My calendar has just reminded me it's worming time again – I've used Drontal 'Tastybone' wormer the past few times but it always seems to upset my dog's stomach. Can anyone recommend alternative wormers which might be more gentle on her tummy?

Why not worm count  ( faecal test )and then u only need treat her if she has worms ? If u Google wormcount ,feclab or west labs they all  do it costs around £30 and can include lungworm if u wish . If she has worms depending on which it is panucure is probably the most gentle .I only worm if we have worms .u can wormcount as frequently as u like but it's recommed every three months.

I found that panache tended to upset my dogs stomach so switched to millbemax (spelling?) and that seems to do the job without any upsets

I would never use Milbemax as that is renowned to give dogs upset stomachs & made a bitch I bred owned by someone else, severely ill.
I have been using Drontal plus on my dogs for well over 10 years & never had upset stomachs.

It's important to remember that Milbemax should not be used on Collies.

Odd isn't it. Both Drontal and Panacur upset my dogs stomach but Milbamax didn't and this is the first dog that was upset by any wormer

Thanks for the replies. :)

I suppose it must depend on the individual dog's susceptibility. My Cavalier King Charles seems to have a particularly sensitive stomach -- I have to be careful about any chews or treats I give her.

As far as I know, she doesn't have worms, but she does come into contact with a lot of other dogs so I tend to worm her every three months as a precaution. I used Panacur granules on the breeder's recommendation when she was a puppy, so maybe I'll try the adult version this time. I can't actually remember why I switched from it. The Drontal doesn't give her any lasting side effects, just not very pleasant for her (or me!) to have to deal with the upset tummy.

Is there a 'calendar date' for worming?    Other than puppies who I wormed from 2 weeks of age and every 2 weeks to the time they went home, the ONLY time I worm is if I have reason to think my hounds HAVE worms and that's confirmed by taking a stool to my vet for a fecal, to include Giardia and other protozoa.   Otherwise I see absolutely no need to be putting chemicals into my hounds.

I'd prefer not to give my dog unnecessary chemicals too. But I was under the impression that adult dogs should be wormed every three months or so?

There's a lot of people in my area who don't pick up after their dogs (disgusting! ) and if they don't worm them either, I'd imagine the soil is going to be contaminated with eggs. Easy for a dog to ingest after running/digging then coming inside and licking paws.

Also, there are young children in the family and worms, if transmitted to humans, can cause blindness in children. Maybe I'm being overly cautious but I view regular worming as 'prevention better than cure'.

See my first post .why not wormcount ? The chemicals won't prevent only treat if present .if u do a wormcount u can find out if it's necessary to treat then everyone is safe

Well, the cost is a factor... £30 every few months as opposed to a worming tablet for £2.

Yes, I would like to use the worm count but having 5/6 dogs, the cost would be far more than worming tablets. I have cut it down from 4 times a year to 3 as I don't believe mine have worms...but don't know for sure.

You don't need to have a fecal done on all of them - if one has worms, so most likely, will the rest.

I usually worm adults every 4 months and use Milbemax too. Unless we feel we have a problem. Never had an upset tummy with it but it is not suitable for Collies. Its one of those things I do regularly just because of the risk to people and I like to know I am trying not to add to the problem. Worm counts are expensive and in effect only work for the moment they are done so if you only do them once every 3-4 months not only is it expensive but like a tablet will not cover the full timescale. I don't regularly inoculate after 1 year, we do puppy jabs, then boosters at 1 year then another at 4 years and that is all. With the exception of Rabies if we are planning a trip overseas. So I can live with that and feel I am putting the least possible drugs into them.

Facebook reply:

Marilyn Anne Evill says:  I always use Milbemax

Anyone with breeds that could carry the MDR1 gene should NOT use Milbemax unless they know their dogs do not carry the gene : ie are DNA tested normal or are normal by parentage. It's not worth the risk