Treating Intestinal Parasites
As always, one of the best treatments for disease problems is prevention. Keeping your dog's play area clean, picking up after your dog on walks, yearly or even twice-yearly fecal checks, and helping your dog to stay in the best condition possible all reduce parasite problems or at least keep them to a minimum. Still, it is possible for your dog to pick up parasites just by walking where a dog deposited eggs days before. So even the best-cared-for dog may have parasites at some time.
Traditional Treatments and Prevention
Yearly or even twice-yearly fecal checks are a quick, easy, and relatively inexpensive way to make sure your dog never gets a serious parasite load. Always pick up after your dog, and encourage others to do so as well. If you are adding a new dog to your family, do a fecal check as soon as possible so you don't contaminate your yard with parasite eggs or larvae. If your dog still manages to pick up some intestinal parasites, there are many safe medications that will kill the parasites and leave your dog in good health. Some of these include pyrantel pamoate, ivermectin, and febendazole. Different medications are used for different parasites, and some parasites may develop drug resistance, requiring you to try a second, different medication. If you see worms or suspect a parasite problem, check with your veterinarian. Many over-the-counter dewormers are not very effective.
Certain parasites, such as whipworms, may require repeated treatments on a set schedule to totally clear your dog. It makes sense to do a follow-up fecal check after finishing a course of treatment to be sure it was effective.
Some heartworm and flea and tick preventives also guard against selected intestinal parasites. You might want to check with your veterinarian to see if one of these makes sense for your dog.
The Nontraditional Way
There are some herbal and homeopathic medications that are believed to be effective for dewormings. Remember, just because something is natural or organic does not mean it is safe! Do not try any of these remedies without consulting a veterinarian experienced in their use. Black walnut is often touted for dewormings, along with garlic, but used incorrectly these could be toxic to your dog (as could many traditional dewormers if used incorrectly). Follow-up fecal checks are important to determine that treatment was successful.
