Dealing with parasites are a very normal part of pet ownership. Even if your pets never go outside, there’s still plenty of opportunity for infection. It’s just the nature of the world we live in; there are organisms everywhere, and some of them are looking for a larger organism on which to feed.
The way we typically interface with parasitic pests is in the form of fleas and ticks. Every dog and cat owner knows they must treat their homes and animals regularly to prevent infestations of fleas or potentially deadly tick bites. We previously discussed the best flea and tick treatments for dogs here if you happen to be dealing with that problem at the moment.
There is another, in some ways more sinister, set of parasites that can infect your dog: worms. As a matter of fact, it is extremely common for puppies to have worms to the point that nearly all puppies should be dewormed to be on the safe side, according to WebMD.
Generally speaking, this tends to be an infection of roundworms, which are often transmitted in utero. Puppy deworming should be done in stages according to your vet’s advice. One general outline is once at three weeks, once at eight weeks, and once at 12 weeks. Follow the instructions of the product you choose in tandem with professional guidance for best results.
Additionally, there are plenty of other worms your dog can pick up from a variety of sources. Hookworm and whipworm larvae can be picked up from soil, while tapeworms come from eating other creatures, like rodents and fleas. Heartworms are slightly different in that they are transmitted via mosquito bites and therefore require regular, monthly medication throughout the course of your dog’s life whereas other worms can be treated on an acute, case-by-case basis. For this post, we’ll focus on treatments for roundworms, hookworms, whipworms, and tapeworms. Your vet will be able to provide a monthly dose of heartworm prevention.
To that end, there are several deworming treatments for you to consider. They run the gamut on price and target slightly different worms. Some can take care of all types of worm infections, while others focus on just a few. We’ve compiled this list to give you at-a-glance options. Some use natural herbal remedies that might be preferable to some, while others are specifically-created formulas.
We’ve also made it clear what form the medication takes, in case your dog is more likely to accept one form over another. This post is especially meant for folks for whom the vet is not readily accessible, or for frequently-recurring issues. More than being a definitive list of every solution, we’ve created this post to highlight the convenience of ordering dog dewormer medication online and to bring together the most popular options for comparison.
As with any medication, your best bet will always be to consult your veterinarian. While common, dog worms are serious and can easily lead to death. While you consider your dog dewormer options, you can also learn more about each type of worm on PetMD.
If your dog is struggling with worms, check out our ten best dog dewormer medications to get them back on the path to health.
1. Pro-Sense Dog Dewormer Solutions
Pro-Sense
Effective against the four common types of worms, this treatment relies on the active ingredient of Safe-Guard, or fenbenzadole. The medication takes the form of powder that can be sprinkled onto normal food once per day. This box is rather inexpensive, but is only a three-day course of treatment for dogs up to 10 pounds, with one gram of treatment per packet.
For larger dogs, use the following daily dosage guide, which may require the purchase of the larger packet size for dogs up to 40 pounds. Each of these should be given for three straight days:
- 10 pounds: One gram
- 11 to 20 pounds: Two grams
- 21 to 30 pounds: Three grams
- 31 to 40 pounds: Four grams
- 41 to 50 pounds: Five grams
- 51 to 60 pounds: Six grams
- 61 to 80 pounds: Eight grams
- 80 pounds and up: Combine dosages for lesser weights to the proper combination
A similar formulation is available from Excel in a wider variety of package sizes, if you prefer, though the pricing isn’t as consistent as this Pro-Sense offering.
Price: $7.09 to $11.49
Buy the Pro-Sense Dog Dewormer Solutions here.
Details:
- Worms treated: Tapeworms (Taenia only), roundworms, hookworms, whipworms
- Form: Powder
- Active Ingredient: Fenbendazole
- Dosage and size: Three one gram pouches; each pouch treats 10 lbs. of dog weight (larger size available here)
Find more Pro-Sense Dog Dewormer Solutions information and reviews here.
2. Durvet 2x Liquid Wormer
Durvet
Being that roundworms are the most common, you might want a medication that focuses primarily on those. This is a good option for normal puppy deworming, as this liquid formulation is very palatable and readily accepted by most dogs. For this price, you get 60 millimeters of wormer, which is equal to 12 of the smallest dose of one tablespoon or one dose for a 120 pound dog.
This can also be given monthly to prevent recurrence for dogs in environments where roundworms and hookworms are prevalent. Durvet also makes a tablet-based option that removes tapeworms, as well.
Price: $11.67
Buy the Durvet 2x Liquid Wormer here.
Details:
- Worms treated: Roundworms and hookworms
- Form: Liquid
- Active Ingredient: Pyrantel pamoate
- Dosage and size: 5mL per 10 lbs. of dog weight; up to 12 doses per bottle
Find more Durvet 2x Liquid Wormer information and reviews here.
3. Bayer Quad Chewable Dewormer
Bayer
This formula from Bayer combines three different compounds to address infections by all four major worm types. It takes the form of either two or four beef flavored tablets that your dog can chew. You won’t have to combine dosages or measure spoonfuls as you might with some of the other options on this list.
Bayer makes Advantix II, which we compared to Frontline in this post, so if you already use that product and trust it, you might be inclined to choose this, too. The dosage and formulation for this medication is as follows:
- Two to four pounds: 0.5 tablets of puppy and small dog formula
- Five to seven pounds: One tablet of puppy and small dog formula
- Eight to 12 pounds: 1.5 tablets of puppy and small dog formula
- 13 to 18 pounds: Two tablets of puppy and small dog formula
- 19 to 25 pounds: 2.5 tablets of puppy and small dog formula
- 26 to 30 pounds: One tablet of medium dog formula
- 31 to 44 pounds: 1.5 tablets of medium dog formula
- 45 to 60 pounds: Two tablets of medium dog formula or one tablet of large dog formula
- 61 to 90 pounds: 1.5 tablets of large dog formula
- 90 to 120 pounds: Two tablets of large dog formula
Price: $19.99 to $44.99
Buy the Bayer Quad Chewable Dewormer here.
Details:
- Worms treated: Tapeworms, roundworms, hookworms, whipworms
- Form: Chewable tablets
- Active Ingredient: Pyrantel pamoate, praziquantel, febantel
- Dosage and size: Two to four tablets, depending on the dog size
Find more Bayer Quad Chewable Dewormer information and reviews here.
4. Merck Panacur C Canine Dewormer
Merck
While this product uses the same active ingredient and comes in the same formulation as the Pro-Sense above, there could be two reasons why you’d opt for this one. First, Panacur is available in three different sizes, each containing three packets: this four gram size, a two gram size and aone gram size.
The boxes are color coded, which may make ready identification easier when mixing the proper dose to match your dog’s weight. Second, some folks find that some brands work better than others. I personally used Panacur for my husky mix and it did the job perfectly. If the Pro-Sense doesn’t work reliably for you, consider trying this version instead. As with the Pro-Sense, the dosage information is:
- 10 pounds: One gram
- 11 to 20 pounds: Two grams
- 21 to 30 pounds: Three grams
- 31 to 40 pounds: Four grams
- 41 to 50 pounds: Five grams
- 51 to 60 pounds: Six grams
- 61 to 80 pounds: Eight grams
- 80 pounds and up: Combine dosages for lesser weights to the proper combination
Price: $7.41 to $12.99
Buy the Merck Panacur C Canine Dewormer here.
Details:
- Worms treated: Tapeworms (Taenia only), roundworms, hookworms, whipworms
- Form: Powder
- Active Ingredient: Fenbendazole
- Dosage and size: Three four gram pouches; each pouch treats 10 lbs. of dog weight (one gram size here, two gram size here)
Find more Merck Panacur C Canine Dewormer information and reviews here.
5. Sentry Worm X Plus 7 Way DeWormer
Sentry
As we’ve indicated above, if you look at the instructions for the Pro-Sense and Panacur above, you’ll see that while it kills one form of tapeworm, the Taenia species, it doesn’t kill another prevalent species, Dipylidium caninum. The Bayer dewormer above removes the second of these, but also takes care of whipworm, as well, thanks to the addition of febantel.
If you aren’t having a problem with whipworms in your environment, you can save a little bit of money by opting for this formulation, which also kills both forms of prevalent tapeworms, in addition to roundworms and hookworms. While a box of the Bayer includes two to four doses per package for dogs over six pounds starting at $19.99, Sentry gives you up to six doses for just over $15.
Similarly, the large dog formulation is equally inexpensive with up to six doses for under $30. If you don’t need quite that many doses, they also sell two tablet packages, though they aren’t as cost effective. Again, you’re giving up effectiveness for whipworms compared to the Bayer option, but if you only want to treat the problem you have, you can save a few bucks.
Here are the dosing instructions:
Small dogs:
- Six to 12 pounds: 1 tablet
- 12 to 25 pounds: 2 tablets
Large dogs:
- 25.1 to 50 pounds: One tablet
- 50.1 to 100 pounds: Two tablets
- 100.1 pounds to 150 pounds: Three tablets
- 150.1 to 200 pounds: Four tablets
Price: $15.40 to $27.98
Buy the Sentry Worm X Plus 7 Way DeWormer here.
Details:
- Worms treated: Tapeworms, roundworms, hookworms
- Form: Chewable tablets
- Active Ingredient: Pyrantel pamoate and praziquantel
- Dosage and size: Six doses per package for dogs up to 12 pounds, three for dogs 12 to 25 pounds (larger size available here)
Find more Sentry Worm X Plus 7 Way DeWormer information and reviews here.
6. PetArmor Sure Shot 2X
PetArmor
Along the same line of thinking economically, this PetArmor liquid formula competes directly with the Durvet above. Certainly, the Durvet product is far more popular and requested, but this uses the same active ingredient at the same dosage and is about four dollars less per bottle. Even better, if you add it to your Subscribe & Save via Amazon, you can cut the price up to 15 percent further.
The PetArmor product we put on our flea and tick post sells very well, so we have no reason to believe this would be any less effective than the Durvet.
Price: $7.39
Buy the PetArmor Sure Shot 2X here.
Details:
- Worms treated: Roundworms and hookworms
- Form: Liquid
- Active Ingredient: Pyrantel pamoate
- Dosage and size: 5mL per 10 lbs. of dog weight; up to 12 doses per bottle
Find more PetArmor Sure Shot 2X information and reviews here.
7. Virbac Virbantel Flavored Chewable Tablets
Virbac
If you have a lot of dogs, are a breeder, have a frequently-recurring issue, or just want to treat over a long period of time, you’ll want to go with a much larger count package. We’ve featured products from Virbac on both our best toothpaste post and best dog anxiety products post because they make quality medications that are very effective.
This is the same formulation as the Sentry above, just available in a much larger quantity of pork liver flavored chewables. This product is also the same as Bayer’s Drontal brand name medication, but like the PetArmor above, is available via Subscribe & Save so you can get the price down a bit more. Again, the dosing guidelines are:
Small dogs (available here):
- Six to 12 pounds: 1 tablet
- 12 to 25 pounds: 2 tablets
Large dogs:
- 25.1 to 50 pounds: One tablet
- 50.1 to 100 pounds: Two tablets
- 100.1 pounds to 150 pounds: Three tablets
- 150.1 to 200 pounds: Four tablets
Price: $189.97 to $279.95
Buy the Virbac Virbantel Flavored Chewable Tablets here.
Details:
- Worms treated: Tapeworms, roundworms, hookworms
- Form: Chewable tablets
- Active Ingredient: Pyrantel pamoate and praziquantel
- Dosage and size: Up to 50 doses per package
Find more Virbac Virbantel Flavored Chewable Tablets information and reviews here.
Natural Dog Dewormer Options
Some folks are very resistant to using what could be perceived as harsh chemical formulas on their pets. Though effective, they just don’t jive with some people’s approach. If you find yourself in this camp, you can try some of these natural remedies, which may possibly be effective at preventing worm infestations. Generally speaking, these are not meant to deworm a dog who already has worms, but it’s possible that these could prevent worms in some situations. As always, follow the advice of your vet and don’t be afraid to switch to one of the products above if your dog’s condition does not improve.
8. Pet Wellbeing GI Clean Up Gold
Pet Wellbeing
Rather than kill worms in the GI tract, this product aims to foster your dog’s ability to flush them out and discourage their attachment. This is achieved through a variety of herbs and plant-derived products, all of which are aimed at keeping the tract healthy and aiding normal digestion.
By promoting a proper environment in the gut, it may be possible to disrupt parasite reproductive cycles and thereby disrupt the recurrence of infection. It’s also bacon flavored, so your dog will probably love it either way. They stress that this is better as a preventative and is unlikely to resolve an acute case of worms. Dosing requires one drop per pound of your dog.
Price: $37.95
Buy the Pet Wellbeing GI Clean Up Gold here.
Details:
- Worms treated: Tapeworms, roundworms, hookworms, whipworms
- Form: Liquid
- Active Ingredient: Pumpkin seed, slippery elm bark, quassia wood, triphala blend, pomegranate fruit, fennel seed, Oregon grape root, prickly ash bark, thyme, clove, ginger, propolis, bromelain
- Dosage and size: One drop per pound of dog
Find more Pet Wellbeing GI Clean Up Gold information and reviews here.
9. HomeoPet Wrm Clear
HomeoPet
As the name implies, this is a homeopathic remedy, combining HPUS formulations of compounds meant to remove all the major worms. All the compounds in this are well known to the homeopathic community and create an inhospitable environment for worm life cycles within the body.
It doesn’t kill them, but rather flushes them from the body, which means you could continue to see worms in your dog’s feces for up to four weeks after beginning treatment. After the last dose, it is claimed to work for up to two months. Compared to the option above, it’s less of a financial commitment to try, so if you want to try a natural approach first, this could be a good option for you.
The dose guidelines are as follows, given three times per day:
- One to 20 pounds: Five drops
- 21 to 60 pounds: 10 drops
- 61 to 100 pounds: 15 drops
- Over 100 pounds: 20 drops
Price: $10.36
Buy the HomeoPet Wrm Clear here.
Details:
- Worms treated: Tapeworms, roundworms, hookworms, whipworms
- Form: Liquid
- Active Ingredient: Multiple, including Natrum muriaticum (common salt), Natrum phophoricum (sodium phosphate), Arsenicum album, and Nux vomica
- Dosage and size: 450-475 drops per bottle; 3-4 weeks worth for dogs up to 20 pounds, 10-13 days for dogs between 20 and 100 pounds
Find more HomeoPet Wrm Clear information and reviews here.
10. NaturPet D Wormer
NaturPet
Finally, this product uses two plant compounds known to be effective especially for roundworms and tapeworms. Wormwood and black walnut have some history of being used in this way, and are the leading two ingredients in this formula. According to the description in the Pet Wellness product above, they are also associated with toxicity in dogs, but at this volume, that is unlikely to be an issue.
This product claims to be effective within one week, so your dog’s exposure to these compounds is likely to be limited. Again, likely better as a maintenance product as opposed to solving an acute condition, but may still be worth trying.
Here is the dosing guideline, which represents what must be given twice a day:
- Up to 25 pounds: One milliliter
- 26 to 50 pounds: Two milliliters
- 51 to 75 pounds: Three milliliters
- Over 76 pounds: Four milliliters
Price: $29.99
Buy the NaturPet D Wormer here.
Details:
- Worms treated: Pinworm, roundworm, giardia, tapeworm, whipworm, ringworm
- Form: Liquid
- Active Ingredient: Wormwood herb, black walnut hull, black seed, sage, fennel seed, papaya leaf
- Dosage and size: Up to 100 doses at 100 mL
Find more NaturPet D Wormer information and reviews here.
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