Hi

I know that worming needs to be done at regular intervals once the puppies are 2 weeks plus. Some advise every 2 weeks from 2 weeks to 12 weeks, or at 3 and 7 and 12 weeks, or 3, 5 and 7 and 12 weeks, or 4 and 8 and 12 weeks.

My question is: because my puppies are a toy breed, which would be the best schedule to follow to avoid any problems/reactions? The advice is so conflicting that it's difficult to know which schedule to follow.

My puppies will be 3 weeks old tomorrow, but are still quite small (around 350g- 400g). I've already started to wean them slowly onto solids from day 18, one teaspoon Royal Canin Starter Mousse each per day, so far.

When mum was a puppy she reacted quite badly to worming, and I'm concerned about the same thing happening with her puppies, which is why I've waited to do the first dose until now. I've bought Panacur 10% liquid, and mum was wormed daily with this from day 40 of her pregnancy until day of whelp.

I was thinking of following the schedule that gives doses at 3, 7 and 12 weeks. Should I wait til week 4 when the puppies will be heavier? Is there a minimum weight below which you shouldn't worm?

Also, when do the puppies no longer require a heat source?...the room itself is heated 24/7 to a constant 22°C (which I could turn up to a constant 24°C 24/7, if it would mean turning off the heat lamp).

Atm, their whelping box is heated to 27°C and they have a shaded area which is slightly cooler (25/26°C)...they like to lay here too, although it was originally provided for mum.

Many thanks for reading this and any advice given.

Regards, Nik.

I've had much smaller pups and always 100% start worming at 14 days. Then at 5 weeks, again at 8 weeks, and again at 11 weeks.  You can't let them go until 12 weeks so it's no big deal. 

I have used Panacur 10% for donkeys years with no problems at all.  My bitches are wormed during pregnancy too.  Common sense tells you that your pups are already used to Panacur before they are born.  Mum is wormed along with pups once born, but she is dosed at the normal adult dose for one day only, not 3 days like her pups.

In all my years with Chihuahuas I have never had a problem using the above regime.  I did used to wonder at the dosing years ago, but I now accept that it's possible to have a dose as small as 0.02ml! 

As far as heat is concerned, at this time of year I have the heat pad going for 6 weeks solid minimum.  I do have one bitch that likes it on for as long as she can.  Even in summer!

I wormed my pups for the third time yesterday, they are 6 and 7 weeks old, and I must admit I was SOOOOO glad I use Drontal suspension and not Panacur -I would not fancy having to worm 3 days in a row. :) As I have two litters with exactly one week's age difference I decided to do everything together -worming and vaccination, rather than do the older pups first. Hence the youngest pups got their first worming dose at 2 weeks and the older at 3 weeks, and of course they are done every 2 weeks so will finish at 12 and 11 weeks, then those that go to new homes go at between 12 to 14 weeks, so all worming and both vaccinations will have been done then.

I now have my pups all together in a giant pen 2 metres x 1.5 metres and I have an extra large heating pad underneath the big vetbed on the floor and then I have a plastic bed with a vetbed inside and another heated pad under that vetbed, but obviously no heat pad underneath the newspapers which covers half the pen and I still leave the central heating on all night still. The pups choose where they want to sleep as they are old enough and at times will be away from the heat, at other times on it. My biggest pups currently weigh ALMOST 1 kg, the smallest 700 grammes. Not sure how that compares to your smaller breed.