Puppy Wormer Schedule: Deworming Chart by Age and Date

This puppy wormer schedule will show you when a puppy needs to be dewormed. It starts with the first dose of dewormer (at two weeks of age), then the second dose (at four weeks) and so on, until the check-up at twelve months of age. The Worming Schedule Generator below takes that chart and works out the exact calendar dates for your own puppy. There is also a “catch-up” plan that can be used if your puppy has never been wormed or came to you with no record.

With worming, many pet parents get it wrong, primarily because they give a single dose and assume this will take care of all the worms. A single dose of wormer only kills the adult worms that are in the digestive tract on the day of treatment. The immature larvae, which are still on their journey through the body, survive that dose and mature into adult worms within two to three weeks. This is why the schedule has to be repeated.

Puppy Wormer Schedule Generator

Enter a birth date to turn the standard deworming chart into real dates for your puppy.

Puppy’s date of birth

Puppy’s name (optional)

Worming so far

Plan from 8 weeks

Fleas have been seen on the puppy or in the home The puppy’s mother lives in the same home

Timing follows the Companion Animal Parasite Council (CAPC) guidelines. This chart gives dates only. The product and the dose depend on your puppy’s weight and age, so follow the label or your vet.

Puppy Wormer Schedule by Age

Puppy’s age	What to give	Also due
2 weeks	Wormer for roundworms and hookworms	Treat the mother at the same time
4 weeks	Repeat dose	Treat the mother again
6 weeks	Repeat dose	First vaccines at 6 to 8 weeks
8 weeks	Repeat dose, then start a monthly preventive	First fecal test
12 weeks	Monthly dose	Second fecal test
16, 20 and 24 weeks	Monthly dose
6 months	Monthly preventive all year, or a wormer every 3 months	Third fecal test
12 months	Continue the adult plan	Fourth fecal test, heartworm test

Based on Companion Animal Parasite Council guidelines. Fecal test dates are a suggestion: the guideline is at least four in the first year.

The Companion Animal Parasite Council (CAPC) recommends worming puppies starting at 2 weeks of age and repeating every 2 weeks until regular broad-spectrum parasite control begins. Where year-round control cannot be kept up, its fallback is every 2 weeks until 2 months of age, monthly until 6 months of age, and every 3 months after that.

The Merck Veterinary Manual gives almost the same schedule: first treatment 2 weeks after birth, repeated at 2 to 3 week intervals to 2 months of age, then monthly to 6 months of age.

Why Puppies Are Wormed So Early and So Often

Most pups are born infected with roundworms. The larvae lie dormant in the mother’s tissues, become active during her pregnancy, and enter the pups while they are still inside her by crossing the placenta. Hookworm larvae take a different route and infect pups when they nurse, through the milk. A clean kennel and an apparently healthy mother will not prevent either of these routes.

CAPC reports that more than 30 percent of dogs younger than 6 months are shedding roundworm eggs, and that some studies suggest virtually all puppies are born infected. Roundworms take about 2 to 4 weeks to mature and start laying eggs, which is why the first dose is given at 2 weeks and repeated every 2 weeks.

The two-week interval between deworming doses is intentional; it is the whole point of the schedule. Each dose eliminates the adult worms, and the next dose is timed for when the following wave of larvae has matured, yet before those worms have produced many eggs. If you stretch the gap to a month in a young pup, then the worms get the opportunity to reproduce, there will be plenty of eggs in the yard where the pup lives, and the pup will become reinfected.

Deworming Chart for Puppies: Which Worm Is Which

Worm	How puppies catch it	Signs	Can people catch it?
Roundworm	From the mother before birth, from her milk, or from eggs in soil	Pot belly, dull coat, poor growth, vomiting, spaghetti-like worms in stool or vomit	Yes, mainly children, from soil that contains eggs
Hookworm	Through the mother’s milk, or larvae in soil that are swallowed or burrow through the skin	Pale gums, weakness, dark tarry stool, poor growth	Yes, larvae can cause an itchy skin rash
Whipworm	Swallowing eggs from contaminated ground. Rare in very young puppies	Often none. Heavy infection causes weight loss and bloody diarrhea	Not a practical risk
Tapeworm	Swallowing an infected flea, or eating prey	Rice-like segments around the tail or in stool. Usually no illness	Rarely, by swallowing a flea

Heartworm is different: it is spread by mosquitoes, lives in the heart and lungs, and is prevented with a monthly or long-acting product, not treated with a wormer.

Hookworms are the dangerous ones in a young litter. They feed on blood, and the Merck Veterinary Manual describes anemia in young puppies as the characteristic and often fatal sign. A puppy with pale gums, weakness or black, tarry stool needs a vet the same day.

Which Puppy Wormer Treats Which Worm

Active ingredient	Roundworm	Hookworm	Whipworm	Tapeworm	Where you usually find it
Pyrantel pamoate	Yes	Yes	No	No	Liquid puppy wormers, used from 2 weeks
Fenbendazole	Yes	Yes	Yes	Some types, not the flea tapeworm	Granules or liquid given for 3 days in a row
Praziquantel	No	No	No	Yes	Tapeworm tablets and combination wormers
Milbemycin oxime	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Monthly heartworm preventives
Moxidectin	In the monthly topical form	Yes	In the monthly topical form	No	Monthly topical and long-acting injectable heartworm preventives

A general guide to what each ingredient is labelled for. Products differ, so check the label for the worms covered and the minimum age and weight.

No single ingredient covers every worm, which is why the first doses use a roundworm and hookworm product and tapeworms are treated separately when they turn up. Every wormer is dosed by body weight and has a minimum age and weight on the label. Weigh the puppy on the day, never guess, and never give a product made for another species.

If your veterinarian prescribes a monthly heartworm preventive for your eight-week-old puppy, check which intestinal worms it covers in addition to heartworms. Most monthly heartworm preventives also protect against roundworms and hookworms, and many add whipworms. As such, the one monthly dose doubles as the wormer and you do not need to give both. This is the easiest way to keep the puppy wormer schedule going with minimal additional effort on your part.

What to Expect After Worming a Puppy

Normal for a day or two: worms in the stool, sometimes still moving, slightly loose stool, a quieter puppy.
Call the vet the same day: repeated vomiting, diarrhea that lasts more than a day, a puppy that will not eat or drink, a swollen and painful belly.
Go now: pale or white gums, collapse, tremors, or trouble breathing after a dose.

The presence of worms in the stool after treatment indicates that the wormer was effective, not that it failed. The absence of worms is also normal, since many are digested prior to passing. Pick up all of the stool for the next few days and dispose of it in the trash; roundworm eggs remain infective in contaminated soil for years and there is no realistic method of removing these eggs from a lawn.

Signs a Puppy Has Worms

A round, tight pot belly on an otherwise thin puppy
Dull, rough coat and slow weight gain. Check growth against the puppy weight calculator
Soft stool or diarrhea, sometimes with mucus or blood
Vomiting, sometimes with visible worms
Scooting, or rice-like segments under the tail
Coughing in a very young puppy, as roundworm larvae pass through the lungs
Pale gums and tiredness

There are plenty of infected puppies showing none of these signs. Because of this, the worming schedule is based upon the calendar and not upon the presence or absence of symptoms. For the same reason, a fecal test that comes back negative does not cancel out the need to give the next scheduled dose. A fecal test can only detect eggs, and young worms are not producing any yet.

How Worming Fits With Vaccines and Puppy Class

Typically, vaccinations and worming go side by side and are done together during the same visits, at about eight, twelve and sixteen weeks of age. It is routine to give both on the same day. If your veterinarian determines that your puppy has a heavy load of worms, he or she may recommend treating that first, so the puppy is in better shape before going ahead with the vaccinations.

Worming also decides when training can start. The American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior says puppies can begin socialization classes as early as 7 to 8 weeks of age, provided they have had at least one set of vaccines and a first deworming at least 7 days before the first class.

Put the two charts together with the puppy vaccination chart, then plan classes with the puppy training schedule by age and how to socialize a puppy properly.

Can People Catch Worms From a Puppy?

Yes. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) explains that roundworm eggs are carried in animal feces and can get into people’s mouths through contaminated dirt or unwashed hands. Young children are at the highest risk because they play in soil and put their hands in their mouths. People do not catch it from each other.

Pick up stool from the yard every day and on every walk. Fresh stool is not infective yet, because the eggs need time in the environment to develop.
Wash hands after handling the puppy, cleaning up, and before eating.
Keep the puppy out of children’s sandpits and cover them when not in use.
Keep to the schedule. A wormed puppy sheds far fewer eggs.

Wormer Schedule for Adult Dogs

After six months, you can simplify your dog’s parasite plan. The easiest option is a monthly broad-spectrum preventive given all year, which will protect against both heartworms and the common intestinal worms in one dose. If your dog is not on a monthly preventive, it is typically wormed every three (3) months instead. It may need to be dewormed more often if it hunts, scavenges, or spends time around livestock.

For healthy adult dogs CAPC recommends a fecal test at least twice a year, and the American Heartworm Society recommends a heartworm test every 12 months and prevention 12 months a year. Puppies started on a preventive before 7 months of age do not need a heartworm test first, but should be tested 6 months later.

FAQs

When should a puppy be wormed for the first time?

At 2 weeks of age. Roundworms are passed from the mother before birth and take only a few weeks to mature, so waiting until the first vet visit at 6 to 8 weeks is too late. The breeder normally gives the first three or four doses.

How often should you worm a puppy?

Every 2 weeks from 2 weeks of age until 8 weeks, then once a month until 6 months. After that, either keep the dog on a monthly broad-spectrum preventive all year or worm every 3 months.

What if my puppy missed a wormer dose?

Give the missed dose as soon as you can, then carry on. If the puppy is over 8 weeks and has never been wormed, the usual approach is one dose now, a second dose 2 weeks later, and then monthly doses until 6 months. Take a stool sample to the vet too.

Can I worm my puppy myself?

Yes, wormers for roundworms and hookworms are sold without a prescription, and many breeders use them. Check that the product is labelled for your puppy’s age and weight, weigh the puppy first, and follow the label exactly. Heartworm preventives need a prescription, and a very young, weak or sick puppy should be seen by a vet first.

Is it normal to see worms in my puppy’s poop after deworming?

Yes. Dead or dying worms can pass for a day or two after a dose, and that is a sign the wormer worked. If you are still seeing live worms a week later, or rice-like tapeworm segments, tell your vet, because a different product may be needed.

Do all puppies have worms?

Not every puppy, but so many are born with roundworms that vets treat all puppies as if they have them. Infected puppies often look healthy, and a single negative fecal test does not rule worms out.

Can a puppy be wormed and vaccinated on the same day?

Yes. It is routine to give a wormer at the same visit as the vaccines, and the two do not interfere with each other. Your vet may space them out only if the puppy is unwell or has a very heavy worm burden.