Dealing With Dog Worms

Symptoms of worms

• Bottom Dragging / Scooting ... If you notice your dog dragging its bottom along the ground appearing to try and wipe it, this could indicate that your dog has a worm infestation in general. The action of bottom dragging is referred to as ‘scooting’ and it can also be done if the dog has problematic anal glands. A dog will ‘scoot’ if there is a worm infestation present because the eggs that are shed by the mature worms exit the dog’s body via the anus and in doing so they irritate the dog’s bottom.


• Diarrhoea ... Dogs can also suffer from diarrhoea accompanied by stomach cramps.


• Weight Loss ...This is due to the worms actually competing with their ‘host’ for the valuable nutrients from the dog’s food.


• Coat Condition ... Some dogs will display a change in their coats - their fur will not appear as healthy or shiny.


• Blood ... There may be small amounts of blood present in the dogs stools.


• Visible Worms ... You can actually observe some types of worm by the naked eye in your dog’s stools.

What are dog worms?

Worms can pass to puppies fairly easily through the nursing dam’s milk and they can go directly from the dam to the foetus actually during the pregnancy.

They reside in the dog’s intestines where they feed on the partially digested food and nutrients; they release their eggs within the dog’s stool. They can then infect other dogs when the faeces are consumed. This sounds disgusting to us but it is a common trait throughout the animal kingdom and is called ‘copography.’

Hookworms can also be transmitted by penetrating a dog’s skin or through the dog’s paws.

Types of dog worms

• Roundworms


• Tapeworms


• Flatworms

Roundworms possess a smooth texture and are flat bodied with tapered ends. They cannot normally be observed with the naked eye. A vet will usually request a stool specimen to examine underneath a microscope. Roundworms are also called stomach worms, hookworms, lungworms, heartworms and whipworms.

Tapeworms have segmented bodies and a head. There are 3 kinds of tapeworm:

Flatworms - these are also called Trematodes or Flukes. They hook themselves to the dog’s intestines, liver or the dog’s lungs.

How to worm your dog

Now it's a good idea for all dog owners to be aware of worms and how to prevent them occurring as you would be amazed at the amount of owners that do not worm their dogs on a regular basis. There are numerous types of medications available for worming dogs. You can always ask your vet for advice if you are bewildered by the vast array. The best option is to always choose a recognised and reputable brand.

Worming Medications
The 2 main kinds of dog worming medication are tablets and granules. The granules are especially beneficial if you cannot persuade your canine friend to take the tablets. They are designed to be simply sprinkled on top of your dog’s food. Granules generally come in 4.5gm sachets and this size will dose a dog up to 10 kg in body weight. The routine treatment for dog worms is every 3 months.

You can also use a worming paste if you prefer. The paste is orally administered through a syringe and each individual 5g syringe will treat a 9kg adult dog in a single dose. The treatment via the worming paste is also recommended every 3 months.

When it comes to the tablets you firstly need to select the appropriate tablet size for your particular breed of dog. There is a huge difference in size between a Chihuahua and a Saint Bernard after all!

There are worming tablets available that are specifically designed for the ‘giant’ breeds and are generally termed the ‘XL’ tablets standing for ‘extra large.’ This basically means that you can quite happily give your dog just 1 or 2 tablets instead of about 6 as it used to be!

The Drontal Plus range of dog worming tablets are one of the most recognised brands and 1 of these will efficiently dose a dog of 10kg.

Administering Worming Tablets

To give the worming tablet to your dog whole:

• Firstly place your dog in a sitting position.



• Gently tilt the dog’s head back so that they are looking upwards.



• Place one hand on your dog’s bottom jaw and the other hand over the top jaw and gently but firmly open your dog’s mouth.



• Then take the worming tablet and place it as far back into your dog’s mouth as you can and then close the jaws together.



• If your dog has a stubborn moment and does not swallow immediately then persuade him / her to do so by gently rubbing their throat, this action will encourage them to swallow.



• When you feel that your dog has swallowed the worming tablet open their mouth again and check to ensure that it has gone.



• Always reassure your dog throughout the whole process as not many dogs enjoy the experience. Then reward with a nice, tasty treat once they have taken the worming tablet.



• Alternatively, break the tablet up in your dog's food! (It's much easier!)

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