as with dogs the frequency of worming varies depending on the cat and the household. If the cat roams and is a hunter of birds and mice, and there are children in the household, then monthly worming is recommended. Otherwise 3 monthly is sufficient, or less frequently for cats that are kept indoors at all times or that rarely go out.

If you are in doubt about how often you should be worming your pet, do speak to the vet, nurse or receptionist so that we can do a risk assessment of your household to determine a worming frequency       

PREVIOUS