One of the most crucial things when bringing a new dog home is paying attention to deworming, and the timing of deworming is crucial. Next, let’s talk about when to start deworming a new dog at home and the precautions for deworming.
First of all, it is essential to determine whether the dog has been vaccinated. For healthy dogs, it is possible to deworm and vaccinate simultaneously after evaluation by a veterinarian. However, if the dog is diagnosed with parasitic infection, thorough deworming should be done before vaccination. If the dog is sensitive, such as feeling panicked in a new environment, please wait until the dog is familiar with its living environment before deworming to reduce stress.
When deworming a healthy newly arrived dog, it is necessary to strictly follow the instructions for deworming medication and choose the appropriate dosage based on the dog’s age and weight to avoid toxicity.
There are three common deworming methods: internal deworming, external deworming, and combined internal and external deworming.
Purely internal or external deworming covers fewer parasites than combined internal and external deworming, making it less convenient for novice owners or busy caregivers. To thoroughly deworm, it may be necessary to administer different medications multiple times, which can burden the dog’s body. Combined internal and external deworming is relatively more convenient and straightforward.
Each deworming medication has different coverage, spectrum, and ingredients. For caregivers, choosing a deworming medication should focus on its spectrum coverage and palatability for the fur babies.
Common internal parasites include roundworms, hookworms, tapeworms, and heartworms. Common external parasites include ticks and fleas.
Novice caregivers should pay attention to some behaviors of puppies to determine whether deworming is needed. For example, if you find green bean-sized worms when combing the dog’s fur, it may be ticks (also known as blood-sucking insects). Another example is observing white granules (possibly tapeworm segments) or thread-like objects (possibly roundworms) in the dog’s feces.
Novice caregivers may lack experience, so it is essential to choose a more convenient method: choose deworming medications with broad-spectrum coverage when deworming regularly. Choose medications that cover internal and external common parasites, preventing heartworms internally and killing fleas and ticks externally. If the dog often goes outside and doesn’t mind swallowing pills, letting the dog freely roam in the grass and small pools of water can be beneficial.
Just like humans, many puppies or even adult dogs don’t like taking medication, which poses a challenge for both the dogs and caregivers. Some deworming tablets are large and difficult to swallow, while others taste bitter due to the medication’s ingredients. Therefore, when choosing a product, it is also essential to consider palatability. Deworming medications with good palatability can increase the dog’s willingness to take the medication, reduce the caregiver’s burden of administering medication, and eliminate worries about bathing. It is also essential to choose products from stable manufacturers. Having the backing of reputable companies allows caregivers to feel more confident about giving their fur babies medication.
Quick tips:
Here’s another emphasis on the importance of deworming.
If external deworming is used, it is best not to bathe the dog immediately afterward. External canine deworming medications for dogs are absorbed through the skin glands, and short intervals may result in insufficient deworming effects. Also, it is not advisable to bathe the dog in the three days before using external deworming medication to ensure that the dog’s skin has enough oil to absorb the medication properly, achieving the desired deworming effect. After deworming, the dog also needs to wear a collar to prevent licking the medication.
For internal deworming, it should be noted that some dog deworming medications may cause gastrointestinal reactions, leading to vomiting in dogs. If the medication is vomited, it needs to be administered again.
In conclusion, for the sake of convenience, efficiency, and broader deworming, the combined internal and external deworming method will be relatively easier to control. It not only achieves the purpose of deworming but also does not affect the dog’s happiness and playfulness. While ensuring the dog’s health, it also brings convenience to caregivers.