Hi all,

I'm new to this forum and have bred my bitch after I did a lot of research into breeding and finding the right stud. All health checks/ test have been carried out.

My pregnant girl is currently on day 44 of her pregnancy and as advised by my vet I started worming her with Panacur on day 40. Unfortunately, as a result of the Panacur she got terrible runny poos (I'm talking very runny, like water) and after discussing this with my vet it was decided to stop worming with the Panacur. He advised to worm her instead with another wormer (Drontal) 1 week before the due date. (edited to add) She was wormed before she was mated with Drontal, which is the usual wormer that I use.

I was just wondering if anyone out there has any experience of worming with a different wormer to Panacur during pregnancy? I know that Panacur is the only wormer licenced for use during pregnancy for the mum. The vet suggested using Drontal, but as far as I can see Drontal is not licenced for use in pregnancy or when lactating. So my question is has anyone used this and did they have any side effects from using the Drontal, or is there another wormer that is safe to use during pregnancy that I haven't found yet?

Regards

Tasja

There is another current thread on the very subject. I never use Panacur, always Drontal, and I never worm during pregnancy. I worm the bitch before mating and when the pups get their last worming. Have heard of too many problems with Panacur and really don't like having to use it for so long, plus either granules or liquid is very fiddly for adult dogs. Drontal suspension is fiddly for pups as well (you end up getting covered in pink gunk LOL) but at least it is just ONE single dose every 2 weeks, not one dose for 3 days in a row. :)

Thanks for your reply Marianne. 

How long before mating do you normally worm the bitch? My bitch was wormed 3 weeks before the mating.

I was planning on using the Drontal suspension for the pups. I'm sure pink gunk will be very fetching :o) 

regards

tasja

I use Panacur in pregnancy (it is also my usual wormer) but if it didn't agree with her I would wait until after the pups were born before worming her again, as I like you worm before mating.

Can I ask did you give the correct dose (0.25ml per kg of bodyweight, and not the usual 1ml per kg).

A friend spoke directly with Drontal and their advice is to worm on day 53, get her weighed so you can give an accurate dosage, including whelps. 

Again what would be the purpose of worming with drontal in pregnancy if the bitch has already been wormed before mating, as it does not act on larval stages that are being passed to pups?

Surely it is better not to use any wormer in pregnancy if it is not to be effective in this purpose, assuming bitches worming was up to date.

Yes, I did give the correct dose and made sure I gave it on a full tummy.

Like any drug that we or our dogs take there are going to be occasional side effects and we must take note and act accordingly.

We must also not get hung up on brand names but be aware of the chemical composition of different products.

It would appear that your bitch is sensitive to Fenbendazole, so would take care with anything that contains this in future.

In your position I would not sue anything else during her pregnancy, but worm the pups and then her once they are weaned.

Do not use Panacur on the pups while she is feeding and cleaning them either, but a suitable alternative like Drontal puppy etc.

Thanks Barbara, I think you are right, as my bitch was wormed before she was mated and her worming is up to date I will wait and not worm her in pregnancy. I will then worm the pups with Drontal puppy and go from there.