Honest answers about dog worming

[Pussygalore]

Milo has just had his 2nd vaccination and I asked about the Advocate spot on worm/flea treatment that Ive been adviced to use. The first dose was free, the nurse told me that it would be a monthly treatment for the rest of his life, they charge £25 for 3 doses and £12 if I want a prescription to take away to buy online. I have found a site that will charge £18 for 3 doses but need the prescription, my question is that is it really needed to dose such a small dog with all those chemicals on a monthly basis or would I be better looking at a different worm/flea treatment. There is also the question of being on a budget, if anyone can offer advice it would be greatly appreciated, many thanks

[PAULMK]

We have used advocate on our staff but recently found out some horror stories about it.Some dogs have been burnt and some have had very bad reactions,try googling it and then make a choice,

[Catwoman63]

I sent my dogs poo sample to worm count.com, and the last sample was all clear, In my opinion if there are no worms or eggs why treat them with worming, I will send a sample every 6 months, and if there are any worms or eggs then that's when I will treat, but that's just what I do, I don't think it's necessary to worm every month when there is nothing to treat x

[Catwoman63]

Sorry I thought you meant internal worms, but you meant flea treatment, I only flea treat my dog in the summer months, she has never had fleas in her 6 years, another waste of an expense in my opinion x

[filardimarg2]

I have a 9 1/2 YO GSD, she was wormed as a pup, but since then i have given her a clove of garlic once a week, it works both ways........kills flea's & worms, (so i'm told) perfectly natural to, I don't like giving her chemicals, she has a natural diet to, raw meat, did have raw meaty bones till she broke a tooth & wouldn't eat them. Kiera just has a clove of garlic in her food ....simple.

Marg.

[Pussygalore]

Advocate is a spot on treatment that kills fleas and also worms, its put on the back of the neck and is absorbed for the worms, one pippette for both.

[Easter Bunny]

I only treat my dogs for fleas in the summer with frontline. Every 3/4 months I give her a worming tablet that does lung worm aswell x

[pagan queen]

My dog has an annual injection for worms at his yearly check up and we use Frontline flea spray if we see any flea poo, spot an actual flea or if he starts scratching, it's usually once a year now but when we had our cat we did it more often as he brought fleas home. It sounds very expensive to me, and quite honestly like it's a con to keep you paying. If you can get adequate treatment for worms once a year and spray for fleas as and when why do you need to keep paying out all the time. I'd consider finding another vet.

[pagan queen]

Originally Posted by stells

Mine both get monthly treatments and have had no issues... if they didn't and I did stop for a little while they both end up riddled with fleas... so I went for prevention rather than cure... some dogs are allergic to flea spit (my SBT being one) so I don't have the option of spraying when I see one... it would drive her insane... the Chihuahua has never had any bother with the treatments.

I can see why it would be necessary for a dog who is allergic to fleas, you can't let a dog suffer. But just for a dog without any problems I don't think the expense is warranted. Lining the pockets of vets and pharmaceutical companies who would recommend the most expensive option without giving you alternatives is not something I would be happy with. I would ask if there is another option. I pay £35 a year and that includes a full health check, his vaccinations and his worm treatment. If I remember rightly a large bottle of Frontline, which would be too big for a Chihuahua is about £27.

[animalmad]

I worm my dogs and cats with drontal worming tablets. you can buy it online from places like animed direct and save loads on the vets prices for the same stuff. I also buy my frontline flea treatment from them aswell, vets can be so expensive. But I have used wormcount.com and they are fab for checking if theres a worm problem.