What Should I Expect After Deworming My Dog?

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No one likes worms and parasites, but they are an unfortunate part of life, especially for dogs who may pick them up while exploring the outdoors. Unfortunately, there may be a few unpleasant side effects of deworming a dog after you administer the medication your veterinarian recommends, but most will be mild and should pass within a few days.

Worms are common and can cause a variety of medical issues for your dog, but they don't have to put a damper on your dog's health because deworming medications get rid of them pretty easily. Special care should be taken if you see worms in puppy poop because their bodies are so much smaller and more sensitive than an adult dog's. Still, after treatment your pup should be feeling as good as new. If the temporary symptoms don't pass or seem to get worse, you may need to seek veterinary care.

If your veterinarian suspects that your dog has worms, she may prescribe medication to get rid of them. You may also see worms in puppy poop or adult dog poop that may indicate a worm infestation, warns Banfield Pet Hospital. Your vet can diagnose the worms by examining your dog's poop under a microscope if she suspects that he has intestinal worms. She might also give her a blood test if he thinks he has heartworms, which are treated with drugs like ivermectin.

Deworming medications are typically administered by mouth and kill off or impair a wide variety of intestinal worms like tapeworms, hookworms, roundworms, and whipworms without harming your dog. There are many different types and brands of dewormers on the market. Your veterinarian will determine and the best dewormer given the parasite being dealt with and a variety of other things such as the age, size, and current health of your pet. Names for dewormer medications include piperazine, fenbendazole, and praziquantel, according to Revival Animal Health.

Once the worms in your dog's body are dead or unable to function, your dog's digestive system naturally excretes them. The deworming process may have to be repeated, though, to kill off both the adult worms and the eggs that remain. After you give your dog a deworming medication, you might notice either whole worms or parts of worms in your adult dog's poop or worms in your puppy poop. These worms are one of the completely normal, although a bit unpleasant, side effects of deworming a dog, according to Drugs.com.

It is also normal if your dog or puppy is pooping a lot after deworming. A possible side effect of deworming a dog is diarrhea, according to Vet Info. It is not uncommon for a dog to try to spit out a dewormer pill or even throw up afterwards. Tablets may be difficult for puppies to swallow, so some medication is available as a liquid.

Side effects of medications such as pyrantel pamoate, which is used to treat roundworm, hookworm, and stomach worm parasites in dogs, may include nausea, vomiting, lack of appetite, and diarrhea. The nausea and stomach issues can be helped by giving the dose with food. These effects are usually short-lived.

If you follow your veterinarian's directions when giving your dog his medication, he should be fine and not experience any dewormer overdose symptoms. Unfortunately, it is possible for a dog to overdose on deworming medication if he's given a dose that's too large for his size. Also, if your dog is genetically predisposed to being sensitive to ivermectin, a common drug used to treat both intestinal parasites and heartworms, he could experience potentially life-threatening dewormer overdose symptoms.

Call your veterinarian if the side effects persist for more than 24 hours or you are seeing signs that your dog may have dewormer overdose symptoms. the proper treatment depends on the type of parasite, the size and age of your dog, and how much of the medication was taken.

Part of your puppy's routine care usually involves giving her deworming medication during her first few weeks of life. That's because puppies can become infected with these worms while still in the womb or by nursing from their mother if she is infected. When deworming puppies, what to expect shouldn't be scary provided they are being treated under a veterinarian's expert care.

Your vet may recommend deworming medication at four to six weeks of age and every few weeks until they are around four months old, again at six months, and again when they turn one. This allows the puppies to grow and develop normally without the parasite affecting their health and nutrition.

When you contact the veterinarian, you can ask them if you can buy over-the-counter products to treat your puppy or adult dog's worms. Then, you may be able to treat your dog in the comfort of your own home. Once you've gotten your veterinarian's permission, you can look into Safe Guard, which can treat tapeworms, roundworms, hookworms, and whipworms. You mix the granules into food and then administer it for three consecutive days. It's effective for six months.

Another option is Sentry, which treats tapeworms, roundworms, and hookworms and comes in a chewable tablet. PetArmor 7 Way De-Wormer is for small dogs and puppies that weigh 6 to 25 pounds and treats tapeworms, hookworms, and roundworms. The medicine is chewable and safe for puppies 12 weeks and older.

If your dog doesn't like the taste of the chewable medicine or the kind you mix into food, then you could try a liquid dewormer instead. The Durvet 2x Liquid Wormer is for puppies and dogs and removes large hookworms and roundworms in dogs.