What is the general consensus about the frequency worming should be done? I always thought it was 3 monthly but I recently saw on the RSPCA website that it should be done monthly. I am a little paranoid about worms given that on day 2 of having my westie (now 3 years old) I walked into his room and there was a nice big pile of worms on the floor awaiting me (despite the breeder saying that he had just been wormed).

I personally prefer to worm naturally and give my girl garlic on an almost daily basis - does the trick with no nasty side-effects:-)

I have heard of garlic as opposed to chemicals. So do you give your dog garlic syrip or crushed tablets? I might give it a go because I am concerned about all the tablets my vet seems willing to prescribe. My westie has been prescribed Stronghold on a monthly basis - the frequency which worries me terribly given that you should not dispose of the empty product yourself rather return it to the vet! I will have a go at the garlic - thanks for inspiring me to go ahead with garlic!!!

hi

I'd be interested in finding more about this way of worming.

Alix

Hi, maybe I'm having a senior moment here (all too common these days! :) ) but surely Stronghold is for fleas? I worm adults 6 monthly. There is no evidence that garlic does anything to prevent worms.

sorry I didnt mean Stronghold for worms - yes it is for fleas - I am just concerned about giving my dogs Stronghold AND worming tablets monthly - it seems alot of chemicals once monthly

Hi Gillie,

Years ago before tabs such as Drontal were so easily available and my dogs were regularly mixing with kids I used to worm every 4 months then later switched that to once yearly with Drontal Plus and 6 months later with a milder product (can't remember the name :rolleyes: but large plain white tabs which were given 1 per 10lbs bodyweight)

I now use Drontal Plus at end of year and Panacure Granules in summer - simply because these are my two preferred times to remember to worm ;)   I certainly would NOT chuck chemicals down them at what seems to be increasingly regular timescales if we were to believe all the advertising bumff that goes with some of these products :(  

HTH,
Regards, Teri :)

I worm mine every three months with Drontal Plus because they eat all sorts of horrid things when they're out (rabbit poo is particularly popular) that they're at high risk of picking up tapeworm.

thanks to everyone for your interesting & informative replies. Mack is always on his lead (I am too worried that he will not come back to me!!!) so I know what he does and doesnt eat from the ground, which is nothing, ever. Just to let you all know I have emailed the RSPCA and asked them, upon what basis they consider that worming should be undertaken once a month. When I get a reply I will let you all know! Its really good to hear other people's opinions about their dogs and how to look after them.

Gillie,

I worm my dogs if I see worms in their poo, which I pick up and check, several times a day, plus I look for other signs. Those chemical wormers only kill worms in the dogs body, they do not prevent them. So in effect, you could worm your dog, the next day he could come in to contact with them and be reinfected. I do not like using harsh chemicals unnecessarily. I do use a homeopathic wormer which does act as a preventative and is given monthly. My eldest dog is 10 and a half and he has never had worms, nor have any of the others. If I had wormed him every 3 months, just think of the chemicals he would have ingested over the years, and for no reason.

Just my opinion............HTH

Claire 

That sounds very interesting, Claire - how does the wormer act as a preventative? I mean, surely if a dog swallows worm eggs it's going to get reinfected unless its system is permanently awash with worm-killer?

It is supposed to stay in the dogs system for up to a month. Whether it does or not I don't know, but my dogs never have worms and it does them no harm, so I'm sticking with it! Considering they do agility at a stables and eat horse poo twice a week, I think that's good going. :-)

I also worm my dogs with H/pathic/ herbal wormer. I have been using it for several months, considering we live on a farm, with livestock, including Horses, it has done its job so far ;)

The way I understand it, the wormer that I put into my dogs once a month, creates a hostile atmosphere for the eggs and if they hatch, it makes them less likely to survive in their environment. :)

If I suspect that they may have worm eggs, I dose them once a day for 5 days and this has the desired effect.

I have always hated ripping my dogs stomachs apart with chemical wormers in the past, especially when the vet says "worm" without good reason. I wouldn't take a preventative medicine without suffering/displaying symptoms, why should I worm my dogs when they don't have worms? :)

everyone's opinion is very important! Claire - can I ask which homeopathic treatment do you use?

Hi Gillie,

How do I use Garlic?  my first dog got a capsule daily for a few weeks, then a break for a week or so, then back on caps.

This girl gets fresh garlic in her food most days ( I feed her real food, so it just goes in the processor with the rest)  Every few weeks I give her a break for a week or so.

In 16 years I've never seen a worm in either dog, and yes, I do check every poo:-)

Garlic also sees off fleas etc too!  My girls have never had them either!

The homeopathic wormer comes from Phytovet on 0800-0744302 or www.doghealth.co.uk

I don't worm as a prevenative either, and have never experienced any kind of worm in my dogs 'productions'......
Incidentally, the fact that your pup produced such a load of worms within 2 days of being wormed shows that the wormer was working.....

Ground pumpkin seeds are supposed to expel worms in the stomach.
MSM is also good,it lines the stomach making it hard for parasites to take hold,it is also great for skin and coat and joint health,it is a great anti-inflammatory  and treats and prevents Giardia :)

Thanks again to everyone. It is so nice to know that manufactured wormers are not the only solution! Rose-I use MSM (along with vitamin C) to try to prevent Mack's skin problems (he is your typical westie with itchy skin). Its nice to know that the MSM could also be preventing parasites.

Hi Gillie,how is the msm working for macks skin problems,does it actually work?.I've only just started supplementing one of my allergic dogs with it. It's too early to tell if it's working or not.

I've tried googling,but come up with mostly arthrtitis sites,do you know of any msm sites that cover skin probs?

Hi Rose - I read about using MSM (1000mg plus 500mg Vitamin C daily) from an american website - something called westie hints and tips. Will try and remember the site for you. It didnt really tell you why it worked just that it did. Mack has been on MSM and Vit C for over 1 year now, and touch wood he hasnt gone back to having swollen pads. Mack had been to vets all over the North of England, having tests here there and everywhere, and then all they did was gave him tablets. I did not like the idea of him being on tablets for the rest of his life when the vet didnt even say what his problem was and why he was on the tablets. Give the MSM a go as I havent a bad word to say about it. You cna get the MSM from Holland & Barrett or any online pharmacy. It is ALOT cheaper than veterinary bills and you feel that you are not pumping your dog with chemicals either

do you think that is the case? i.e. the worms were a sign that the wormer was working! I am glad to hear that because the breeder sold us a fantastic dog and for the last 3 years I have been disappointed thinking that he said he had wormed my dog when I thought in fact he hadnt. By the way all the worms were alive (wriggling on my kitchen floor) not a nice sight first thing in the morning. I have to say that Mack's tiny face was so pitiful as I really think he thought he had done something wrong, when clearly he hadnt.

Gross, wiggling worms   Yes it is a sign that the wormer worked,it expelled the worms didnt it ;) I thought they were supposed to come out dead tho??? Perhaps he was overburdened with them??

yes it wasnt nice - never have been able to eat spaghetti again! (really)

Gillie i know the westie website your talking about,i was looking at it yesterday :)

I worm about every 4 months (give or take), but having read this thread, I'm not sure why I bother.  Although I live on a farm with ample rabbits, I have never found any sign of worms in their poo, before or after worming.

Is it obvious from their poo if they have, say, a tapeworm prior to worming (I assume it would be pretty obvious afterwards!)?

With tapeworm you occasionally see what looks like grains of rice either in the poo or stuck to the hair around the dog's bottom - but I only discovered one of mine had a tapeworm when he was faced away from me and I saw a worm segment wriggling by his bum! (The shed segments, full of eggs, are mobile at that stage.) There was no sign of anything in his poo at all.

Hi
Just because you can't see worms in your dog's faeces, doesn't mean to say that he is parasite free.  To be sure, you need to take a faecal sample to your vet to get tested;  then when you know what TYPE of worms your dog has (if any!) you can use an appropriate wormer......not all wormers kill all parasites!!  This way you only worm when necessary and not with any unnecessary chemicals.  I find my dog needs worming very infrequently, despite being on a farm every day with cattle, horses, rabbits, geese and god knows what else!

Wouldnt a dog have to be heavily overburdened with worms to see them on the outside,around the bum or come out in the poop and especially the vomit ?

Further to the 'Stronghold for fleas only element' in an earlier post, just to advise that it is actually a wormer aswell. I have used Stronghold on my cats for a while now, and have just started to use it on my little boy! So much easier than trying to get pills down his throat..... not easy when you live by yourself!!!!

I don't think that Stronghold kills tapeworm. I never find a problem giving my dogs pills - I put them in the middle of a small bit of blue cheese - it never fails :)

Daisy

I have been using Natural wormer for years and its a safe and kind way to treat your animal.

If you need any information on where to get Natural Wormer then contact me and I will forward the site address.

I have used this practice for years.

They did have a site called WYKKEN but it closed they have an agent who has set up an ebay shop and a website.

You can access these at Folklore.Directory4Shopping.co.uk or the ebay shop at http://stores.ebay.co.uk/Folklore-Products.

I have noticed over the years that companys if you look seem to be returning to including Natural ingredients in there products.

...............WHY.............. well must tell you something.