Worming a puppy or a kitten
When to start, how often, and until when: what ESCCAP's guideline recommends for puppies and kittens, and how to keep track of the treatment once you have your vet's plan.
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These are indicative bearings from ESCCAP's guideline on worm control in dogs and cats. The product and the rhythm depend on age, lifestyle and region: your vet always has the final say.
How often should a puppy or kitten be wormed?
| Who | ESCCAP recommendation |
|---|---|
| Puppy | first treatment on the 14th day after birth, then every 2 weeks until 2 weeks after weaning |
| Kitten | first treatment at 3 weeks of age, then every 2 weeks until 2 weeks after weaning |
| Nursing mother | treated at the same time as the first treatment of her young |
| Young animal up to 6 months, if the risk of infection stays high (puppy playgroups, free roaming) | monthly, up to 6 months of age |
| Adult living indoors, or with very limited outdoor access | 1 to 2 times a year, or a faecal examination with treatment according to the findings |
| Adult with regular outdoor access | 4 to 12 times a year, depending on the individual risk |
| Home with small children, depending on the risk assessment | once a month, or a faecal examination once a month with treatment according to the findings |
Source: ESCCAP UK & Ireland, Guideline 01, Worm Control in Dogs and Cats (7th edition, June 2025): the roundworm recommendations for puppies and kittens, the risk-group tables for adults and the table for homes with small children. For the kitten, the guideline's table says "until weaning" and its text says "until two weeks after weaning": we keep the more cautious limit. ESCCAP UK & Ireland's advice for pet owners is that the worming product, and how often it is given, should be tailored to the pet's lifestyle and risk factors with your vet.
When does a kitten get its first worming treatment?
At 3 weeks of age. ESCCAP's guideline explains that because prenatal infection does not occur in kittens, treatment can begin at 3 weeks and be repeated every 2 weeks. A puppy starts earlier, from 14 days old.
Why are puppies and kittens wormed so early and so often?
According to the ESCCAP guideline, a puppy can be infected with roundworms (Toxocara) before birth: larvae cross the placenta from about the 42nd day of pregnancy, and later reach the puppy through the milk. A kitten can be infected through the milk. The guideline adds that heavily infected puppies may become seriously ill before a faecal examination can show the infection. In young animals a higher burden may appear as emaciation and a pot-bellied appearance, occasionally with pneumonia, and large numbers of worms may cause an intestinal blockage.
The guideline also gives a reason for treating often: the time between swallowing infective eggs and passing new eggs is a little over four weeks, so monthly treatment minimises the risk of an animal passing eggs.
Can worms from a puppy or kitten affect people?
ESCCAP's fact sheet on Toxocara says roundworms of dogs and cats have zoonotic potential: after eggs or infected meat are swallowed, the larvae may migrate through the body (larva migrans), which can have serious consequences for human health. Infective eggs in contaminated soil or on vegetables can infect people and animals, and the fact sheet calls regular collection and disposal of faeces a very important measure. That is why the recommendations are stricter for a home with small children (the table above). In its chapter on owner considerations in preventing zoonotic diseases, the guideline lists good personal hygiene, particularly washing hands after handling pets and before eating, and keeping children's exposure to potentially contaminated environments low.
Does a puppy need worming if it looks healthy?
The guideline says that in adult animals, infections are extremely unlikely to be associated with clinical signs, so it is difficult to tell whether a dog is infected unless regular faecal examinations are done. For an adult, it describes faecal examinations at suitable intervals, followed by treatment when eggs are found, as an alternative to repeated treatments, and warns that a negative result does not prove the animal is free of infection (for example a recent infection, or eggs below the detection limit). Between examinations, the excretion of infective eggs is still possible. For a puppy it is not offered as a substitute: heavily infected puppies can be seriously ill before a faecal examination shows anything. Your vet decides which approach suits your animal.
What is the difference between worming and flea treatment?
ESCCAP publishes its recommendations on worms and on external parasites as separate guidelines: Guideline 1 on worm control and Guideline 3 on control of ectoparasites. The two meet at one point in the worm guideline: fleas can carry the tapeworm Dipylidium, and when a flea or chewing-louse infestation is established the guideline recommends a single treatment against that tapeworm. Whether your animal needs one product or two is a question for your vet.
How will AnimaPulse help me keep track of worming?
Enter the treatment in AnimaPulse once, with its rhythm: every 2 weeks, for example. The app reminds you on the day a treatment is due, and when you mark the dose done it reschedules the next one from today's date, not from a theoretical one nobody is following any more.
Frequently asked questions
When should a puppy be wormed for the first time?
According to ESCCAP's guideline, on the 14th day after birth, then every 2 weeks until 2 weeks after weaning. The mother is treated at the same time as the first treatment of her puppies.
How often should a puppy be wormed?
Every 2 weeks until 2 weeks after weaning. If the risk of infection stays high, for example in a puppy playgroup, monthly treatment follows up to 6 months of age. For an adult, ESCCAP describes a range of 1 to 12 treatments a year depending on risk and lifestyle (see the table above); your vet fixes the frequency for your animal.
When can a kitten be wormed for the first time?
At 3 weeks of age, then every 2 weeks until 2 weeks after weaning (the guideline's table says "until weaning" and its text "until two weeks after weaning": we keep the more cautious limit). Monthly treatment up to 6 months of age is recommended if the risk of infection stays high, for example in a kitten that roams free.
Can I use a stool test instead of worming?
For an adult, ESCCAP describes faecal examinations at suitable intervals, followed by treatment when eggs are found, as an alternative to repeated treatments, with the caution that a negative result does not rule out infection. It does not offer it as a substitute for a young puppy: heavily infected puppies can be seriously ill before a faecal examination shows the infection. Ask your vet.
Is worming part of the vaccination schedule?
Vaccination has its own schedule, set out on the dog vaccination schedule page: in AnimaPulse's UK reference scheme the core dog combination is given at 8 and 11 weeks.
Sources
- ESCCAP UK & Ireland, Guideline 01, Worm Control in Dogs and Cats: 7th edition, June 2025, the English-language guideline (PDF)
- ESCCAP, Toxocara infection in dogs and cats: fact sheet FS7 (PDF)
- ESCCAP UK & Ireland, Worms: advice for pet owners (page of the organisation)
- ESCCAP UK & Ireland, Guidelines: list of the guidelines (page of the organisation)
Every deworming dose, tracked
For a repeating treatment, AnimaPulse counts the next date from the dose you mark as done and reminds you on the day.
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Page updated on 11 November 2026.