Animal worming

[little_miss]

I have two cats and a dog and i was wondering if anyone knows when they should be wormed? I always understood that is the cats were hunters they should eb done every 3-4 months if not then 6 months and i thought the dog was every six months? I was talking to my friends about it and they got me all confused!

[mrs.pudding]

I do the cats every 3 months or so and usually do the dogs at the same time - they have been known to finish off the remains of mice etc. that the cats kill!  Don't think it does the animals any harm and is marvellous for my peace of mind!

[saffstar]

When you worm them, all that happens is that the worms that are alive and kicking at that point die - the eggs are unaffected and so an animal can become reinfected quite quickly.  Also, fleas carry worm eggs, or larva, (unsure of the finer points, sorry!) and when they bite, they infect the animal too.  So, although there is a recommended period between doses, an animal may need to be wormed more often.  We've had terrible trouble with ours and they had to be done every three weeks for a short time (all better now though!).  My vet assures me that this isn't harmful, although it's not a bad idea to get your own vet's advice, if ever you are in this situation.  I have mentioned about vet vs supermarket wormers on another post - our sensitive cat had a nasty reaction to some supermarket brand tablets, apparently this is quite common and was due to the preservatives contained in these types of tablets, that are not contained in vet-sold tablets.  I'd always go for vet-bought ones (and they seem to have a better effect too).

[mrs.pudding]

Vet ones definitely better - their effects seem to last longer as well!