Help! Dogs won't eat wormer!

jj-onk

It is that time again when i have to worm both my dogs and i am dreading it. We always used to use Drontal from the vets up until about a year ago when all of a sudden my dogs just refused to take it. I don't know if they changed the formula or something, but no matter how i disguised it in food and ground it up with tasty treats, they just would not eat the tablets. And when i did manage to get a bit of it down them, they would just end up vomiting it back up again (which was costing me money replacing the tablets and also causing me distress!).

Then i discovered some Pedigree chewable tablets that worked wonders because they smelled like treats so the dogs woofed them down.

Now i have found out that Pedigree have discontinued making them and i don't know what to do. I really don't want to try Drontal again because it will be a waste of time and money. Can you recommend any good brands? I would preferably like something chewable or a liquid, but i am grateful for any suggestions!

Thanks

p.s. I think Drontal is the only one my vet sells, it certainly seems to be the only one they push

Sagz_2

Panacur Favourites go down well in my household.... well amongst the dogs!

si-mate

As above Panacur favourites or Panacur Liquid.

Unfortunately, though Panacur doesn't do tapeworms.

jj-onk

These look like they could be ideal - can i ask where you guys normally buy them from? Do you get them online?

snowman2_2

Panacur Favourites - your vet should sell them or another nearby

wuno

Drontal Plus Flavoured tablets are supposed to be better than the old Drontal Plus - they taste of chicken!

You might consider milbemax wormer tablets. They are far smaller than Drontal Pus and you will need fewer tablets for one dog - Just one tablet up to 25 kg. So small, he probably won't even notice it going down.

In terms of worm killing and species coverage, there isn't much between Drontal and Milbemax.

Discuss the issue with your vet.

If a dog won't take it in food, my suggestion to give a tablet is to use a fast and firm approach, and get it straight down so they can't taste it.

If you are right handed, use your left to open the dog's mouth by placing your thumb and first finger around the top of his muzzle just blow the eyes and push them into his mouth in the gap in his teeth behind his canines and pull his head back to about 45 degrees. This will slightly open the front of his mouth. Then, holding the tablet between the first finger and thumb of your right hand, use the remaining fingers of this hand to prise down his bottom jaw from the front whilst pulling your left hand up from above. The end result should be a dog with his head tilted back and his jaws opened enough for you to place (not drop) the tablet right at the back of his throat, as close to the center as possible. This whole process shouldn't take more than a few seconds.

Then hold his mouth closed (after removing your hand!) and his head tilted back whilst jently stroking his throat to try and initiate the swallow reflex. Don't let him put his head down until he's swallowed it. This could take a minute - don't even consider pinching his nose! Once you do let him go, watch for any secret spittin out of tablets!

Don't make a big deal of it, just pounce, get it down and give lots of praise.

You may need someone to hold his body, and it is better to get him to sit first. If you are on your own and you're worried about him squirming off, then approach him from behind with your legs either side of his shoulders and squeeze your legs into him to stop him moving backwards, away from the tablet, which is the only way he's likely to go. If he's small, just sit on him!

If this is all a bit too much for him, wrap the tablet in a knob of butter or embed it in a bit of cheese. That usually goes down a treat.

thatsfabulous

I have the same problem as you. My dog would only eat and pedigree Chew ones but now they dont make them im finding it very hard for her to eat the tablets i put them in treat and she will eat the treat and spit the tablet out ( they are so clever)
I dont know why they have stopped making them as i have never seen anything else similar and i was speaking to the lady in pets at home and she said its one of there best sellers.

greenmoneysaver_2

Panacur palatable are tasty.

DO NOT EVER break a wormer into a paste - they taste bitter and that is why they have quite a strong capsule round them, the bitterness can also induce regurgitation.

Milbemax are tiny and even if bitten into do not seem to have such a bitter taste.

On the point of tapeworm - many companies put forward the idead that as the tapeworm vector is the flea, then if you are controllign fleas you won't need to worm for tapeworm. However preventio is better than cure...

msflowerfairy

Wouldn't it be easier to wrap it in a piece of ham?

thatsfabulous

msflowerfairy wrote: »

Wouldn't it be easier to wrap it in a piece of ham?

I have tryed wrapping it everything, putting in in treats making holes in them so it cant be seen, the little monkey just spits it out Lol

jj-onk

Trust me, i have tried every kind of tasty treat and they always manage to suss that there is drontal in there! They eat the treat and spit the tablet on the floor!

In response to wuno's post about putting it down their throat, i have tried this and it was quite distressing for me as they were so upset and also they ended up being sick later which totally defeated the point!

i agree with thatsfabulous about the Pedigree chews, i have read elsewhere that they were very popular, can't understand why they stopped making them.