Safeguarding Your Pets: Proper Deworming Techniques for Cats and Dogs

Internal parasites are frequently found in dogs and cats and usually cause pain, itching (in the hind region) and loss of appetite, eventually deteriorating their overall health. The most common ones that cause these problems include – hookworms, roundworms, whipworms, and tapeworms. You can easily find tapeworms and roundworms through naked eyes if you pay close attention to the stools or the hind area of the pet, especially, when the infestation is heavy.

Moreover, puppies and kittens generally carry roundworms because these worms easily get transferred to the babies from a pregnant mother during birthing or feeding process. Thus, it is extremely important for all pet owners to de-worm their baby dogs and cats immediately after 2 weeks of their birth. And, the process must be continued every two weeks until 6 months.

Besides, larger dogs and cats must also be wormed every 6 months to ensure complete protection against intestinal worms. Worms can occur at any point in time in pets, thus it is essential to safeguard them in advance. However, it is equally very necessary to choose the correct product to achieve the desired results else the whole process would be of no use.

Here are some tips you must follow when choosing the worming product for your pet.

Choosing The Correct Dewormer for Pets

With plenty of options in the market, it really becomes hard for us to choose that one product that will do the work perfectly without causing any complications. However, considering certain things before zeroing in upon one product will help you settling up for the best one of all for your pet.

First – Check the parasites it treats

There is a varied range of dewormers in the market. Some of them might just treat one category of worms while the others may treat all kinds of intestinal worms. Before purchasing any product, it is therefore important to read the label thoroughly. Certain products are broad spectrum and kill internal as well as external parasites like fleas, ticks, and even ear mites. Opting for such drugs will definitely be a better deal as they give all-round protection. However, again it depends on the infestation. Although there are also drugs that specifically treat intestinal worms, going for broad-spectrum ones will actually help you save a lot of money, besides giving added protection.

Second – Always check the method of administration

Pets can be restless and thus it can be really tricky to apply or feed the treatment. Therefore, before choosing a product, you must always go with the one that will be easier to administer. In case the dog is fidgety and doesn’t sit still when you try to apply something to his body, it is better to go with the oral drug. In fact, pets that have the habit of licking themselves quite often must be rather administered oral tablets or chews than topicals /spot-on to save from spending on e-collar. Whereas in case he is choosy about what goes into his mouth, the topical product would be the best.

Third – Efficacy of the product

Though nobody can actually learn whether the product will suit their pet or not unless they try it on their pets themselves, you can still go through the customer reviews on various pet sites. Their feedback can help a great deal in making up your mind.

Fourth – Know the side-effects in advance

Treatments are nothing but chemicals and they might have side-effects too. This doesn’t mean they aren’t safe. There are very rare cases in which the chemicals in the drug may react with the pet’s system; however, it is still advisable to better check the ingredients beforehand. Some products may contain ingredients which may cause allergy in your pet. So, it is wise to know the product completely rather than repenting later.

Fifth – Do not use the products interchangeably

Always make sure you administer a dog product to dogs and cat product to cats. Never even try to use a cat product on your dog or a dog product in your cat because they may have ingredients that might be toxic to the other species.

Here are some of the most popular products deemed as highly effective for deworming and treating parasites in pets. You can choose either of these according to the requirement of your pet. But, remember to follow the aforementioned tips.