Deworming schedule for dogs and cats

The main source is TroCCAP, the Tropical Council for Companion Animal Parasites, whose guidelines were written for tropical countries. Two other councils are used to cross-check: ESCCAP (Europe) and CAPC (United States and Canada). Where they differ, the page says so.

• Puppies: from 2 weeks, every 2 weeks until 8 weeks. TroCCAP says to treat puppies at 2 weeks of age and then every 2 weeks until 8 weeks of age, and to treat the mother at the same time. CAPC gives the same dates (2, 4, 6 and 8 weeks). ESCCAP starts on day 14 and continues every 2 weeks until 2 weeks after weaning.
• Kittens: from 3 weeks, every 2 weeks until 10 weeks. TroCCAP says to treat roundworm at 3 weeks and every 2 weeks until 10 weeks of age. For kittens kept outdoors with their mother it says to treat hookworm from 2 weeks, every 2 weeks, until at least 10 weeks. The tool has a tick-box for that. ESCCAP starts at 3 weeks. CAPC starts at 2 weeks and moves to a monthly product at 4 to 8 weeks.
• Then monthly. After the first series TroCCAP says to deworm monthly. ESCCAP advises monthly treatment up to 6 months of age where the risk of infection stays high, and CAPC advises a monthly preventive. “Monthly” here means every 4 weeks, so the day of the week stays the same.
• Adults: you pick the interval. TroCCAP says adult dogs and cats should be dewormed monthly. CAPC also advises monthly, or at least 4 times a year with stool tests if monthly is not possible. ESCCAP sorts pets by risk: 1 to 2 times a year only for pets that live fully indoors with no contact with other animals, no prey and no raw meat; 4 times a year at least for pets with unclear risk; more often for pets that roam, hunt or live with small children. The tool starts on TroCCAP’s monthly plan and lets you choose the other two. Your vet decides.
• Stool tests. TroCCAP says dogs should have a stool test at least every 3 months to check that the plan is working. CAPC advises at least 4 tests in the first year of life. Ask your vet to check a sample at vaccination visits.

If you add the date of the last deworming, the plan continues from that day. If you leave it blank, a young pet gets the full standard series from birth, with dates that have already passed marked as past, and a pet older than 6 months starts today. A date that has passed since the last treatment is marked overdue, and the next dates are counted from today.

Date arithmetic. Dates are counted in whole calendar days from the date of birth, using the calendar on your own device, so there is no off-by-one day from time zones.

These are the dates for a puppy and a kitten with no earlier treatment, worked out by the same code as the tool above. After 6 months the adult interval you choose takes over.

In the table, the dog series is at 2, 4, 6, 8 weeks and the indoor kitten series is at 3, 5, 7, 9 weeks.

• Puppy or kitten that has not been dewormed yet. Do not wait for the next date on the list. Ask your vet to start now. The tool marks dates that have already passed as “past” and does not guess how many doses you missed. After your vet treats, enter that day as the last deworming and the plan continues from it.
• Adult with no known history. The plan starts today on the interval you choose, and your vet may want a stool sample first.
• A date has passed since the last treatment. The row is marked overdue. Deworm as soon as your vet can see your pet; the later dates are then counted from that day.
• Under 2 weeks old (3 weeks for a kitten kept indoors). Your vet decides when to start.
• A new pet from a shelter, a street or a litter of unknown age. Use the best guess of its age and ask your vet to confirm it. Treat other pets in the home at the same time.

Heartworm. TroCCAP describes heartworm as widespread in tropical and subtropical regions and recommends monthly prevention for dogs, starting as early as 6 to 8 weeks of age, with a yearly test. For cats it recommends monthly prevention in areas where dogs have heartworm and gives no starting age. Ask your vet whether prevention is advised where you live before you turn on the reminders.

• Nursing puppies and kittens are dewormed together with their mother. TroCCAP says to treat the dam at the same time as her puppies, and nursing queens at the same time as their litters. CAPC and ESCCAP say the same. The table above assumes the mother is treated on the same days.
• Pregnant bitches and queens: your vet will advise. Some regimens given during pregnancy can reduce the worms passed to puppies. TroCCAP notes these are used outside the product label, so they are only for a vet to choose. Do not give any medicine to a pregnant pet on your own.
• Treat the whole household together. TroCCAP says all dogs, and cats, living in the same home should be treated at the same time.

Some worms in dogs and cats can infect people. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention explains that roundworm eggs in the faeces of dogs and cats can get into the soil, and people, especially young children, can swallow them from dirt or unwashed hands. TroCCAP adds that hookworm larvae can cause a skin rash in people, and that dogs in Asia can carry a hookworm that causes disease in people.

• Have your pet dewormed on schedule, especially puppies, kittens and pets that go outdoors.
• Pick up your pet’s faeces promptly, every day, and put it where children cannot reach it.
• Wash hands with soap after handling pets, after playing outside, and before eating.
• Wear footwear outdoors, and teach children not to eat soil.

Why this page uses TroCCAP first. TroCCAP’s guidelines are written for tropical and subtropical countries, and they are stricter than the European ones: monthly treatment for adults rather than 4 times a year at least. ESCCAP (the European Scientific Counsel Companion Animal Parasites) writes for Europe. Kerala is tropical, so TroCCAP is the better starting point, and the tool lets you pick a lower frequency if your vet agrees.

Regional parasites. TroCCAP lists the hookworm that also infects people as present in the wet tropics of Southeast Asia, China and India. It names northern India as highly endemic for the hydatid tapeworm, a risk mainly for dogs that eat offal or livestock carcasses.

Products and prices. The tool names no product and quotes no price. Ask your vet for the product, and check the pet’s current weight, because the vet works out the dose from it. TroCCAP does not recommend using a medicine outside its label for controlling parasites in dogs, and says that some dogs, for example Collies, react badly to some deworming medicines.

• Which product to use, and the dose for your pet’s weight.
• Whether your pet is low risk or high risk, which sets how often to deworm after 6 months.
• Whether to test a stool sample, and when to treat for tapeworm.
• Whether heartworm prevention is needed where you live, and from what age for a cat.
• What to do for pregnant or nursing mothers, and for pets that are unwell or underweight.