Puppy & Kitten Deworming Schedule
( Content taken From Donald Bramlage, DVM Revival Animal Health)
While it’s not uncommon for dogs and cats to deal with intestinal parasites, especially at a young age, it’s important to be proactive in preventing them from becoming a problem to begin with. The answers to the questions of how often to deworm a kitten and when to give puppy dewormer starts with following a recommended kitten and puppy deworming schedule.
Importance of Deworming Puppies and Kittens
Creating a deworming schedule for puppies and kittens is important for their overall health. Rough hair coats, diarrhea, malnutrition, intestinal obstructions, and anemia are common issues that can be signs of worms and other parasites, but you shouldn’t wait to act until symptoms appear. In this guide, we’ll cover how often to deworm puppies and when to deworm kittens to help keep them protected.
How to Deworm a Puppy or Kitten
Strategically deworming dogs and cats is a practice recommended by the American Association of Veterinary Parasitologists (AAVP) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). It generally involves giving your pet medicine orally or via a shot to help kill and prevent internal parasites.
At What Age Do You Deworm Puppies or Kittens?
Worms are more common in puppies and kittens, and they can often be born with roundworms or become infected via milk from mom. When it comes to how often to deworm puppies or kittens, here is the best kitten and puppy worming schedule to follow:
What Age to Deworm Puppies and Kittens:
- Deworm at two, four, six, and eight weeks of age.
- Repeat at 12 and 16 weeks of age.
- Deworm again at six months and one year old.
Deworming Puppies and Kittens: What to Expect
Now that you know the recommended puppy and kitten deworming Schedule, you’ll be more prepared to help treat and prevent worms and parasites in your pets. If you ever suspect that your pet has worms or you notice any of the symptoms we mentioned above, be sure to speak with your veterinarian for proper diagnosis and suggested next steps.
Puppy Diarrhea After Deworming
Puppies often develop soft stools from deworming. To avoid this, start with a gentle dewormer such as pyrantel pamoate at 2, 4, 6 and 8 weeks of age. Starting deworming at two weeks will get ahead of the parasite infestation and help reduce the diarrhea seen with deworming.
Better yet, you can start deworming BEFORE the pups are born by deworming mom. I personally use Strongid from my vet 7-10 days prior to wheping to prevent worms in my puppies. However Dr Greer Recommends Fenbendazole such as SafeGuard Canine Dewormer has been shown to be safe in pregnant and lactating female dogs. Although this is an off-label use (meaning the drug has not been labeled for this protocol), there are studies dating back to the 1980s showing the safety and efficacy of this protocol. Starting on day 42 of pregnancy (21 days before the predicted whelping date) and continuing until the pups are 14 days old, given daily, this protocol will prevent the migration of roundworms through the placentas and hookworms through the mammary glands and into the pups. Doing this, you can prevent puppies from ever having these intestinal parasites. Why wait for the pups to get sick at weaning? Prevention is always the best medicine.
Does a Dewormer Cause Diarrhea in Puppies?
By proactively deworming the puppies, you are less likely for them to develop diarrhea during their early days. Even better, proactively deworm the mom dog during late pregnancy and early lactation to prevent the need to deworm the pups.
Should you find your puppies have diarrhea after deworming, you can use a combination of Probiotics and Firm Up.
Avoid the use of antibiotics including metronidazole and Tylan when possible. Overuse of antibiotics will lead to antibiotic resistance in your kennel and your household.
There are several good probiotics on the market. Use the veterinary version of probiotics as the bacterial flora in the dog is different than that of humans. Doc Roy’s GI Synbiotics, Breeder's Edge Nurture Flora and DogZymes Canine Probiotic Paste are the preferred probiotic products for efficacy. Adding fiber to the diet can help firm up soft stools. This includes insoluble fiber such as that found in canned pumpkin and squash, high fiber cereals, and psyllium (Metamucil). Personally I love Diggin' Your Dog Firm Up! and find it works the best.
Be aware that IF you use oral Pepto-Bismol tablets (not recommended), alert your veterinary professionals. These can show up on X-rays as an apparent foreign body. Neither you nor your veterinarian want to find out during a surgery to remove a “foreign body” that it was an innocent dose of medication and not a coin or piece of metal.
Additionally, try to avoid changes in food and water at the same times you are vaccinating and deworming pups. Too many changes can stress the pups, cause diarrhea, and make the pups more likely to contract canine coronavirus and parvovirus. Be thoughtful how you structure your preventive health programs.
Keeping Good Records of your Deworming and Vaccination Schedule
Don’t forget to also get The Breeder Chart Bundle to keep on hand as a helpful way for recording deworming, immunizations, fecal exams and more.
If you find you have further questions on developing a puppy deworming schedule please feel free to contact us at The Breeders Cupboard (587)988-2406 and have a discussion with your veterinarian
We cannot and do not sell Dewormer