Ask the Vet About Worms in Dogs and Cats

Answer:Yes, there are many over-the-counter options for treatment. I like Safe Guard (mainly beause it is broad spectrum and covers other intestinal parasites that are hard to see on fecals but pretty common - whipworms and Giardia but also very strong against hook worms and roundworms). Repeat the 3 days packets in 3 weeks to get the entire life cycle of the hook worm. If your dogs take Heartgard every month, they should be protected BUT it doesn't hurt to deworm them as well with a product like Safe Guard. Here is a link if you would like to read about it: https://www.1800petmeds.com/Safe+Guard+Canine+Dewormer-prod12324.html

Answer:No, not really - if you give it monthly and have your veterinarian do a fecal once a year to screen for intestinal parasites that it doesn't cover.

Answer:Check the exact concentration of your Nemex, but like for this one (https://www.1800petmeds.com/Nemex+2+Dewormer+for+Dogs-prod12389.html) a 10 pound dog would get 5ml, so a 2 pound dog would get 1 ml, 1 pound dog would get 0.5ml, etc. So since there are 16 ounces in 1 pound, a 4.8 oz puppy would get ~0.2ml. Repeat at 2 week intervals.

Answer:Drontal is the best over-the-counter dewormer for cats. Here is a link of you would like to read about it: https://www.1800petmeds.com/Drontal+for+Cats-prod10073.html

Answer:Drontal is not liquid, nor is it approved for use in a 3.5 week old puppy. They also don't need the praziquantel active ingredient at that age. Look for a product that only contains the active ingredient "pyrantel pamoate" - that is what puppies that age need.

Answer:Good, broad spectrum dewormers for cats are hard to find over-the-counter but here is a good one: https://www.1800petmeds.com/Drontal+for+Cats-prod10073.html Then a good probiotic for cats is this one: https://www.1800petmeds.com/Proviable-prod12083.html

Answer:Yes, it is fine to treat empirically (both of them) for worms. Use a broad spectrum dewormer like this one: https://www.1800petmeds.com/Drontal+for+Cats-prod10073.html

Answer:It entirely depends on the active ingredient and the concentration of that ingredient. (Feel free to resubmit another question with the active ingredient & concentration.)

Answer:I am solely a small animal (just dogs and cats) veterinarian so contact a veterinarian that specializes in exotics for help with your guinea pig. You can often find them at your local veterinary school or on websites like Justanswer.com.

Answer:No - that's a weird ratio for cats and kittens especially - you would have to give such a tiny dosage because of the praziquantel that the kitten wouldn't get enough of the pyrantel which is the ingredient that it needs the most at that age so use a dewormer formulated for cats, like this one: https://www.1800petmeds.com/Drontal+for+Cats-prod10073.html

Answer:The only 2 types of worms that are visible in their stool are round worms and tape worms. Round worms look like long white spaghetti and tape worms like like short, flat, white rice. Most routine over-the-counter dewormers only get round worms but some get both, like this product, (repeat the deworming in 3 weeks): https://www.1800petmeds.com/Safe+Guard+Canine+Dewormer-prod12324.html All heartworm preventatives require a prescription - the cheapest ones are the Heartgard generics like this one: https://www.1800petmeds.com/Tri+Heart+Plus+++Generic+to+Heartgard+Plus-prod10413.html

Answer:I can't tell why you are deworming them: are you looking for a monthly heartworm preventative, are you seeing worms in their stool, are you just looking to deworm them preventatively, or something else? Feel free to submit another question.

Answer:Yes - you can crush this one and mix into canned food. It is a good, broad spectrum one that gets hookworms, roundworms and tapeworms: https://www.1800petmeds.com/Drontal+for+Cats-prod10073.html

Answer:If you are seeing worms in your cat's stool, you can use over-the-counter medication. The only 2 types of worms that are visible in their stool are round worms and tape worms. Round worms look like long white spaghetti and tape worms like like short, flat, white rice. Most routine over-the-counter dewormers only get round worms but some get both, like this product, (repeat the deworming in 3 weeks): https://www.1800petmeds.com/Drontal+for+Cats-prod10073.html

Answer:No - be sure to use a product formulated specifically for cats. Here is a good, broad spectrum dewormer: https://www.1800petmeds.com/Drontal+for+Cats-prod10073.html