How Does Liquid Wormer for Puppies Work?

While your little puppy is cute, fluffy and healthy-looking, a good chance exists nonetheless that some not-so-pleasant worms are living in his gut. Liquid wormers that kill parasitic worms can be safely given to puppies as young as 2 weeks old. Getting your pups on a worming cycle can keep them from serious infestation.

  1. Intestinal Worms

    • Liquid wormers work to treat parasitic worms making themselves at home inside your pup̵7;s intestinal tract. Hookworms, threadworms, whipworms and tapeworms are just some of the parasites that can thrive there. The most common worms in puppies are ascarids, also called roundworms; most puppies are born with them. Roundworms can give your puppy diarrhea and a pot-bellied appearance, but an infected puppy may show no signs or symptoms. Worms can be passed from mom to puppy, so all puppies should be wormed.

    Wormers

    • Worming medicines, called anthelmintics, are medicines that kill parasitic worms. Many wormers are administered in liquid form. These liquid wormers are ideal for puppies since they don̵7;t have to be administered in pill form or be mixed with solid food, something a 2-week-old puppy isn̵7;t munching on yet. They are administered with a special syringe directly into the mouth of the puppy. The amount of medicine needed is dependent on the puppy̵7;s weight, and should be outlined on the directions with the medicine. Anthelmintics are toxic to worms but not to dogs.

    Before Worming

    • No wormer is capable of wiping out all kinds of worms. It̵7;s important to dose your dog with medicine for the type of worm you̵7;re trying to eliminate. Before you give your puppy worming medicine, it̵7;s important for him to visit his vet. The vet can examine a stool sample to determine what kinds of worms are present and prescribe the appropriate medicine. It̵7;s important to make sure puppy is healthy enough to take a wormer. If he̵7;s sick, wormer could do more damage than good. Other health problems, such as respiratory infection, should be addressed before administering medication.

    Worming Schedule

    • Since puppies can get worms from their mothers and their environments, its important in puppyhood to keep a strict worming schedule for the medicine to be effective. Puppies should receive their first round of wormer at 2 weeks old and subsequent doses again every two weeks until they are 8 weeks old. Until your pup reaches 6 months old, he should get a monthly worming. After he̵7;s 6 months old, he should be wormed only if the vet determines he needs to be. He̵7;ll need be checked annually for worms and treated accordingly.