Worming cats and dogs
Most of us would rather not think about the prospect of our pets contracting any “worms” during their lives. Sadly, it’s almost inevitable. As there are more parasitic species in the world than there are free-living ones, then it’s not going to be our cats and dogs that are free of any attack, nor us! For the most part though, heavy worm burdens of the type that are likely to endanger a pet are very rare events. That’s partly due to our own understanding of the problem, and partly to better and better products now available to get rid of them. As always, it’s the very young, and to a lesser extent the very old, that are most at risk.
So let’s start at the beginning. Kittens and puppies learn, just like us, by exploring and experimenting. For us (as children) that often involves sticking our fingers in things we ought not to. Hopefully, adults are around to make sure we don’t do this with those things that are likely to harm us. For kittens, and especially puppies, picking things up with their paws isn’t much of an option. But playing around with a new “thing” in their mouth is very easy. And invariably it will get swallowed. It seems, for a puppy at least, the smellier the “thing” is the better. And that’s where problems can start. These puppies and kittens have immature defenses which can easily be damaged, leaving a legacy of a delicate belly for the rest of their lives. It’s for this reason that routine worming is undertaken. But just how routine should this be?
Kitten and puppy Worming
The frequency of worming very much depends on lifestyle, which is why trying to give a hard and fast rule regarding its regularity is difficult. The major roundworm that is of concern from a human point of view is called Toxocara. Whilst this worm is very easy to get rid of with veterinary-supplied wormers, there is always a chance of early re-infection. The time from ingestion of a worm by a pet to that worm producing eggs is about 42 days. Monthly worming then seems the obvious advice. As a puppy and kitten grows though, their bodies become more robust to challenges and so are able to throw off the odd worm infection, just like we do. But they are always under attack, especially if they put themselves in “danger situations”. For growing kittens this danger may be their natural tendency to start hunting and for puppies it involves scavenging. Clearly, if a kitten isn’t getting access to the outside, or doesn’t have a hunting bone in its body, then the need to worm these kittens is minimal. For puppies though, most will scavenge given half a chance.
What about worming when they are adult?
A good general rule of thumb would be 3-4 times a year, or more often if the risk is felt to be greater. The key really is in knowing a dog or cats’ lifestyle and so determine the level of risk to them and us.
To help decide this risk let’s look at two scenarios: where there is a multi-cat household with cats that are impressive mousers, always bringing back bits of wildlife and where there are young children in the house - the risk assessment is high, and worming cats in this situation should really be undertaken monthly. In contrast to this, a cat that regards the great outdoors as sunbathing territory only, and the prospect of hunting is absolutely restricted to snarling at birds through the window – the risk assessment is low. Three to four times a year worming in this situation would almost seem excessive. Similarly with dogs, those that seem to have an unnerving ability to root out carrion that has been rotting in undergrowth for weeks are more likely to have a higher risk of picking up parasites compared to others that restrict their feeding habits to the inside of a bag of dog food or whatever treats they can coax from us.
Most of us live in scenarios that are somewhere between these two. How close we are to either end of the spectrum will determine which level of worming really needs to be done.
Thankfully worming has never been made easier for cats and dogs. For the intrepid amongst us there is still the tablet-type of wormer, which manufacturers are making more and more palatable. For more truculent pets there are a number of spot-on wormers that are applied to the back of the neck that also incorporate de-flea treatment, some also helping in controlling mite infections. All of these veterinary-supplied products provide high levels of control against the roundworm, Toxocara.
Dai Gittins MRCVS.
© copywrite
