# De-worming questions/ advice



## ashduke11 (Jan 6, 2011)

I just got two 5 week old lab puppies and they haven't been de-wormed or vaccinated yet. I went to tractor supply store and told the lady I needed dewomer for 5 wk lab pups and she gave me D-Worm combo broad spectrum de-womer for puppies and small dogs 6-25 lbs. The directions say: for the removal of worms in puppies and small dogs weighing 6 to 25 lbs. administer these tablets according to the weight of the animal. Then at the bottom it says: Note, recommended for dogs 12 weeks of age and older.
So I'm wondering if these will be safe to use for my fat lab pups or should I try to return them? Has anyone used these on large breed dog pups under 12 weeks? Any help would be appreciated. Thanks


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## Willowy (Dec 10, 2007)

Those puppies are very young. Much too young to be away from their mother and littermates (should be at least 8 weeks old). You really have your work cut out for you now--there's a lot of doggy education they receive in those last 3 weeks, and their immunities may not be quite as strong as they would be if they were fully weaned.

I would suggest a vet visit as soon as possible. Your vet can give you a safe dewormer. I would definitely not give them D-Worm. . .praziquantel is a strong dewormer and would not be safe at their age. Pyrantel pamoate is the usual dewormer used for young pups.


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## ashduke11 (Jan 6, 2011)

Yes I know they are very young. They have been away from their mother for about a week and a half- two weeks already. And are completely weaned. They come from a litter of 10 so they were wearing the mother out. I personally agree with the 8 weaks but everyone I've talked to who breeds labs says that they do tend to wean very quickly and are typically ahead of the other breeds with such. I plan on taking them to the vet tomorrow but I was hoping to be able to save some money on the wormer since vets usually charge an arm and a leg for everything but I want everything to be safe for them at the same time. Thanks for the advice


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## Willowy (Dec 10, 2007)

It's not all about the weaning. . .they learn a lot from their mother. Bite inhibition is a big one, and especially with Labs, you might have a big problem with that. Read "the bite stops here" sticky at the top of the "first time dog owners" forum. There are other "doggie lessons" their mother teaches them as well, it will take extra socialization to overcome that. Plus, when raising 2 pups at once, you have to be careful to train them separately, and take steps to make sure they don't bond too deeply with each other. 

I don't know what your vet is like, but my vet doesn't charge much for de-wormer. So that shouldn't add too much to the total bill. Have fun!


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## DJEtzel (Dec 28, 2009)

They wean far before they should leave their mom, that isn't uncommon. Like Willowy said, they learn bite inhibition and a LOT of social skills from litter mates and mom. 

You DO have your work cut out for you, and no, that wormer will not be safe, they need to see a vet.


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## xxxxdogdragoness (Jul 22, 2010)

I'm glad I didn't make a new thread about this lol. I also have a worming question, I have a dog wormer that I use on my older dog, Izze that a breeder friend made for me a while ago, I give it to her every month. Jo is almost 6 months old (she was born Oct 2010) would it be ok to start giving her this wormer as well? Or should I wait until she is a tad older?

I also have generic flea preventive that I use on Izze & it works very well (its bio spot I think) would it be ok to get Jo the appropriate weight dose & use it?


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## Labmom4 (Feb 1, 2011)

Oh my gosh. They've been away from mom for almost 2 weeks and they're only 5 weeks old??!! Did I read that right? I'd better just shut my mouth now because I'm about to fly off the handle. Not at you, but the 'breeder'. Good luck with these babies, you've got your hands very full.


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## Willowy (Dec 10, 2007)

dogdragoness said:


> I'm glad I didn't make a new thread about this lol. I also have a worming question, I have a dog wormer that I use on my older dog, Izze that a breeder friend made for me a while ago, I give it to her every month. Jo is almost 6 months old (she was born Oct 2010) would it be ok to start giving her this wormer as well? Or should I wait until she is a tad older?
> 
> I also have generic flea preventive that I use on Izze & it works very well (its bio spot I think) would it be ok to get Jo the appropriate weight dose & use it?


 What brand is the de-wormer? Do your dogs get heartworm prevention? If so, what brand?


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## xxxxdogdragoness (Jul 22, 2010)

I don't know what kind of wormer it is, a breeder friend made it for me. But it is a broad spectrum wormer.
Yes they get HW preventative heart guard.


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## Willowy (Dec 10, 2007)

dogdragoness said:


> I don't know what kind of wormer it is, a breeder friend made it for me. But it is a broad spectrum wormer.
> Yes they get HW preventative heart guard.


Heartgard Plus already has broad-spectrum de-wormer in it. You don't want to overdo it.

I don't think people can "make" their own de-wormer. What does it look like?


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## ChaosIsAWeim (Feb 12, 2011)

Maybe the breeder friend, mixes wormers, like I do. I mix nemex with ivermectin. Cheaper than buying wormer and heartworm medication, and yes I know how to dilute it. I know plenty of other breeder friends of mine that use this method. 

To the OP: Yeah I would not give that wormer to these young puppies. I would wait and talk to your vet. At 5 weeks my puppies just get nemex in a little syringe, amount based on their weight. 

Even if they are weaned, they still can not leave the littermates till 8 weeks. In those three weeks, they need to learn bite inhibition, just having one sibling is not sufficient enough to teach this, and since you agreed to take them way too early, you are going to have to pick up the slack. They also learn vital social skills, so you will really have to socialize them as much as possible. 

And taking two puppies at once, you will find out can be very difficult. As the puppies generally want to bond with each other and not you. You will have to do everything with them separate. Keep them in separate crates, train them separately, walk them separately, etc.


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## xxxxdogdragoness (Jul 22, 2010)

Chaos>> yes I believe he does this same thing, he gets all his meds such as wormer from his vet I believe. I know heartguard is a broad spec wormer but I always worry with all the nasty things they smell & sometimes eat LMBO. Perhaps I'm being an overly worry wart mom.


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