【How to keep worms at bay with your four-legged friend

When Does your dog need a worm treatment?

No matter how your four-legged friend travels: Practically every dog ​​has to deal with worms at some point in their life. So this is normal, but still not natural – Parasites can cause a lot of damage are often highly contagious and can even be fatal for some four-legged friends.

The times, to which the dog should or even has to be dewormed depends largely on the requirements of the four-legged friend. Play while doing it

• health
• Activity profile and
• Old

the dog's crucial roles.

1. Animal has visible worm infestation

In any case, action must be taken if the dog is already noticeably infested with worms. When symptoms occur, the Infection is already well advanced and would otherwise get worse and worse.

It no longer matters whether the animal receives worm treatments at regular intervals: If the four-legged friend shows signs, you should not wait until it would normally be his turn again: The dog then needs an antiparasitic medication immediately!

2. Deworming Puppies absolute duty

Puppies are very susceptible to worm diseases: Often they can't do anything about it; the parasites are already transmitted through the placenta or breast milk. The mother animal is then usually asymptomatically affected.

A mild infestation often has very little impact on adult dogs. However, things are different with baby dogs: If left untreated, worm infections are often fatal or cause damage from which the animal then has to suffer for the rest of its life.

In the first few weeks of life, a dog really needs to be dewormed regularly and completely. In order not to make a mistake, it is advisable to do this from vet to be carried out. That too mother animal should be kept in mind during the pregnancy phase in order to prevent later damage.

3. Four-legged friends belong to one “Risk group” to

You also have to exercise great caution if your dog has a so-called “Risk group” heard. This particularly affects animals that spend a lot of time out and about unsupervised: they become infected much more often and faster than dogs that are at home a lot and are otherwise mainly kept on a leash.

This lifestyle is very good for many four-legged friends; there are many free-roaming opportunities, especially in rural areas and residential areas with lots of greenery. However, it is actually mandatory, not only in the case of an acute infestation, but also deworm prophylactically.

4. Vacation returnees & adopted four-legged friends

Caution is also advised when you are with the dog Vacation were. Especially in warmer areas, e.g Southern Europe, There are some parasites that are almost unknown in our latitudes. Since the four-legged friends' bodies hardly or not at all know them, they often spread quickly.

Experts therefore often recommend carrying out a prophylactic worm treatment after returning from your trip. This also applies to adopted street dogs. Despite deworming before departure, they sometimes arrive infected – so for safety reasons you should have them treated again.

5. Flea infestation as a risk factor

Your dog has fleas? Then you are not alone, because the pests often attack four-legged friends despite all the precautionary measures. If you are taking action against these parasites, you should not only administer an anti-flea medication, but also deworm as a precaution.

This is because fleas are not only parasites themselves, but also… also hosts of other parasites are. They often carry tapeworm larvae, which can then infect the dog.

6. BARF Nutrition

More and more dog owners are saying goodbye to industrially produced ready-made food and switching their dogs to a BARF diet. Above all, this means that the four-legged friends have a lot raw meat and also get vegetables.

Experts argue about the meaning and purpose of barfing. In general, however, there is consensus that – provided a well-thought-out menu is followed – it is certainly possible to feed your dog a wholesome diet in this way.

However, raw meat is always a risk factor: If left unheated, there is always a risk that worms and other microorganisms can infect the dog. Some pests are surprisingly stubborn and can even survive temperatures well below freezing.

How often should dogs be dewormed?

Experts agree that regular dewormings represents the best protection against health damage caused by parasites.

One Worm prevention prevents parasites already in the body from spreading excessively. How often this should be done depends primarily on how likely it is that the four-legged friend will become infected with parasites.

Some four-legged friends only need a remedy every now and then to keep the basic risk low. Other dogs, on the other hand, need to be treated for worms much more often.

Deworming cycle different risk groups

The expert association ESCCAP, which is dedicated to combating parasites, divides dogs into the following, for example risk groups a:

• dogs of the “Risk group A” only have supervised free exercise and should once or twice a year against roundworms and tapeworms be treated.
• Animals that the “Risk group B” belong to, also have regular contact with conspecifics, ESCCAP then recommends, four times a year against roundworms and tapeworms to proceed.
• The «Risk group C” includes, among other things, dogs that don't have that much to do with other dogs, but occasionally go hunting or eat prey. Then the dog should twelve times a year – i.e. monthly – against tapeworms and four times a year against tapeworms and roundworms be treated.
• four-legged friend “Risk group D” They also have unsupervised free exercise and are therefore always at great risk of worm infestation. You should, according to experts twelve times a year against tapeworms and roundworms be dewormed.