Worm & Flea treatments, how often if at all?

[tobiano1984]

As a horse owner and with my own livery yard, we try to minimise wormers and worm count instead - usually only worming once a year for encysted worms. Which got me thinking - why is my dog's vet recommending that I cover my dog in chemicals once a month and worm it every 3 months? I can't remember the exact brand but the flea treatment also covers lots of parasites/worms, and then the pill just targets tapeworm I think.

What does everyone else do? Do you follow your vet's advice to the T? Or do your own thing? I'm not sure what the risks of not dosing your dog are. I'd quite like to leave it unless my dog either appears to have fleas or worms. As it is, she is itch free and the picture of shiny coated health.

It just seems like a lot of chemicals to be using so regularly!

 

[MotherOfChickens]

I treat for fleas when they have them. For worming, when they are over 6 months they get done once or twice a year. I buy stuff online from Hyperdrug-drontal and Advantage.

 

[paddy555]

- why is my dog's vet recommending that I cover my dog in chemicals once a month and worm it every 3 months?
It just seems like a lot of chemicals to be using so regularly!

sorry to appear cynical but your vet is in business to make a profit. You can worm count your dog and then worm if necessary. Not sure why you would want to kill non existent fleas.

I was recently in my vet's waiting room listening to the staff selling customers their monthly health plan over the phone for wormers and fleas etc. They never once considered if the animals actually needed worming or defleaing. It was just a case of signing the clients up to a direct debit.

 

[Equi]

Same as MOC really.

 

[Clodagh]

They get wormed with a 'proper' wormer from the vets twice a year, spring and autumn. That is it, although pup has had a pour on, and Pen had one last year. As the vet sold me packs of four they will probably last them their entire lives!"

 

[blackcob]

In fairness to the vet recommendations it's far, far easier to prevent fleas than it is to treat them once established and I've had many an ear bashing off folk who've applied a single flea treatment and are outraged that they are still seeing fleas (and will potentially do so for two or three months hence, even with perfect compliance). Multi cat households particularly can be a pain to get on top of.

I do resent flogging the health plans though. And it's definitely a case of do as I say and not as I do, I am not one to be worried about 'chemicals' but mine definitely aren't done monthly. I wonder about the hidden danger of lungworm which is my impetus to do the occasional treatment.

 

[AmyMay]

I worm twice a year and treat routinely for fleas over the summer especially (more to cover for ticks tbh). I don't want fleas - so don't wait for them to appear...

 

[TheresaW]

I’m a bit like Blackcob. We do tend to flea as and when, and we have a cat. Cat doesn’t go out much these days though as he’s getting on a bit.

We do worm regularly, but Luna had a bad habit of picking up snails when we first got her, so worried about lungworm.

 

[MotherOfChickens]

my cats aren't house cats as such, but they're done regularly and wormed frequently too-especially in the summer when hunting alot.

 

[{97702}]

I'm interested (and pleased!) that a lot of people tend to worm twice a year - that always used to be the vet recommendation, then suddenly it went to 4 times a year! I do mine when i remember - which usually works out as twice a year

I never treat them for fleas because they don't have them

 

[Equi]

In fairness to the vet recommendations it's far, far easier to prevent fleas than it is to treat them once established and I've had many an ear bashing off folk who've applied a single flea treatment and are outraged that they are still seeing fleas (and will potentially do so for two or three months hence, even with perfect compliance). Multi cat households particularly can be a pain to get on top of.

I do resent flogging the health plans though. And it's definitely a case of do as I say and not as I do, I am not one to be worried about 'chemicals' but mine definitely aren't done monthly. I wonder about the hidden danger of lungworm which is my impetus to do the occasional treatment.

But flea prevention is potentially not worth it. I have never had to flea a dog, and have never had fleas. I have flea prevented cats, and then still had to flea them. You dont know if flea prevention is actually working unless you have one dog with it and one without, then the one with it never ever gets the fleas the one with does.

Treat as you see i say. And as you cant physically see worms, i think treating them now and then is good cause too often and they build a resistance.

 

[Annette4]

Currently working both once a month (Dobby arrived with a rather worrying worm burnden so monthly until 6 months and doing madam to be safe) then they are done twice a year or so. Fleas I tend to do 2/3 times a year unless I find any on them (haven’t spotted any on Fizz since she was 8 months....at least you can see them on whippets ).

I am on the plan with our vets but either give he doses I don’t use to charity if they will take them or binning them when they’re out of date but spreading the cost of vaccinations and discounts on ops have been a god send in the past.

 

[PapaverFollis]

I worm when I remember. Probably twice a year... usually after the spaniel has eaten something disgusting. But I do flea treatments more regularly through summer because of the ticks. I really wouldn't want a flea infestation but I think we're low risk as have no cats and the dogs don't really interact with others. If it wasn't for the barsteward ticks I would definitely use less treatments.

 

[Aru]

Personally I'd check if your in a known lungworm area or not before deciding to cut down on worming(monthly in a lungworm area is the recommendation to kill larvae begore they can cause clinical signs) ...ticks similarily carry some nasties,lyme disease being the main ome in the uk, so Id be prioritising preventing them.
Fleas completely up to if you want to prevent or happy to treat house and animals if they are seen. Fleas carry tapeworm so if fleas are seen worm with a tapewormer as well.

 

[meleeka]

Mine are done monthly or thereabouts through the summer as they do pick up ticks otherwise. We are also in a high lungworm area. They get wormed twice a year from the vet.