Deworming
Parasite prevention and socialization, and why the two pull against each other. Every treatment your puppy has had before Go Home Day, and what to do after.
Understanding the risks, and our approach
Puppies are, by nature, very young and vulnerable. We work hard to protect them from germs — but our socialization process, which includes taking puppies outside for potty training, exposes them to the elements and to potential parasites. We believe teaching puppies to go potty outdoors is important for their development even though it increases that exposure. Sometimes it means a puppy picks something up outside despite our best efforts.
Our commitment to parasite prevention
The chart below shows the measures we take to safeguard your puppy. Our program includes several treatments designed to prevent the parasites puppies most commonly pick up. At every veterinary check we collect a fecal sample to monitor their health, and we work to send every puppy home free of worms and giardia. Those are the parasites we routinely test for.
Puppy parasite prevention schedule
| Age | Treatment |
|---|---|
| 2 weeks before birth | Mom receives a 5-day Safeguard treatment (dewormer) |
| 3 weeks | Deworming with Panacur |
| 5 weeks | Deworming with Panacur |
| 5 weeks | “Campy water” added to the daily routine — Campylobacter prevention with Tylan Soluble Powder |
| 7 weeks | Deworming and giardia treatment: Safeguard, 7-day dosage |
| 7 weeks | Veterinary exam, fecal float, and one dose of Toltrazuril for coccidia prevention |
| 8 weeks | Go Home Day. Follow up with your own vet to continue dewormer at 12 and 16 weeks. |
About giardia — what you should know
Giardia is increasingly common in puppies. They pass it to each other easily because they share water and food bowls and put everything they find in their mouths. Here is what we have learned, and we keep learning.
- Giardia is a microscopic parasite, invisible to the naked eye and present in most environments — especially anywhere wildlife has been. Puppies pass it back and forth by sharing bowls.
- Mother dogs can carry giardia without any symptoms and pass it to their puppies. It lives in the gut and can lie dormant even after treatment, and some dogs are resistant to treatment altogether.
- Stress in the gut — moving to a new home, starting crate training — can make giardia flourish even when it was recently cleared. So we cannot guarantee a puppy will never contract it. What we can guarantee is our dedication to avoiding, preventing and treating it.
- Supporting your puppy’s gut is what matters most. We deworm at seven weeks and test their stool before they leave. We recommend probiotics and a spoon of pumpkin puree in their kibble for the first week or two.
- If you have other pets, a new puppy always carries some risk of introducing parasites both ways. Keep them separated for the first week — social interaction is fine, but don’t share bedding, food or water bowls yet.
Loose stool in the first couple of weeks is common and is usually the gut reacting to the move, not a sign that something is wrong. Keep to the probiotic, keep to the schedule, and call your vet if it persists or if your puppy is lethargic or off their food.
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