What if I miss giving my pet the medication?
Give the missed dose as soon as you remember, and then wait the recommended amount of time between doses. Never give your pet two doses at once or give extra doses.
How long do dog worming tablets take to work?
Most treatments get to work rapidly, killing intestinal worms starting from around 2 to 6 hours after administering the de-wormer.
The First Few Hours after a Deworming Treatment
It’s a good idea to deworm your pet at home where they are comfortable. If possible, choose a quiet weekend so your pet is calm and relaxed — not stressed or excited by a lot of commotion — and so you will have time to monitor your dog after administering the deworming treatment.
Deworming your dog is a relatively simple process, much like giving your pet a treat. In fact, if you use a tablet-based deworming treatment, it can be helpful to hide the pill in a treat like cheese, peanut butter, turkey or wet food to help make sure your dog completely swallows the tablet. Some tablets are already flavored to taste like a treat to your pet, so they may not need to be hidden in food. However, some dogs may try to spit out a tablet immediately or even several minutes after you give it to them — even if it’s flavored — so disguising the pill as a treat can make the process easier for you and your dog.
As with any oral medication, dogs can occasionally vomit shortly after taking the dose. If your pet is a puppy or has a habit of eating food or drinking water too quickly and getting sick, monitor them for vomiting for two to three hours after administering the deworming tablet.
If your dog vomits the tablet whole, wait a little bit for them to calm down and then re-administer the pill. If the tablet is partially digested or not visible at all, contact your veterinarian to get a new dose. If your dog hates pills and knows all your tricks, there are also topical deworming products available.
Regardless of what kind of deworming product you use, the treatment will typically begin working within a few hours and your dog will most likely behave as normal.