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Treat & Prevent These Pesky Parasites

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Most dogs will contract one or more types of intestinal worms in their lifetime. Deworming medications help break down and kill worms to eliminate them from your dog’s body. However, worms in dogs are so common that veterinarians recommend giving your dog a regular dewormer to help prevent worm infestations. We’ll help you decide which dewormers are best for your pup and how to spot the signs if your dog gets worms.

At A Glance: Best OTC Dewormer For…

What Kinds Of Worms Do Dogs Get?

Hookworms under microscope
Hookworms (Ancylostoma caninum)

The most common types of worms that dogs get are roundworms, hookworms, tapeworms, whipworms, and heartworms. All are intestinal parasites except for heartworms, which affect the heart and lungs. Dog dewormers are medications targeted toward eliminating and preventing intestinal worms, but they aren’t effective for heartworms. Heartworms require a different treatment.

Dogs can get hookworms, roundworms, and whipworms by ingesting eggs or larvae in feces, soil, or contaminated surfaces. Dogs usually contract tapeworms by eating fleas that feed on tapeworm eggs or eating animals infected with tapeworms. Then, the worm larvae attach to your dog’s intestinal wall and grow into adult worms.

Symptoms Of Intestinal Worms

Sick Dog On Couch

All four of the most common types of intestinal worms (roundworms, hookworms, tapeworms, and whipworms) can cause very similar symptoms, including:

  • Changes in appetite
  • Weight loss
  • Diarrhea
  • Nausea
  • Coughing
  • Low energy
  • Bloated belly
  • Scooting the rear along the ground
  • Excessive anal licking
  • Dull coat
  • Itchy skin
  • Visible worms in feces or around the anus

Best Dewormers For Dogs & Puppies

We’ve researched and picked the best over-the-counter (OTC) dewormers for dogs. These products will kill active infestations, and you can use them as a preventative medication as well, typically once per month. We’ve based our rankings on the medicine’s efficacy, ease of administration, price, customer reviews, and more. Note: You should always see your veterinarian for a proper diagnosis of worms to ensure your pup is getting the most effective treatment possible. 

Best Dog Dewormer Overall: Panacur C Review

Pancur C

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Many veterinarians recommend Panacur C, which contains fenbendazole as the active ingredient. It’s effective against the most common species of hookworms, roundworms, tapeworms, and whipworms. It’s safe for dogs six weeks and older and pregnant and lactating pups. This medication is a powder that you sprinkle onto your dog’s food once a day for three consecutive days. If your dog eats dry dog food, you should moisten it before adding Panacur C.

It comes in one, two, and four-gram packets. Each box contains three packets. You’ll need to choose the correct packet size(s) per their dosing guideline, which essentially is one gram of powder for every ten pounds of your dog’s weight, e.g., a 50-pound dog needs a five-gram dose each day.

Pros Cons
Recommended by many veterinarians Must give for 3 consecutive days
Kills 4 types of worms (6 species) Not safe for young puppies under 6 weeks old
Safe for lactating and pregnant dogs

Price

Best Dewormer For Puppies: Bayer Quad Dewormer Review

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Bayer Quad Dewormer by Elanco Animal Health is a broad-spectrum chewable tablet effective against hookworms, roundworms, tapeworms, and whipworms. The active ingredients, praziquantel, pyrantel pamoate, and febantel, are the same as in Drontal Plus, a common vet-prescribed dewormer. But you don’t need a prescription for this product.

Bayer Quad is our pick for the best dewormer for puppies because it’s safe for dogs three weeks of age and older. Many other brands aren’t safe for puppies until they’re six weeks old or older. But it’s an excellent solution for dogs of all ages. It also only requires a single dose. You can give it as a chewable or break it up and sprinkle it onto your dog’s food. Many pet parents say it’s extremely effective; however, a few people report vomiting as a side effect.

Pros Cons
Same active ingredients as vet-prescribed Drontal Plus Not safe for pregnant and lactating dogs
Kills 4 types of worms (7 species) A bit on the pricey side
Only requires a single dose A few reports of vomiting
Safe for puppies 3 weeks and older

Price

Best Value: Sentry WormX Plus Review

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Sentry WormX Plus is a flavored chewable tablet that’s effective against hookworms, roundworms, and tapeworms (but not whipworms). The active ingredients, praziquantel and pyrantel pamoate, are found in vet-prescribed brands (and our overall pick). This product is recommended for dogs 12 weeks of age and older.

Each package contains two tablets — just follow the dosing guidelines based on your dog’s weight. Dogs over 100 pounds will require more than one package. Some customers complain that the tablets are too large and aren’t very chewable, and there were a few reports of vomiting.

Pros Cons
Excellent value Not safe for puppies under 12 weeks old or pregnant/lactating pups
Kills 3 types of worms (7 species) Not effective for whipworms
Only requires a single dose A few reports of vomiting
Some complain that the tablets are too large

Price

Each package contains two tablets.

Best Natural Dewormer For Dogs: HomeoPet Worm Clear Review

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If you’re a holistic pet parent who prefers to use all-natural ingredients, many customers say that HomeoPet Worm Clear is an effective homeopathic alternative to traditional medications. This liquid is formulated to remove and prevent hookworms, roundworms, tapeworms, and whipworms.

HomeoPet uses only naturally grown raw materials in its formula, including pumpkin seeds, pomegranate root bark, kamala, thyme camphor, and several other 100% natural ingredients. (Just keep in mind that this and other natural dewormers haven’t been proven effective in scientific studies.)

Pros Cons
All-natural ingredients Must give 3 times per day for 14 days for an infestation
Kills 4 types of worms Some reports that it doesn’t work
For dogs and cats
Cruelty-free research

Price

Other OTC Dewormers To Consider

Although they didn’t make our top picks, the following over-the-counter dewormers also get excellent reviews for being effective and well-tolerated in most dogs.

Durvet Liquid Wormer 2X Review

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Durvet’s liquid dewormer comes in an easy-to-administer liquid formula and is safe to use on puppies as young as two weeks old. The active ingredient, pyrantel pamoate, helps eliminate both hookworms and large roundworms. But it isn’t a broad-spectrum solution like some other products we review here.

A lot of people use this for young puppies, who are often born with roundworms. It’s safe to use every two weeks as part of a puppy deworming schedule.

Pros Cons
Safe for puppies as young as 2 weeks old Only effective against large roundworms and hookworms
Good for a puppy deworming protocol (safe to give every 2 weeks) Doesn’t come with a syringe
Easy-to-administer liquid formula

Price

Safe-Guard Canine Dewormer Review

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The Safe-Guard dewormer by Merck Animal Health is an affordable alternative to Panacur C, with the same active ingredient, fenbendazole. It’s also effective against hookworms, roundworms, tapeworms, and whipworms and is safe for dogs six weeks and older and pregnant and lactating pups. The dosing for the packets of powder is identical to Panacur C.

Pros Cons
Affordable alternative to Pancur C (our #1 pick) Must give for 3 consecutive days
Kills 4 types of worms (6 species) Not safe for young puppies under 6 weeks old
Safe for pregnant and lactating dogs

Price

Prescription Worm Medicine For Dogs

Veterinarians commonly prescribe Drontal Plus, Interceptor, and Sentinel for worm infestations. And you need to make sure you’re giving your pup a heartworm preventative (available by prescription only) to prevent this life-threatening disease.

There are also some excellent prescription meds* you may want to talk to your veterinarian about that can help to treat and prevent a host of parasites. Some include:

  • Trifexis (spinosad+milbemycin oxime) is a chewable tablet you give your pup once a month. It treats and controls hookworms, roundworms, and whipworms, prevents heartworm infections, and kills adult fleas. It’s safe for dogs eight weeks and older and over five pounds and typically has no side effects.
  • Bayer Multi-Advantage (imidacloprid+moxidectin) is a topical solution you apply once a month to the skin between your pup’s shoulder blades. It treats and controls hookworms, roundworms, and whipworms, prevents heartworm infections, kills adult fleas, and treats and prevents sarcoptic mange. It’s safe for dogs seven weeks and older and over three pounds.

*You can often find these on Chewy’s website for less than what your vet will charge, but they still require a prescription.

How To Deworm A Puppy (Video)

Check out this three-minute video, which has some valuable tips on administering different types of deworming medicine to your pup.

Frequently Asked Questions

Here are some of the questions we often see from our readers about deworming dogs and puppies.

How Long Does Dewormer Take To Work?

As long as your dog has consumed all of the deworming medication, it should start to kill worms rapidly within two to six hours. After that time, you should see your dog begin to pass worms in his next bowel movement.

How Long Will My Puppy Poop Worms After Deworming?

Puppies usually poop worms for two to three days after deworming, but it can take up to a week, especially if the infestation is severe.

It’s typically recommended that puppies be dewormed at two, four, six, eight, ten, and 12 weeks of age, then monthly until they’re six months old. Then puppies can move on to the recommended schedule for adult dogs, which ideally is once every three months.

Could My Dog Have Another Type Of Intestinal Parasite?

Although not as common in dogs as worms, a couple of other types of intestinal parasites can cause similar symptoms. These include Giardia, a protozoan parasite, and Coccidia, a parasitic bacteria. Dogs can contract both from eating infected dog feces or from contaminated surfaces.

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