Deworming is an important preventative measure for reducing the number of parasites living in and on the body of your pet animal (endoparasites and ectoparasites). These parasites also concern the public health as many of them can be transmitted to humans. The most common worms in cats and dogs are roundworms and tapeworms. Some of these worms are transmitted by fleas. There are various products available in the market to to prevent worms, fleas, ticks, mites, etc.

A veterinarian can suggest you the right product for your pet depending on his needs, management conditions and area of residence.

Appropriate hygiene measures can also reduce the possibility of worm infections. For eg, disposing the faeces properly, cleaning your pet’s area frequently, etc.

Here is a brief deworming schedule you can refer to for understanding when should your pet be deworming.

Puppies or kittens-

They should be dewormed once every 15 days till they are 3 months old.

After 3 months, they should be dewormed once every month till they are 6 months old.

From 6 months onwards, they can dewormed once in every 3 months.

• This is the general protocol which is subject to change when your pet animal has an infection. The choice of medicines are decided by your veterinarian.

For the prevention and control of ectoparasites, many options are available in the market. These options include tablets, collars, spot ons, injectables, etc. The time for which they are effective on a pet can be varied depending upon the product your vet has chosen for you. Hence, there is not an available schedule for the control of ectoparasites however it is very important to control them as they can cause an array of diseases in both animals and humans.