Pfizer originally marketed Strongid (pyrantel pamoate) parasite medicine as a worm medication for horses. Many vets now prescribe it to cure roundworm and hookworm infestations in dogs.
Almost every puppy either is born with worms or contracts them through his mother's milk. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advises that puppies as young as 2 weeks old be treated for roundworms, which are easily passed both from animal to animal and from animals to humans.
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How Strongid Works
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Doctor of veterinary medicine Wendy C. Brooks says that Strongid takes advantage of the worms' physiology to destroy them. Strongid paralyzes the worms so they can't attach to your pet's intestines.The worms are evacuated in the stool.
Strongid Dosage
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The correct Strongid dosage for dogs, says Cornell University's College of Veterinary Medicine, is 1 ml of the 50 mg/ml suspension for every 10 lbs. of your pet's weight. Give her a dose every other week for six weeks (three total doses) to completely remove her infestation.
Adminstering Strongid
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Shake the bottle thoroughly. Using an oral syringe, draw the proper dose from the bottle and squirt it into your dog's mouth.
Your dog can take Strongid on either a full or an empty stomach.
Strongid Side Effects
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The University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine reports that dogs receiving daily pyrantel pamoate doses of 20 mg/2.2 lbs. of body weight for three months suffered no side effects. Those getting 50 mg/2.2 lbs.of weight for the same period, however, had unspecified symptoms of toxicity.
The effective dose of Strongid is so small and your dog's intestines will absorb so little of it that you don't have to worry about about side effects if you use it correctly.
Medications to Avoid
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Don't use Strongid if you are already treating your pet with another worming medication. If you're treating your dog for fleas with an organophosphate-based spray or flea collar, don't give him Strongid. Some common organophosphates are sevin and ectoral.
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