Although many times there is a tendency to think that a puppy, as it is small, does not have to be dewormed, in reality, it is not like that. In fact, it is a stage in your life when there is a greater propensity to have internal parasites, such as worms, and external, such as fleas or ticks. And it is precisely that being so young can make them much more vulnerable. One reason why it is convenient to prevent the appearance of these parasites and why you always need to be aware of the puppy to, in this way, detect if it may be parasitized and proceed to eliminate them.
It is always important that you follow the vet’s guidance on When to start deworming a puppy and how to do it. From unCOMO, anyway, we are going to give you some guidelines.
When to deworm a puppy for the first time
The moment of start deworming the puppy It is important because, if a solution is not found, problems may occur in its development. In fact, it is essential to carry out this process for the benefit of their health, even if they are only a few days old because, on many occasions, they are usually born with them as they have been transmitted by the mother during pregnancy. In addition, there is a high risk that they will have parasites as soon as they are born, even if the dog has been dewormed, because they do not yet have their immune system developed and strengthened and, sometimes, breast milk does not offer enough protection if, for example, they live in a field area with many parasites.
However, keep in mind that the puppy must be of a minimum age to be dewormed. Normally, the usual thing is that the first time is done when you have already completed 21 days of life or the month.
From that age, it will be convenient for you to carry out this process periodically. Usually, the puppy is dewormed every 15 days until it reaches the age of 2 months. Then, the elimination of the parasites is more spaced in time, being carried out every 3 months until he is one year old.
After these first twelve months, the veterinarian will be in charge of marking the calendar to deworm the puppy throughout his life, for which he will take into account three main parameters: age, weight and diet. Likewise, you can take into account the area in which you live, since it may be an area with high activity of certain parasites and others not, or an area in which there are hardly any parasites in general. As a guide, we can say that the dog will be dewormed between one month and three months. Thus, the vet will establish how often you owe give your puppy antiparasitic pills preventively.
In the case of fleas, ticks, mites, etc., it is vital that you talk to your vet before acting, since they are very sensitive to the products that are usually used. As a preventive way, the specialist may not advise you deworm externally until you start internal deworming as well, or it may even make you wait a little longer. It is very important to use the specific products for puppies.
However, what to do if you see that you already have parasites? Next, we tell you what to do if your puppy has internal parasites and if it has external parasites.
How to eliminate internal parasites in puppy dogs
The first thing you should do to eliminate internal parasites in the puppy is to realize that the puppy has them. You will notice this because it has clear symptoms. Mainly, episodes of diarrhea occur, apart from perceiving that the puppy is looser and has less strength, feels itchy in the anal area and does not develop as it should. Also, depending on the progression of the problem, you may see the parasites directly in the stool.
Faced with any of these symptoms, it is important that go quickly to the vet so that he examines the puppy and prescribes the most appropriate treatment, because each puppy needs a different one depending on his age and size and the area in which he lives.
The most common treatment is syrupIf your puppy still doesn’t know how to chew well or swallow food or solid textures, he may not even have his teeth yet. To give it, you must always strictly follow the dose indicated by the veterinarian and the periodicity. If he is a little older and can swallow solid food and chew, your vet may prescribe pills to deworm puppies, They are like those of adults but the dose of product that is in each pill changes, so it is vital that you never give one for adults, because you would overdose it.
How to eliminate external parasites in puppy dogs
In addition to internal parasites, the puppy may also have external parasites. In this case, control is easier. Thus, you should check it frequently for the presence of fleas, ticks, etc.
If you discover that the puppy has external parasites, you will have to deworm it. The normal thing is that it is made from the 2 months. But, for this, it is not good that you use products that are used for adult dogs because they can harm the puppy, due to an overdose of the medicines that the antiparasitic carries, something that can be very dangerous. And is that the puppy has a greater sensitivity so you must be much more careful.
Before applying any treatment, it is recommended that consult with the vet to indicate the product that is most suitable for the puppy to remove parasites without causing any damage.
When the puppy meets the 3 months, it will be possible for you to start using antiparasitic collars and pipettes to protect you. In any case, this is also convenient for you to do under the supervision of the veterinarian because not all antiparasitics may be suitable for the puppy.
Thus, keep in mind that in case external parasites appear, depending on the age of the hairy it is better to do it manually and with natural remedies than not using chemical products. For example, in this other oneHOWTO article we tell you How to eliminate fleas in newborn puppies.
These are advice that we give you from a HOWTO on when to start deworming a puppy and how to do it, although we insist that you consult a veterinarian because the development and health of the puppy may be at stake.
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