Introduction
As a breeder with a demonstrated history of quality health practises for our dogs, I am often asked by fellow breeders to share our internal parasite prevention protocol. This protocol has been meticulously developed by myself over many years, and is regularly refined to address evolving needs, priorities, and advancements in veterinary science and information. Below, I will share our detailed protocol, along with the reasoning behind each decision, to provide insight into our practices.
Regulatory Compliance
Our internal parasite protocol complies with:
DPI NSW Animal Welfare Code of Practice Breeding Dogs and Cats, standards:
5.1.1.d: Record keeping for preventative treatments.
8.2.1.10: Internal and external parasites must be controlled through routine and preventative treatments.
9.1.1.3: No dog or puppy, cat or kitten may be sold unless vaccinated, and treated to remove gastrointestinal parasites prior to release, in compliance with the requirements of clause 8.2 of this Code.
9.1.1.6: At the time of purchase, clients must be offered accurate written information at no charge which concerns the care of animals purchased.
Dogs NSW Code of Ethics guidelines:
28.ii: Evidence of current vaccinations, worming, heartworm, flea and tick treatment/preventative, for all dogs owned or controlled by the Member. This could include Veterinary records that should be made available if required. (07/20)
Dogs NSW Regulations Part 15, Guidelines for the Care and Management of Keeping and Breeding Dogs:
6.1.2.2: Records of worming treatments
6.1.3: Records for dogs held short term for breeding purposes
7.2.3 Puppies should be monitored and regularly wormed to ensure they achieve a steady weight gain per week.
8.1.2: Programs for the regular treatment of gastrointestinal worms must be in place and in accordance with veterinary advice. (07/13)
8.1.3: Programs for heartworm prevention in dogs should be in place, where appropriate, and in accordance with veterinary advice.
Litter protocol
The below table is our current intestinal worming protocol for our litters:
Age | Product | Purpose | Instructions for use |
2 weeks | Drontal Suspension  | Treats Hookworms, Whipworms, Roundworms, assists with Giardia | Give 1 ml per 1 kg of bodyweight |
4 weeks | Milbemax/Milpro  | Treats Hookworms, Whipworms, Roundworms, Heartworm assists with Lungworm. | Puppy needs to be a minimum 900g in body weight to administer. If puppy is under 900g, give Drontal suspension instead. Give half a 0-5kg tablet. |
6 weeks | Canine All Wormer or similar  | Treats Hookworms, Whipworms, Roundworms, assists with Giardia | Cut to size for the weight of the puppy. 1 tablet per 10 kg of body weight. |
8 weeks | Milbemax/Milpro | Treats Hookworms, Whipworms, Roundworms, Heartworm assists with Lungworm. | Give one 0-5kg tablet |
10 weeks | Canine All Wormer or similar | Treats Hookworms, Whipworms, Roundworms, assists with Giardia | Cut to size for the weight of the puppy. 1 tablet per 10 kg of body weight. |
12 weeks | Milbemax/Milpro | Treats Hookworms, Whipworms, Roundworms, Heartworm assists with Lungworm. | Give one 0-5kg tablet |
Procedure for administering to puppies:
Worming should always be done in the morning, to allow for monitoring puppies post dose and seeking veterinary attention if required.Â
Puppies should be fed breakfast prior. Do not worm puppies on an empty stomach.Â
Weigh puppy and record weight on worming chart.
Examine puppy for normal behaviour and movement. If behaviour or movement is abnormal do not proceed to step 5.
Give puppy worming dose per age and instructions.Â
Record dose on litter worming chart.Â
Monitor puppies' wellbeing throughout the day.
Notes on the development of our protocol for puppies:
We allow at least 3 days between administering wormer and vaccinations. Where the two have occurred within 24 hours, for puppies 12 weeks of age and under, I have experienced puppies being lethargic, vomiting, and in some cases neurological adverse affects and death.
Earlier in our breeding career, we held off the first worming until 3 weeks of age, as I was concerned at giving medications at 2 weeks of age. Ultimately, I have come to the conclusion that if a puppy cannot cope with worming at 2 weeks of age, they are likely to have underlying health problems which become apparent at a later age. Hence it is best to administer the first worming dose at 2 weeks of age and accept any consequences.
Circa 2019 I used Drontal Puppy Suspension for the 2, 4, 6 and 8 week doses, and experienced some puppies having mild to moderate neurological adverse affects within 24 hours post Drontal Suspension being administered. Due to this, I switched to Troy Puppy and Kitten Worming Syrup. However I experienced intestinal worms occurring in puppies under this protocol; so ultimately moved back to Drontal Suspension, but only for the 2 week dose, as I researched alternatives for the 4, 6 and 8 week doses.
I selected Milbemax/Milpro (same active ingredients) for the 4 and 8 week dose as I strongly believe it to be the best and most effective intestinal wormer on the market. Veterinary advice is to not give Milbemycin Oxime (one of the active ingredients) to puppies that are under 4 weeks of age or 900 grams in body weight. Due to this advice, when first introduced to the puppy worming protocol I had Milbemax only at the 8 week dose (as I had Panacur at the 6 week dose). However in my years of using Milbemax I have developed a trust in both its safety and efficiency, with no noted adverse affects, even for the 4 week olds. When Milbemax was only given at the 8 week dose, I found this dose was resulting in dead worms to be expelled from the puppy in faeces, which meant that the 2/4/6 week wormers weren't sufficiently performing, but the Milbemax was (hence killing and expelling the worms). Due to this, I put Milbemax in the protocol for the 4 week dose as well. I have been very satisfied with Milbemax's performance at the 4 week dose.
For the 6 week dose, I have long focused on trying to eradicate any 'other' parasites from the puppies gut, for three reasons.
a) With their first vaccination occurring at 7 weeks of age, I want to remove any low lying parasites that may be placing an existing burden on their system, which when presented with the additional stress to the system of a vaccination, may push their little bodies over a threshold and result in a mild, moderate or extremely unwell puppy.
b) With puppies going off to their new families in two weeks, I want to ensure they are 100% healthy, and owners won't have any concerns with their puppies gut or faecal quality.
c) This is the age that I find symptoms of Giardia can become apparent if present- such as anorexia, and poor coat condition. Giardia is extremely common in the Sydney area, and lives in puddles and soil. When an adult dog contracts Giardia, it will be able to be resolved with minimal to moderate long term consequences for the dog, once diagnosed and the correct medication given. But for a young puppy, having Giardia can cause failure to thrive, causing puppies to rapidly become anorexic, stunt their growth and have poor coat condition. This is a vicious circle that a young puppy can quickly succumb to at the 1.5-3kg body weight stage; so quickly that a breeder may not notice there is an issue until it is too late to remedy. This is also why it is imperative for a breeder to weigh puppies daily until they are 8 weeks old, so any weight stalls or decreases can be swiftly investigated.
For young puppies that survive through Giardia, it creates a 'new normal' in their gut for many months afterwards, as it interferes with the intestinal flora. It can also cause long term complications for the digestive and immune systems. You can see why I put focus on preventing and eradicating Giardia in young puppies!
Due to the points above, for a number of years we had at week 6 of our puppy worming protocol, a 3-5 day course of Panacur. The duration was 3 days if there were no clinical symptoms, and 5 days if there were. This was specifically to eradicate Giardia if present, as well as to cycle through different worming products with a goal of holistically eradicating a range of intestinal parasites across the 12 week puppy worming protocol. Some may say it was slightly extreme to have a Panacur course within our standard puppy worming protocol, but I was satisfied with its use.
However- for the past two years we have strongly focused on building gut health in our puppies from birth onwards, so that their gut is strong and healthy and able to 'fight off' parasites it encounters. This has included giving our puppies ProN8ure Probiotic orally by syringe daily from birth to 8 weeks of age, and feeding them Lyka Fresh food, which is raw food that has been lightly cooked. After introducing these two initiatives, our incidence of gut related issues has reduced to practically zero cases. Due to this, I altered the 6 week dose for the Puppy Worming Protocol to be a more moderate approach, using a Praziquantel- Oxantel Embonate-Pyrantel Embonate general all wormer, such as Canine Allwormer, Eco Vet, Ranvet or Aristopet (all are same product, different brands).
If there were to be an issue in the future with Giardia or other suspected internal parasites, I would use a Panacur course to address. However fingers crossed we have now struck the perfect balance of treating intestinal worms and building a strong and healthy gut that wards off other nasties!
Milbemax is used at the 12 week dose, as this is when heartworm prevention is advised to commence, and Milbemax provides coverage for heartworm.
Dam protocol
The below table is our current intestinal worming protocol for our dams:
Age | Product | Purpose | Instructions for use |
At commencement of season, pre mating | Milbemax/Milpro 5kg+  | Treats Hookworms, Whipworms, Roundworms, Heartworm assists with Lungworm. | 1 tablet, regardless of bodyweight of dam. |
Day 42 gestation | An allwormer containing fenbendazole, such a Fenpral,  | To prevent transplacental and transmammary transmission of ringworm and hookworm larvae to puppies. | 1 tablet per 10kg of bodyweight |
2 weeks post whelp | Canine All Wormer or similar | Treats Hookworms, Whipworms, Roundworms, assists with Giardia | 1 tablet per 10 kg of body weight. |
4 weeks post whelp | Milpro/Milbax 5kg+ | Treats Hookworms, Whipworms, Roundworms, Heartworm assists with Lungworm. | Give one tablet |
6 weeks post whelp | Canine All Wormer or similar | Treats Hookworms, Whipworms, Roundworms, assists with Giardia | 1 tablet per 10 kg of body weight. |
8 weeks post whelp | Milbemax/Milpro | Treats Hookworms, Whipworms, Roundworms, Heartworm assists with Lungworm. | Give one tablet regardless of body weight. |
Procedure for administering to dams:
Worming should always be done in the morning, to allow time for monitoring the dam post dose and seeking veterinary attention if required.
Dam should be fed prior. Do not worm on an empty stomach.Â
Examine the dog for normal behaviour and movement. If behaviour or movement is abnormal do not proceed to step 4.
Give worming dose per age and instructions.Â
Record dose on litter worming chart.Â
Monitor dams' wellbeing throughout the day- note, it is highly unlikely that worming will cause adverse effects in an adult dog.
Notes on the development of our protocol for puppies:
Alternate worming products are administered with different active ingredients, to provide maximum coverage.
Milbemax provides the heartworm coverage required monthly for adult dogs.
Milbemax is my most trusted wormer, in terms of efficiency and safety, hence being used at the beginning of the bitches season/pre mating.
Adult protocol
The below is our current intestinal worming protocol for our adult dogs:
Monthly
Valueheart for Heartworm preventation (except for month when Milbemax/Milpro given)
Quarterly
Rotation of:
Milbemax/Milpro
Fenpral
Milbemax/Milpro
Canine All Wormer/similar
Procedure for administering to adults:
Worming should always be done in the morning, to allow time for monitoring the dog post dose and seeking veterinary attention if required.Â
Dogs should be fed prior. Don’t worm on an empty stomach.Â
Examine the dog for normal behaviour and movement. If behaviour or movement is abnormal do not proceed to step 4.
Give worming dose per instructions.Â
Record dose on worming chart.Â
Monitor dogs' wellbeing throughout the day.
Notes on protocol for adults:
Valueheart is a cost effective and reliable heartworm preventative, hence using monthly.
On the month that Milbemax is administered for intestinal worms, Valueheart isn't required as Milbemax provides heartworming coverage.
The adults protocol is designed to prevent resistance development by product rotation of Macrocyclic lactones, Benzimidazoles,
Oxibendazole (in Fenpral) is an ultimate product that is used as an annual rotational treatment to help reduce the possibility of resistance against the pyrantel based dewormers (Canine All Wormer, Eco Vet etc).
Intestinal Worming Products
There is a wide array of intestinal wormer products available on the commercial market. To assist in deciphering and ascertaining which products to select for my protocol, I developed a comparison chart. I regularly refer back to this comparison chart when purchasing wormer products, as many wormer products are the exact same formulation but under a different brand name. Utilising this chart allows me to review the pricing of comparable products and select the product that is most cost effective at the time.
Here is my comparison chart:
Environmental Management
A consideration for a breeder is whether they wish to allow their puppies to spend time on natural outdoor surfaces, as the soil can house intestinal worms, and transmit to puppies. We allow our puppies in live on grassed areas, as I believe this to be best for their physical and mental development, and their emotional wellbeing. They can play freely with their litter mates in a large area learning social skills, build muscles through active play and varying surfaces, learn toiletting etiquette from their mother, smell and explore the variety of scents and textures in a natural environment. Our puppies living on grassed areas is one reason why we have such a rigorous worming protocol, to mitigate the risk of the natural environment.
Our environmental management strategies include:
Sanitation:Â Daily clean and disinfect of all areas where puppies live, using a quaternary ammonium compound based disinfectant, which is effective against parasite eggs.
Waste Management:Â Prompt removal of faeces from all living and play areas to reduce environmental contamination.
Lawn Care: Our puppies have beautiful lawn areas, we keep the grass areas well-maintained
Record-Keeping
We maintain records of all parasite treatments given, for adult dogs this is in their individual dog journal, for puppies in the Litter Internal Parasite Prevention Record. Below are PDF and Word versions of this record template, fellow breeders are welcome to use and adapt.
Ongoing Review and Adaptation
Our worming protocol is not static, we regularly review and make necessary updates. There are many external factors that impact on the risk, prevalence and severity of internal parasites for our puppies and adult dogs. This includes:
The weather conditions- excess rain, prolonged damp conditions, dry conditions)
Native animals- we live rurally, where native animals can impact on the risks and prevalence of parasites due to acting as hosts and. carriers. The seasons, weather, drought and bushfires can impact on the native animals- the parasites they carry, and how much or little they come into the property.
In urban environments, breeders would need to additionally consider neighbouring households and pets and their parasite prevention regimes or lack thereof and canine community transmission at dog parks, commonly walked areas etc.
Feedback
Do you have any feedback about our worming protocol? We would love to hear from you! Email us at Lauren@Orical.com.au
Conclusion
Our internal parasite treatment and prevention protocol is designed to protect the health of our puppies, dams, and adult dogs while adhering to all regulatory requirements and ethical guidelines. We are proud of this program and continually strive to provide the best care for our dogs. By sharing this information, we hope to assist others in implementing effective parasite management strategies.
References
Department of Primary Industries, NSW. (2021). Animal welfare code of practice: Breeding dogs and cats. Retrieved from https://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0013/1310431/INT21-114956-Breeding-Code-Document.pdf
Dogs NSW. (2024). Part 13: Code of ethics. Retrieved from https://www.dogsnsw.org.au/media/6659/part-13-code-of-ethics-october-2024.pdf
Dogs NSW. (2023). Part 14: Guide for the care and management of breeding dogs and cats. Retrieved from https://www.dogsnsw.org.au/media/5599/part-14-guide-for-care-mgmt-july-2023.pdf
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