Side Effects of Drontal Plus for Canines

If your dog has worms, you want them out of him as soon as possible. Drontal Plus is one dewormer that can do the trick. Side effects of Drontal Plus for canines are generally minimal. Bring your dog's fresh stool sample beforehand to the vet so she can determine which worms are infesting your pet and estimate a possible worm load.

A broad-spectrum dewormer manufactured by Bayer Animal Health, Drontal Plus gets rid of various forms of tapeworm infection in the dog. It also eliminates roundworms, hookworms and whipworms. Usually, just one dose is sufficient to eradicate these parasites.

Drontal Plus contains the anthelmintics praziquantel, pyrantel pamoate and febantel. The latter is contraindicated for use in certain dogs. Drontal Plus is generally given in tablet form, which most dogs find palatable. Bring a fresh stool sample to your vet about two to four weeks after your dog receives the dewormer so she can determine whether any worms remain.

Most dogs tolerate Drontal Plus very well. According to the U.S. Food and Drugs Administration's New Animal Drug Application approval, "The clinical veterinarians rated overall safety as excellent." Some dogs might experience nausea after receiving the dewormer in tablet form.

It's normal for you to see dead worms in your dog's stool after he receives Drontal Plus. If your vet injects a dog with Drontal Plus, prepare for your pet to feel more uncomfortable afterward than with most shots. He might whimper in pain or scratch at the injection site, but the shot just stings more than most. If you accidentally overdose your dog, he might vomit or experience diarrhea, or lose his appetite.

A puppy or dog with a huge worm load could suffer a bowl impaction after receiving Drontal Plus. If your dog doesn't have a bowel movement within 24 hours after receiving Drontal Plus, contact your veterinarian. The sheer number of worms dying off can block his bowels. That's especially true of roundworms, among the most common worms in puppies. These worms, as long as 4 inches, look like spaghetti. Canines with large loads might throw up worms in vomit or cough them up from their lungs.

Don't deworm your dog with Drontal Plus if you know or suspect she's pregnant. The drug can cause abortion or defects in the fetuses. Puppies under 4 weeks of age should not receive Drontal Plus, nor should any puppy weighing less than 2 pounds. If your dog has been diagnosed with heartworm disease, he should not receive Drontal Plus. If your dog is on a monthly topical or oral heartworm preventive, that medication will eradicate the same parasites as Drontal Plus with the exception of tapeworms.