A good question we always see asked is whether you can worm nursing dogs and is it safe for both her to be wormed as well as puppies during puppy care.
It’s a valid question and you wouldn’t want to risk other health problems for either the treated bitch or the puppies. But you also don’t want intestinal parasites for your pups.
The answer is yes, you can deworm a nursing dog without affecting most puppies or the mother’s milk. Vets recommend worming a nursing dog because roundworms are often found in them. Though we strongly recommend speaking to them before your first dose is given.
In this article, we’ll be explaining worming nursing bitches in more detail, their puppies, and the right deworming doses for them.
Keep on reading to understand all there is to know in more detail.
Can You Give Dewormer to A Dog That’s Nursing Puppies?
The answer is yes. Essentially, all adult female dogs are infected with the roundworm larvae that can hide and remain dormant inside the bitches body.
The worms become active right from pregnancy and can pass over to the puppies during breastfeeding.
As mentioned above, make sure they are dewormed before and after giving birth; it is advisable to deworm the mother dog every day from day 40 of pregnancy till 2 days after giving birth.
There are veterinarian-approved dewormers that are perfectly safe to use in nursing dogs.
Why is Worming a Nursing Dog Important?
All dog owners want their nursing dogs to be in good health condition; that’s why it is crucial to take the deworming steps in keeping them healthy.
First off, it is important to note that your nursing dog having worms is natural.
However, not paying attention to it can cause fatal health challenges in your nursing dogs or even death.
One of its major importance is that early treatment can save the nursing dog’s life and that of everyone around it.
If left untreated, it can be harmful to human beings, especially babies.
Leaving the worms to remain and multiply in there will rain terror; so you see, deworming your nursing dogs right on schedule can save everyone’s life.
Why Is Worming Important for Puppies?
You can identify the presence of worms in a puppy’s feces; roundworms are long and white and can spread from the mother to puppies even before they are born.
So if you don’t deworm them early they might be housing a belly full of roundworms.
Occasionally, puppies that are not dewormed early enough may vomit these worms up and show other signs of illness like getting thin, and developing a pot belly.
Roundworms can also spread to humans and cause a disease called toxocariasis.
Giving them their medication will benefit everyone especially children who love to play with puppies, or play around where the puppies may have been and without washing their hands, go ahead to put their hands inside their mouths.
Worming Protocol for Newborn Puppies and Their Mothers
Step1: Consult A Veterinarian
Take the new puppies and their mother to a veterinarian for an all-around checkup. The veterinarian will inspect them and also inform you if they have any health challenges.
Step 2: Bring Both The New Puppies Stool And Their Mothers Stool To The Vet.
Since the veterinarian cannot force them to stool instantly, it is advisable to carry some with you.
Most times, you can’t see the worms with your eyes because they can appear to be hair-like, segmented, or spaghetti-like(depending on the worm species).
The vet will use his or her microscope to check if there are worms present, and the species of worms present.
Once they identify worms on the stools, they may commence deworming treatment immediately.
Step 3: Purchase Good Deworming Medication.
Instead of dashing off to a pet store, ask the vet if they recommend any good deworming tablets; many vet offices sell them.
Deworming medications are also sold in most home supply stores and all pet shops.
You can use Panacur or Drontal but take the professional recommendation for your pets.
This medication comes in chewable & liquid forms.
Note:
1. The vet might ask you to bring them in for a prescription.
2. Majority of the over-the-counter deworming drugs treat different kinds of worms(gut worms, roundworms, hooker worms, and tapeworms.
It is important to ask your vet which type of medication your new puppies and their mother need.
Ensure you check the label on the medication to see if it’s appropriate for new puppies to take.
Step 4: Check The Weight Of The New Puppies And Their Mothers Before Administering Any Medication.
Weighing them will help the vet to determine the dosage chart on the medication.
Since the new puppies are still growing and are only a few weeks of age, they should not receive a big dosage.
Step 5: Use a syringe With The Right Quantity Of Prescribed Medication.
If the vet is not an option, you can use your syringe. All you have to do is fill the vial with the liquid medication prescribed by a professional vet.
Ensure you ask the vet if the medication should be given to them on an empty or full stomach.
Step 6: Get The New Puppies Attention: Getting their attention can be challenging at times since they are easily distractable.
Wave your fingers or a toy in front of them, or even a treat held in front of its nose to keep them focused.
Another easy way to do this is by sitting them on your lap; by doing this, you’d be able to steady them with one arm while using the other free hand to put the medication in their mouth.
Step 7: Take Them To Visit The Vet On Their Scheduled Date.
Deworming works effectively if given several times without stopping.
Make sure they don’t miss their appointments with the vet.
Step 8: After Completing the dosage, bring a final stool sample to your vet.
Take them to the vet for examination, so that the vet will confirm if the new puppies and their mother are free of worms.
How Do You Deworm a Nursing Puppy?
Once you’ve been sent home with an approved protocol for your new pet puppies, you can take over the process yourself.
Although worms are nasty and gross, they are fairly easy to treat.
Give your puppy a worming medication like Milbemax, Panacur or Drontal .
Milbermax is a tablet that is small, easy, and ideal to give to nursing puppies that are from 2 weeks of age until 12 weeks of age, and have a body weight of 500g.
After 12 weeks of age, the worming medication should be taken every three months; we strongly suggest using an all-wormer which will treat all kinds of intestinal worms, and tapeworms.
Since they can be easily distracted, use a treat to get their attention, or better still you can hide the tablet within a puppy treat before giving it to them.
Can You Worm a Pregnant Dog?
Yes, you can worm a pregnant dog, but dewormers and any medication are generally best avoided in the first two to three weeks of pregnancy.
You can use Panacur or Drontal but don’t overdose.
Deworming a pregnant dog is very essential not just for the dog’s health, but also to protect the puppies.
Deworming them prevents and stops parasites from moving through the placentas into the pups.
Deworming your pregnant dog allows the dog to have healthy puppies from the start.
How Often Should a Nursing Mama Dog be Dewormed?
The nursing mama dog should be dewormed every two weeks or three weeks after giving birth along with her pups, with a first dose starting at the pups being two weeks of age.
This is especially important if she has missed any of her monthly parasite prevention doses of medication.
It is also advised that Bitches should be dewormed before mating, after 45 days of pregnancy, and straight after they give birth.
Dewormer is safe for nursing dogs and their puppies depending on the nursing dogs’ last parasite prevention doses.
Don’t double up on treatment and keep track of every treatment.
Summary and Final Thoughts
Deworming of newly born puppies and their mother is essential after two weeks of age.
Ensure you use the right deworming medications to treat your pet dog and pups starting from an early stage and you’ll have healthy, happy, wormed puppies, hopefully free from diseases and ready to live a happy life.
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