Comparing Best Worm Treatments for Dogs: A Guide to Choosing the Best Option

It’s not easy to be a pet parent, especially if your family member is a furry dog who is always excited and enthusiastic to explore the world around them. Because while they explore the world around them, they are constantly attacked by different pests such as fleas, ticks, mites, and worms.

While fleas, ticks, and other external parasites can be seen on their fur and thus be treated quickly, internal parasites like tapeworms, hookworms, roundworms, whipworms, and the deadly heartworms are not visible to the naked eye and are hard to detect.

What do you do in such situations? 

Exactly! Deworming! But as the market is filled with various kinds of dewormers for dogs, it can be a bit challenging to find the best one for your dog. But worry not; we are here to help! In this blog, we will compare some of the most popular dewormers available on the market and help you find the best worm treatments for your dog. 

Excited? Let’s dive into the topic then!

What is Deworming?

If your dogs have intestinal worms, deworming can help to eliminate them. Deworming is a necessity for pups as well as adult dogs because most pups are born with worms and require deworming every two weeks from the age of two weeks until 6 months. Adults too must be dewormed every 3 or 6 months to stay healthy because worms can eliminate nutrition from the body, making the dog weak and vulnerable to diseases. 

Usually, antihelmintic drugs are used for deworming. These drugs effectively help get rid of parasitic worms such as hookworms, roundworms, tapeworms, whipworms, and heartworms. Timely deworming every 1-3 months helps prevent the recurrence of worms and aids in prophylaxis.

Types of Parasitic Worms in Dogs

Before choosing a good product that can successfully eliminate worms, it is important to learn about the types of worms that infect pets. Well, there are generally four types of intestinal worms that infect dogs: hookworms, roundworms, tapeworms, and whipworms. Apart from these, some heartworms affect the heart and lungs of your dog.

Comparing The Best Worm Treatment For Dogs

As there are hundreds of deworming products on the market, it can be difficult to decide which one is best for your dog. So, to help you find the best worm treatments for your dog, we have curated a comparison table of some of the most popular worm treatments on the market. 

Best Overall Dewormer: Panacur Granules, 22.2% w/w

Dosage Type: Granules or Powder

Active Ingredients: Fenbendazole

Suitable For: Puppies and dogs (recommended 1g per 10 lbs of body weight)

Worms Targeted: Roundworm, Tapeworm, and Hookworm

Panacur granules are one of the best dewormers for dogs. It contains fenbendazole, a potent antihelmintic drug useful in treating tapeworms, roundworms, and hookworms. It’s an easy-to-administrate formulation and can be simply mixed with your pet’s food.

Best Affordable Dewormer: Triworm-D

Dosage Type: Tablets

Active Ingredients: Praziquantel, Pyrantel Pamoate, and Febantel

Suitable For: Dogs and puppies over 2 weeks of age and older

Worms Targeted: Roundworms, Hookworms, Tapeworms, and Whipworms

Triworm-D is an affordable deworming solution for a wide range of gastrointestinal worms. Available in chewable tablet form, it contains praziquantel, pyrantel pamoate, and febantel. This formulation helps eliminate roundworms, hookworms, tapeworms, and whipworms in dogs. It is a cost-effective formulation to treat the majority of worm problems in dogs.

Best Tapeworm Dewormer for Dogs: Droncit

Dosage Type: Tablets

Active Ingredients: Praziquantel

Suitable For: Dogs and puppies over 4 weeks of age and older

Worms Targeted: Tapeworms

Droncit for dogs is among the best tapeworm dewormers for dogs on the market. It is effective in treating intestinal infections caused by different tapeworm species, including Dipylidium caninum, Taenia pisiformis, Echinococcus granulosus, and Echinococcus multilocularis. The formulation is also safe for use in breeding and pregnant dogs.

Best Dewormer for Puppies: Drontal Oral Suspension

Dosage Type: Oral Suspension

Active Ingredients: Febantel and Pyrantel Embonate

Suitable For: Dogs and puppies over 2 weeks of age and weighing over 2 lbs

Worms Targeted: Roundworm, Hookworm, and Whipworm

The Drontal oral suspension is recommended for treating and controlling gastrointestinal worms in puppies and small dogs. It contains a powerful combination of febantel and pyrantel embonate, which show synergistic activity against roundworms, hookworms, and whipworms. It is to be noted that it is contraindicated for pregnant and lactating females.

Best Worm Treatment: Heartgard Plus Chewables

Dosage Type: Chewables

Active Ingredients: Ivermectin and Pyrantel

Suitable For: Dogs and puppies over 6 weeks of age and older

Worms Targeted: Immature Heartworm, Hookworm, and Roundworm

Heartgard Plus is a leading dewormer for preventing the deadly heartworm disease. It contains an effective combination of ivermectin and pyrantel that is effective against heartworm larvae (Dirofilaria immitis) and thus prevents heartworm disease. Moreover, the formula also kills intestinal hookworms and roundworms. The flavored chewable are very easy to administer to your pet and provide monthly protection against heartworms and endoparasites.

Best Broad Spectrum Dewormer: Sentinel

Dosage Type: Tablets

Active Ingredients: Milbemycin oxime and Lufenuron

Suitable For: Dogs and puppies over 4 weeks of age and weighing over 2 lbs

Worms Targeted: Immature Heartworm, Hookworm, Whipworm, and Roundworm

Sentinel contains unique ingredients like lufenuron and milbemycin oxime. This combination efficiently kills immature heartworm larvae and other gastrointestinal worms, including roundworms, whipworms, and hookworms. Additionally, Lufenuron prevents flea egg infestations by preventing flea eggs from hatching. It comes in a palatable, flavored tablet form that is delectable to your pets.

Best Flavored Dewormers for Dogs: Cazitel

Dosage Type: Tablets

Active Ingredients: Febantel, Pyrantel Embonate, and Praziquantel

Suitable For: Dogs and puppies over 2 weeks of age and older, weighing 4.4 lbs or more

Worms Targeted: Roundworms, Hookworms, Tapeworms, and Whipworms; controls shedding of Giardia occysts

Cazitel flavored tablets are dogs’ favorite dewormer medications. These delicious pork-flavored tablets are highly palatable and thus very easy to dose. They contain febantel, pyrantel embonate, and praziquantel as active ingredients helpful in treating different species of intestinal worms in dogs. It kills and controls roundworms, hookworms, tapeworms, and whipworms in dogs. Additionally, it controls the shedding of Giardia oocysts.

Best All-Rounder for All Parasites: NexGard Spectra

Dosage Type: Chewables

Active Ingredients: Afoxolaner and Milbemycin Oxime

Suitable For: Dogs and puppies over 8 weeks of age and older

Worms Targeted: Roundworms, Hookworms, and Whipworms,

Other Parasites Targeted: Fleas, Ticks, and Mites as well as prevent Heartworm Disease

NexGard Spectra is one of the best antiparasitic treatments for both ectoparasites and endoparasites. These chewables contain afoxolaner, a potent ectoparasiticide effective in eliminating external parasites such as fleas, ticks, and mites. Furthermore, it also contains milbemycin oxime, which exhibits endoparasitic action. It eliminates gastrointestinal worms, including roundworms, hookworms, and whipworms, and also prevents heartworm disease. 

Also Read: Top 5 Cat Dewormers

How Do These Worm Treatments for Dogs Work?

Conclusion: Which One Is The Best Worm Treatment for Dogs?

In general, the best worm treatments for your dog depend upon a variety of factors, such as the specific type of worms your dog has, the severity of the infestation, and your dog’s age and health condition. If your dog has a tapeworm infection, Droncit is the best dewormer. Similarly, if you are looking for a dewormer to prevent heartworm disease in your pet, then Heartgard Plus is the best available option. This way, the best dewormer for your dog entirely depends on your needs and requirements. Seek your vet’s advice for the most effective treatment or control of intestinal parasites in your pets.

However, when choosing the best dewormer for dogs, consider the ingredients and formulation of the treatment, as they affect the overall effectiveness and convenience of the product. Also, discuss it with a vet if the condition persists; they will be able to help you the best!