Virtually all puppies and kittens are born with worms or get them soon after birth. While the worms you see may be unpleasant, they rarely cause anything worse than a little diarrhea or vomiting. Since specific medicines are necessary to treat each type of worm, you'll want to see your vet, says Dr. Willard. In addition, here's what you can do to ease the symptoms and also to prevent the problem in the future. For Dogs and Cats Worm them young.
Vets advise worming puppies and kittens as young as six weeks.
Finish the fleas. Most pets that have tapeworms got them originally from infected fleas, which they swallowed during their normal grooming. While there are medications that will eliminate tapeworms, it's also important to eliminate the fleas that cause them, says Michael Dryden, D.V.M., Ph.D., associate professor of veterinary parasitology at the Kansas State University College of Veterinary Medicine in Manhattan, Kansas. A variety of flea sprays and powders are available. Vets often recommend those containing D-limonene or pyrethrins, which are effective and less toxic than some other insecticides.