Prevention and control of canine internal parasites

Effective managemental practices are key to the prevention and control of all species of worms that may affect our canine friends.
Worm prevention is of vital importance since their presence affects the health of both puppies and adults.
Preventing worm infestations must start before mating. {{more}} Adult females should be dewormed at least a week before mating. It must be noted that pregnant bitches may be dewormed during the first two weeks or the last two weeks of pregnancy. However, care must be taken to ensure that the dewormed animals used at this stage do not contain Ivermectin.
Proper disposal of faeces from a nursing bitch and her puppies should be conducted by burning or flushing down the toilet. This is important in the elimination of re-infestation since round worm eggs can survive for years in the soil.
Control of canine internal parasites helps to maintain a low worm presence and thus improves the health of your animal.
Puppies may receive their first dewormer at two weeks of age, followed by further treatment every two weeks until they are three months old. Please ensure that your puppy is dewormed at least three days before vaccination.
Adult dogs should be dewormed once per month if they are exposed to areas used by many other dogs since such exposure increases the animal chance of picking up worms.
Next week’s article will deal with canine vaccination and its importance.