Puppy worming and parasite schedule

Australian practice follows the same fortnightly then monthly pattern as Europe. What makes Australia different is outside the gut: heartworm is present nationally and the paralysis tick on the east coast is a genuine killer, so both are part of the routine plan.

• Puplr could not find a published Australian national deworming schedule from the AVA or a government department. The worming intervals above are the ESCCAP guideline, which is the standard most Australian vets work from in practice.
• Hydatid tapeworm guidance specific to Australia is not sourced here. If your dog has access to livestock, offal or raw meat, ask your vet about praziquantel dosing.

Do dogs in Australia need heartworm prevention?

Yes. Australia is considered a low prevalence region for heartworm overall, with a hotspot detected in Queensland, but the published recommendation is still strict prevention according to the product label across the whole country, plus an annual heartworm test. Prevention is straightforward, treating an established infection is not.

What is the paralysis tick and does my dog need cover?

Ixodes holocyclus, found along the east coast from Lakes Entrance in Victoria up through New South Wales and Queensland to Cairns. It injects a toxin that causes ascending paralysis and it kills dogs. The critical detail for product choice is speed: the tick needs to be killed within about 72 hours of attaching, because toxin secretion accelerates after roughly the third day. If you live in or visit that strip of coast, this decides which product you buy.

Sources: ESCCAP UK and Ireland, deworming frequency advice · Mosquito borne heartworm Dirofilaria immitis in dogs from Australia, Parasites and Vectors · Efficacy against Ixodes holocyclus, Parasites and Vectors, for paralysis tick range, seasonality and the 72 hour threshold

American practice follows the Companion Animal Parasite Council, which uses fixed deworming ages rather than tying them to weaning, and then moves every dog onto a year round monthly broad spectrum preventive for life. Heartworm prevention is year round and starts no later than 8 weeks.

• CAPC anchors deworming to fixed ages, 2, 4, 6 and 8 weeks, rather than to weaning. If your puppy started late, CAPC's advice is to start the monthly preventive, deworm again two weeks later, then continue monthly.
• Many monthly products combine heartworm, intestinal worm, flea and tick cover, which is why your vet picks one product rather than four.

When should a puppy start heartworm prevention?

As early as the product label allows and no later than 8 weeks of age, according to the American Heartworm Society, and then year round for life. Heartworm has been diagnosed in all fifty states, with the heaviest burden in the southeast and the Mississippi River Valley. Annual testing continues even on year round prevention, because no product is perfect and a missed dose matters.

Does an indoor dog need parasite prevention?

Yes. CAPC's position is that all dogs should be on year round flea, tick and heartworm control regardless of lifestyle. Mosquitoes come indoors, fleas arrive on people and on other pets, and a flea population established in a house is far harder to clear than to prevent.

Sources: CAPC ascarid (roundworm) guideline · CAPC hookworm guideline · CAPC heartworm guideline · CAPC flea guideline · American Heartworm Society, heartworm basics

British practice follows ESCCAP UK: fortnightly worming from two weeks, monthly to six months, then at least four times a year. The two British specialities are lungworm, which ESCCAP UK says all dogs should be treated preventatively for, and the absence of heartworm.

• No heartworm. ESCCAP lists Dirofilaria immitis as a southern European parasite and does not list it as a British one. It only becomes relevant for dogs that travel to or come from endemic countries.
• Hydatid tapeworm is a real risk in mid Wales, the Welsh border, Herefordshire and the Western Isles of Scotland. High risk dogs in those areas should be wormed with a praziquantel product at least every six weeks.
• Dogs entering Great Britain need tapeworm treatment no less than 24 hours and no more than 5 days before arrival.

Do dogs in the UK need heartworm prevention?

Not for life in the UK. Heartworm, Dirofilaria immitis, is not endemic here. ESCCAP lists it as a southern and southeastern European parasite. It becomes relevant if your dog travels to an endemic country or was imported from one, in which case prevention and testing both need discussing with your vet before you go.

What is lungworm and does my puppy need cover?

Angiostrongylus vasorum, picked up by eating slugs and snails, including tiny ones hidden in grass or on toys left outside. ESCCAP UK considers it endemic throughout the UK though patchy, and says all dogs should be treated preventatively because it is easily prevented and serious when it is not. Puppies eat everything, which puts them squarely in the risk group. There is no lasting immunity after infection.

Sources: ESCCAP UK and Ireland, deworming frequency advice · ESCCAP UK and Ireland, worms · ESCCAP guideline 01, worm control in dogs and cats, 2026 edition · GOV.UK, take your pet abroad, tapeworm treatment on return

Canadian practice follows CAPC for intestinal worms, fleas and ticks. Heartworm is the difference: it is endemic in only a few southern regions and transmission is seasonal, so Canadian heartworm prevention is a summer program rather than a year round one.

• National canine heartworm seroprevalence in Canada has been measured at 0.42 percent, which is why prevention is targeted rather than universal.
• A dedicated Canadian national deworming schedule was not sourced. The intervals above are CAPC, which is the guideline Canadian practice generally follows.
• Lyme disease is endemic in parts of Manitoba, eastern Ontario, southern Quebec, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, which affects both tick product choice and whether the Lyme vaccine is worth discussing.

Does a Canadian dog need heartworm prevention all year?

Generally no. Canadian heartworm guidance is seasonal because transmission only happens in the four to six warmest months, roughly May to October, and prevention is typically given monthly from June to November in endemic regions. It is endemic in only a few areas: southern Manitoba, southwestern Ontario, southern Quebec, the Tracadie region of New Brunswick and the southern Okanagan Valley. Applying American year round advice in Canada is a common mistake, and the reverse mistake, skipping it in an endemic region, is the expensive one.

Sources: CAPC ascarid (roundworm) guideline · CAPC hookworm guideline · Western College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Saskatchewan, Dirofilaria immitis · Worms and Germs Blog, Ontario Veterinary College, seasonal canine heartworm prevention in Canada

New Zealand does not publish a national deworming schedule, so the intervals below are the ESCCAP guideline that most vets work from. Heartworm has not been found in dogs resident in New Zealand, so it is not part of the routine plan.

• No heartworm prevention is routinely needed. New Zealand government veterinary surveillance reported that heartworm has been detected only in dogs recently brought into the country, never in resident dogs. That publication is from 1990, so it is old, and suitable mosquito vectors do exist here. Confirm current advice with your vet, particularly for an imported dog.
• Puplr could not find an NZVA, MPI or SPCA deworming schedule. The intervals above are the ESCCAP guideline, labelled as such rather than presented as a New Zealand rule.
• Hydatid tapeworm guidance specific to New Zealand is not sourced here. If your dog has access to livestock, offal or raw meat, ask your vet about praziquantel.

Do dogs in New Zealand need heartworm prevention?

Not routinely. New Zealand government veterinary surveillance reported that canine heartworm has been detected here only in dogs recently introduced from countries where it is endemic, and never in resident dogs. The caveat is that the publication is from 1990 and mosquito species capable of transmitting it do live here, so establishment is considered possible. If your dog is imported or travelling, raise it with your vet.

Sources: ESCCAP UK and Ireland, deworming frequency advice · MAF Surveillance 17(4), 1990, canine heartworm in New Zealand · NZVA position statement, leptospirosis management