An Ultimate Guide to What Happens if You Give a Dog Too Much Wormer
We all know that it is essential to update your dog with deworming treatment. If your dog is not equipped with such treatment it can face several health issues. It is normal for the dog owners to ask what happens if you give a dog too much wormer as all are worried about its side effects. This article will give you complete details regarding deworming of dogs and also how to treat dewormer overdose in dogs. You will also aware of the common mistakes while deworming dogs in this article too.
In case you have overdosed the deworming treatment of your dog may experience some unwanted side effects that can range from severe to mild. Such side effects include diarrhea, vomiting, etc. One should consult the vet immediately if he or she observes such symptoms in their dog.
The Need For Deworming Your Dog
You must be aware of the fact that dog worms are common in our environment. Even healthy dogs have some percent of worms present within them. Dog, go outside, eats or smell suspicious items, roll over the dirt, and catch these worms. Some of the worms are even transmitted by flies, insects, and mosquitoes. Nearly all dogs may have some worms in their bodies.
A small percentage of such worms may not affect the health of the dogs. However larger and dangerous types of the parasite may drastically affect the intestines of your dog and make them severely ill or bring loss in their appetite. For all such reasons deworming of the dog is necessary. Below are some of the common worms found in dogs-
Hookworms:
Such parasite possesses hook type of teeth due to which they have been given such names. They tend to stick to the intestinal wall of your dog and can lay hundreds of eggs within a few days. Hookworms are generally found in wet soil and grass from where your dog can catch these worms.
Roundworms
Such worms are found in puppies are also available in feces and contaminated soil. They are easily transmitted through mother’s milk to puppies. So puppies generally require a deworming process to stop the spread of such worms. Symptoms of such worms include vomiting, lethargy, swelling in the stomach, colic, etc
TapeWorms
They are one of the longest breeds of worms and you may have noticed their segmented structure. They are usually found on the fur and anus of the dog. Such worms are transmitted through fleas. The eggs of the tapeworm can also survive on the soil and your dog can take them while licking its paw soon after their walk. Severe abdominal pains in dogs are often caused by tapeworms followed by vomiting.
Whipworms:
: Similar to tapeworms these worms are also present in soil and may enter if your dog licks the soil. This worm possesses the capability to lead to diarrhea in your dogs.
Heartworms:
: Such worms are quite dangerous if you do not treat them at an early stage. If such worms spread in the body of your dog they start attacking the lungs and heart of your dog. Heartworms are spread by mosquitoes and you should give monthly pills to your dog to save them from this dangerous parasite. Of all the above worms these worms can be detected through a blood test.
The Answer to can you worm your dog too often
Treating your dog with too much dewormer can severely affect the health of your dog. Deworming treatments also called anthelmintics are specially made to keep your dog worm-free for one month. Many of such worming treatments release some special chemicals into the body of your dog that paralyzes or keeps the worms to starve. Such chemicals are present within the gastrointestinal system of dogs.
Once the worms are killed they are excreted by the dog through its poop. Sometimes worms are not seen in the feces of your dogs that do not mean that the treatment has failed as it is not mandatory. So do not overdose them with more medicines thinking that the medicines have not worked yet. You can consult your vet if you have any doubts regarding this. For such dogs who like to eat whatever comes between their walk, deworm them at least 1-3 months.
Can Too Much Deworming Treatment Kill a Dog?
It is not likely that the worming treatment may kill an adult dog but it can kill a puppy depending on circumstances. The deworming medicines are tested by varying the concentrations to see the damage they do to the body of the dog if exceeded. There is a wide difference between dosing and overdosing to affect the health of the dog. Moreover, the dog might likely die due to the infections present in the worms than the treatment.
There is one possibility of severe infection that can cause problems to your dog due to deworming but such a situation rarely occurs. You may witness vomiting, diarrhea as symptoms of overdose. But in case of actual anaphylactic overdose, the dogs are unable to breathe properly as their air pipe swells thus reducing the amount of air they intake.
Some Common Mistakes While Deworming of Your Dogs:
Below are some of the common mistakes that dog owners do while deworming their dogs,
Not Revising the Dog’s medicines after some Days:
The owners need to revise the dog’s medicines after few days. Deworming process in dogs is generally through oral practice and forgetting to give medicines to your dogs will waste the entire session of the deworming process. These medicines stay in the dog’s body for only a few hours and care should be taken to provide them another dose of medicines frequently. Some medicines even stay in the dog’s body for a month. So take the information about the medicines from your vet.
Keep a Track on Dog’s Weight during the entire deworming session:
Maximum of dogs tend to lose weight when they have worms. So it is essential to keep track of the dog’s weight and give the medicines accordingly. Make sure to match the ratio between the number of medicines and the weight of your dog to prevent overdose. This is also the answer to your question about how much dewormer to give a puppy to prevent overdose.
Medicines Varies as per Worms:
It is common for dog owners to misunderstand that any anti-worm medicine is enough to cure all types of worms in dogs. But this is not completely true. Every medicine is designated to treat any particular worm. The best way to prevent worming in the dog is to give your dog a germ-free and healthy environment.
Never depend on Dog to take medicines:
Dogs are just like kids they do not like to take medicines voluntarily. They may spit the medicine out of their mouth in front of you or after some time. To prevent this you should insert the medicine deep inside their mouth so that it goes in and also hold your dog’s mouth so that they might not spit out. One option is to select such medicines that can be applied from outside similar to cream.
Deworm Every Pet of Your House At The Same Time:
Pet owners usually deworm only that pet in which they see symptoms of worms. But you should know the fact that such worms might have spread to all the pets before you have noticed symptoms in one pet. So it is better to deworm all your pets at the same time to control the worms.
Never try Deworming process by yourself:
Never try to become a vet by yourself and start the deworming process of your dog. Deworming of dogs is a tricky process and the only vet can understand the type of worm and its exact process and medicines to cure.
The Solution to how much wormer to give a puppy
Before you try to find solutions to what happens if you give a dog too much wormer, it is better not to reach such a stage. You should have complete knowledge regarding deworming of dogs and the difference between deworming an adult dog and a puppy. Here are some rules regarding this-
- Most of the adult dogs required deworming once every three months.
- Adult dogs have a fully matured immune system and can bear the burden of worms and they are also intelligent enough to eat only selected and healthy items.
- Puppies can catch worms before their birth or through their mother’s milk in case their mother has worms. Even if you see a healthy puppy they may have some worms in their intestinal tract. Moreover, they like to eat whatever comes in their way and so are more prone to worms.
- As per the above situation of puppies should be dewormed at a minimum of two weeks of their age and consequently after two weeks until they reach six months of their age.
- Soon after six months, you will not witness any worms in your puppy‘s bodies if you follow the above plan.
Expectations after Deworming Your Dog
Shortly, after the treatment, you have to monitor the health of the dog for few days. In case of any allergic sign contact your vet immediately. Most of the deworming treatment starts to kill the worms after 2 to 3 hours of application. You may observe the dead worms in the feces of your dog. Some dogs may not have such signs as the worms were finely broken because of the treatment and so not visible in poop.
Common FAQs:
QUE: What are the side effects of deworming have on puppies?
ANS: Some of the possible side effects of deworming of puppies include weakness, loss of appetite, vomiting, dry coat, etc.
QUE: What can I do if my dog is vomiting worms?
ANS: If you observe that your dog is vomiting worms you should soon book an appointment with your vet.
QUE: What can I do if my dog is vomiting worms?
ANS: You should consult your vet as soon as possible and start its treatment.
QUE: Can deworming kill a dog?
ANS: Young puppies if dewormed ar at their maximum risk. They may catch anemia, intestinal blockage, and malnutrition. Such heavy worm burdens can even result in the death of your puppies.
QUE: How Many Times Can You Deworm A Dog?
ANS: According to the standard guidelines it is recommended to deworm your dog at least 4 times a year. But make sure that every treatment has a gap of 3 months duration.
QUE: What to expect After Deworming A Dog?
ANS: After deworming your dog you can ensure that your dog is free from worms. You may even witness that your dog passing out dead worms from its body through feces; which is completely normal.
QUE: Too much dewormer for dog: Is it necessary?
ANS: Such overdosing of dewormers may not give you desired results and may be dangerous for the health of your dogs.
QUE: How do we treat intestinal worms?
ANS: Common ways to treat intestinal worms in a dog include mebendazole and albendazole.
QUE: What Parasites Are Most Common In Puppies?
Hookworms, tapeworms, ringworms, whipworms, etc are some of the common parasites in puppies.
QUE: Can I Worm my Puppy twice a week?
ANS: It is strongly advised not to worm your dog so frequently as it may create health problems in your dog. You should give at least 3 months of gap between each treatment.
Finally, now you have understood that overdose of any medicines is harmful to pets. Such an overdose can make your dog ill or can generate allergic reactions in your dog. In case you feel that the particular brand of dewormer creates problems in your dog try some other brand with slightly different ingredients.
Just remember that never give your dog more than the recommended dose of such anthelmintic and take the advice of your vet regarding what happens if you give a dog too much wormer.