How often should you really deworm your pet?

"How often should I deworm?" is one of the most common questions vets hear — and the honest answer is: it depends on age and lifestyle.

Puppies and kittens carry worms far more often than people expect, frequently passed from the mother. The usual guidance is every two weeks from around two weeks of age until twelve weeks, then monthly until six months.

Adult pets are more individual. A cat that never goes outside is lower risk than a dog that hunts, scavenges, or shares parks with many others. As a rule of thumb, most adult dogs and cats are dewormed every three months, but hunters, scavengers, and homes with young children may warrant monthly treatment to reduce the tiny zoonotic risk to humans.

It helps to understand what a wormer actually does. It kills what is in the gut on the day you give it. It does not stop your dog swallowing new eggs off the grass the following afternoon. That is why the interval matters more than the brand, and why one dose after a scare is a reaction, not a plan.

Between doses, watch for the signs: a pot belly on a puppy, scooting along the floor, rice-like segments around the tail or in the bedding, a dull coat, or weight loss despite a good appetite. Any of those means a conversation with your vet now, rather than reaching for whatever is left in the cupboard.

Cats and dogs are not interchangeable here. Never give a cat a product made for a dog — some canine parasite treatments are seriously toxic to cats, and the fact that they sat on the same shelf in the shop means nothing. Weigh the animal before you dose, too: a guessed weight is one of the most common reasons a treatment quietly fails.

Half the job is hygiene. Pick faeces up the same day, wash your hands after litter trays and garden work, and keep bowls away from the toddler zone. Most human infections come from contaminated soil, not from stroking the animal.

After a dose, expect nothing dramatic. You may see dead worms passed for a day or two, occasionally a soft stool. What you should not see is repeated vomiting, weakness or tremors — that means ring your vet, and take the packet with you so they know exactly what was given.

The trick isn't the perfect interval — it's actually remembering. Pick a recurring cadence, set a reminder, and log each dose so you can see when the next one is due. (NetForPet's health journal does exactly this: add a recurring "deworming" record and it reminds the whole household as the date approaches.)

Always match the product to the parasite and your pet's weight, and ask your vet about local risks like lungworm or heartworm, which need specific prevention. When in doubt, a quick fecal test tells you what you're actually dealing with.