The Real Cost of Skipping Deworming for Your Pet
Every pet owner wants their furry friend to be happy and healthy. However, one of the most neglected pieces of pet care is deworming on a consistent basis. Missing just one deworming cycle can open the floodgates to a myriad of health disasters, all coming your way and your pocketbook and family’s health.
Why Parasites Thrive in Untreated Homes
Intestinal parasites are masters of survival. They’ve existed for millions of years within environments that encourage intimate contact with a host. Your house is no different. It’s warm, it’s moist, and there are countless opportunities for transmission.
An untreated pet will continually be a host for parasite eggs and larvae. One roundworm can lay 200,000 eggs per day which are excreted through its feces. These eggs can lie dormant on your carpet, your grass, or your garden for anywhere between several months to many years. Hookworm larvae enter through the skin; tapeworm segments exit through the feces and inch their way across surfaces to distribute eggs.
Even indoor pets aren’t spared. Fleas carry tapeworms and their eggs and they can find their way into the house. Eggs and larvae can hitch a ride on shoes and pants, clothing and other pets. Once they infiltrate the home environment, they’re in it for the long haul. Whether you have a Great Dane, a rescue cat, or a curious sausage dog who spends most days curled on the couch, the exposure risk remains real. The cycle of reinfection becomes exponentially more difficult to break.
What Builds After One Missed Cycle
This is the life cycle of intestinal parasites – and it can go haywire in just one missed deworming treatment.
Weeks 1-2: The adult worms that are left behind (or that the previous deworming treatment didn’t target) start to reproduce at full capacity. The intestinal tract becomes flooded with eggs, and these eggs are expelled in copious amounts.
Weeks 3-4: These eggs transform in the environment into infectious larvae. Your pet starts to re-ingest them through natural grooming or eating or while outside.
Weeks 5-8: The new adult worms develop inside your pet’s intestines, and they begin their own reproductive cycle. Worm burdens compound by exponential factors, and clinical symptoms start to manifest.
Before you know it, a couple of months have passed. By the time you realize there is an issue, your pet has hundreds/thousands of parasites in their body. Something that could have been controlled with one missed dosage is now an infestation requiring multiple strenuous therapies.
Impact on Gut, Coat, and Immunity
The harm done by uncontained parasites does not stop at the gastrointestinal system, though that’s where many of the most overt consequences manifest.
Gastrointestinal Damage: Worms literally tear up the stomach lining, causing inflammation, bleeding, and suboptimal absorption. Hookworms, for example, attach to the intestinal wall and suck on blood. Heavy hookworm infestations can lead to lethargy, severe anemia, or in serious cases, death – especially in puppies and kittens.
Malnourishment: Parasites do not simply damage the gastrointestinal system but instead, suck the nutrients out of whatever your animal manages to eat. Roundworms consume semi-digested food in the intestines and other parasites absorb nutrients through their skin. As such, many animals can eat and eat and eat and still lose weight, end up looking malnourished or develop a pot belly.
Skin and Fur Compromise: Fur often indicates a system going wrong on the inside. If pets do not have enough protein or nutrients to support healthy coats, they will often lose patches of fur, develop dry skin, become coated in excessive hair that is never groomed away because it comes from the inside out, or take on a more paler appearance even when they’re not older than their time.
Immune System Failure: This constant onslaught takes a toll on the immune system. Parasites drain the body’s resources from outside bacteria and viruses as they body is constantly trying to fight off these internal warriors. Externally infected animals are more susceptible to other infections, take longer to get better, and do not respond to vaccinations as effectively.
Young animals are particularly at risk as heavy worm burdens can cause maldevelopment, severe diarrhoea or throwing up or worse: intestinal obstruction and perforations that require critical intervention surgery.
Cost Comparison: Prevention vs Vet Therapy
The economics of deworming say this: prevention is exponentially cheaper than treatment.
Prevention Costs:
- Monthly broad-spectrum dewormer $15-30 a month
- Yearly deworming $180-360
- Regular fecal exams (twice a year) $50-100
Treatment Costs for Infestation:
- Urgent/emergency vet visit $100-300
- Diagnostics (bloodwork, fecal tests, imaging) $200-500
- Extensive deworming RX guidelines $100-300
- Supportive care (fluids, anti-nausea) $150-400
- Secondary infection treatment $200-600
- Potential hospitalization $500-2000 per day
- Environmental cleansing products $100-200
A major parasitic infestation that might require hospitalization costs at least $2,000-$5,000 – not to mention extended lengths of stay – for those who avoid euthanasia. A moderate case of run-of-the-mill roundworms or tapeworms costs, on average, $500-1,500 with rechecks, medications, and follow-up testing.
Then, consider the cost of time away from work attending vet visits, the stress on your animal companion, transmission to other pets in the house needing treatment, and, in some cases, zoonotic transmission to humans in the household (especially children).
How to Set a Routine
Choose Your Schedule: Most veterinarians recommend monthly broad-spectrum dewormers that target multiple parasite types. These products often combine heartworm prevention with intestinal parasite control, simplifying your routine. For pets at lower risk, quarterly treatments may suffice, but discuss this with your veterinarian based on your specific situation.
Choose an Easy-To-Remember Day: Tie deworming to an already established event. The first of the month is easy to remember; some tie it in with bills or changing air filters and some use the day their animal was adopted as their monthly reminder.
Set Multiple Reminders: You can’t trust your brain alone. Get a phone reminder, a recurrent calendar entry, and/or a pet app that logs medication schedules. Hang a chart on your refrigerator where you can check off when you’re done each month.
Order Ahead: When you have two weeks left of your dewormer, order for next month. This way if it gets lost in the mail or you forget to order immediately, you won’t run out.
Make Notes. Keep a running record of every time you deworm noting the date, the brand name, the dose, and your pets current weight. This will help you at the vet and recognize patterns/reactions down the line.
When to Treat Again
Deworming isn’t a one-size-fits-all schedule. Your pet’s treatment frequency depends on several factors that may change throughout their life.
Standard Adult Dogs and Cats: Monthly broad-spectrum preventatives provide continuous protection for most pets. These products typically remain effective for 30 days, making monthly administration ideal.
High-Risk Situations Requiring More Frequent Treatment:
- Puppies and kittens under six months often need treatment every two weeks initially, then monthly
- Hunting or working dogs exposed to wildlife should receive monthly treatment minimum
- Pets with access to raw meat or prey animals
- Multi-pet households where one animal tests positive
- Homes with children, especially those under five years old
- Pets recovering from a diagnosed parasitic infection may need weekly treatments initially
Lower Risk Situations: Adult indoor cats who are treated quarterly for fleas and who will not be exposed to fleas, other animals or environments until the next vet trip can wait until quarterly, but only with the vet’s approval and additional fecal tests.
After Traveling or Boarding: Use within one week of returning from kennels, dog parks or travel endeavors where exposure is more likely.
After Fecals Indicate Infection: When your vet gives you treatment options because they believe your cat has parasites, adhere to their suggested treatment schedule which often involves an intensive approach as an initial treatment, second treatment two to three weeks later to kill hatching larvae, and then a return to normal prevention schedule.
Mistakes Owners Make
Even experienced pet owners can make mistakes that compromise their pet’s health when it comes to deworming.
Assuming indoor pets are safe. This is perhaps the most dangerous myth of them all. Parasite eggs come in on shoes and clothing. They come in from flies, wasps and other insects. Fleas with tapeworm eggs come in on animals or secondhand acquired furniture. No animal is safe from any potential means of parasites gaining access to them.
Treating only when symptoms appear. If you see worms, feces, vomit, diarrhea and other symptoms, your pet has already been suffering for weeks if not months at the hands (and guts) of parasites. It is not a good thing to catch your pet with symptoms; it means extensive damage has been done.
Changing products too much. Some parasites are merely resistant, others are completely comfortable thriving in a host no matter how much over-the-counter product one goes into a pet supply store and purchases. Some products cover certain parasites, some use different active ingredients, some generational worming costs will lead someone to decide to go with an inexpensive alternative to their typical regimen because they assume they won’t be treating what they used previously. They may find their pet has more issues than anticipated – but the biggest issue is that certain populations of parasites are grossly overlooked.
Guessing the dose. Always weigh your pet before dosing. Going by last years weight or a guess only sets your pet up for being under dosed (where parasites die but are now resistant to the treatment) or over dosed (where side effects increase exponentially).
Not doing regular fecal exams. Not all parasites are routinely covered by deworming products. This is critical because fecal exams every year will catch any other species your routine prophylaxis would not catch – like coccidia, Giardia or certain rarer worms.
Treating only one pet. If you have multi-pet homes it’s virtually guaranteed that if one has worms the others do as well – and they may have them symtomatology independent. Therefore, best treatment for all at once.
Not cleaning the environment. Killing off the parasites inside your pet does not kill off the larvae and eggs in your yard, on your floors and in your home. Therefore, vacuum daily, wash dog beds once a week in hot water, throw poop away immediately into designated garbage systems to eliminate overlap and reinfection in your yard or house.
Safe Timing by Age and Size
Proper deworming should be tailored to your pet’s life stage and physical characteristics.
Puppies (Birth to 6 Months): Deworming should start at two weeks of age, whether symptomatic or not, since roundworms transfer from mothers to puppies. Continue every two weeks until 12 weeks of age and then monthly thereafter. The nursing mother should be treated, as well, to prevent reinfestation. Always use products with the specific labeling for use in puppies and follow the weight dosage to the letter.
Kittens (Birth to 6 Months): Deworm at three to four weeks of age with kitten safe products. Deworm every two weeks until 12 weeks of age then monthly thereafter. Kittens are extremely sensitive to certain active deworming ingredients, so never use dog products on cats and never use adult products on kittens.
Adult Dogs (6 Months to 7 Years): Most adult dogs do well on a monthly broad spectrum preventative. Watch out for large breed dogs that might have different dosing than small breed dogs (even within the same product line). For dogs over 100 pounds, multiple doses may be necessary or an adult preventative made for over 100 pound dogs.
Adult Cats (6 Months to 7 Years): Indoor cats who do not come into contact with fleas can extend to quarterly treatments with a vet’s approval but outdoor cats need protection monthly. Cats are sensitive to certain medications safe for dogs, so avoid anything with permethrin and other ingredients that are toxic to cats.
Senior Pets (7+ Years): Older animals may have compromised liver or kidney function affecting medication metabolism. Consult your veterinarian about appropriate products and potentially reduced frequencies. However, don’t assume seniors need less protection; their weakened immune systems make them more vulnerable to parasite-related complications.
Tiny and Toy Breeds: Dogs under 5 pounds require careful attention to dosing accuracy. Even slight overdoses can cause problems. Some products aren’t labeled for very small dogs, necessitating alternative options.
Pregnant and Nursing Animals: Only specific products are safe during pregnancy and lactation. Treating pregnant females in their last trimester prevents transmission to offspring, but timing and product selection are critical to avoid harming developing fetuses or nursing babies.
Pets with Health Conditions: Animals with liver disease, kidney problems, seizure disorders, or other chronic conditions need individualized deworming plans. Some products are contraindicated in certain conditions, while others may require dose adjustments.
Protecting Your Pet Starts Today
For something so seemingly insignificant, not deworming lead to a lot of consequences down the line. The implications range from environmental infection to health deterioration to inflated veterinary costs to risked family infection, when all it would take would be a small initial investment for prevention.
Fortunately, however, it’s easy to follow an effective deworming routine at little cost to you and great peace of mind. Take it from your pet; as a responsible pet owner, you need to do what’s best for their health and well-being with the least invasive procedure available.
Contact your veterinarian to determine the best deworming solution for your pet and circumstances and then establish a plan. Go on, get started! Mark your calendar to prevent unnecessary infection for yourself and your furry friend – for your pocketbook’s sake, as well as your family’s health, you’ll be glad you did.