How often you need to deworm your pet depends on how you protect it

Cats and dogs need regular deworming, say vets, but how often is "regular"? This all depends on their lifestyle and how much you are using other methods to limit the chances they will get worms.

If you're wondering how often to deworm your pet, then consider the recommendations of veterinary parasitologists - and also the following questions:

Does it run freely? Does it hunt? Does it eat carrion or faeces? All that can help you decide whether you need to give your pet worm medicine once a month or closer to once a year.

Outdoor cats naturally have a higher risk of picking up worms than house pets and that also applies to dogs that run free, go hunting or are fed raw meat.

Puddles too are a possible source as pets can pick up parasites and worm eggs through the excretions of other animals when drinking. These include bacteria from the urine of mice and rats, which can cause the potentially life-threatening infectious disease leptospirosis.

Unvaccinated dogs are particularly at risk. Typical signs of infection are fever, loss of appetite, diarrhoea, vomiting, nosebleeds circulatory problems, and yellowish mucous membranes.

But how can you stop your dog from drinking from the puddle? It's important to always watch your animal and stop it with a "no" command.

Try always having an alternative for the dog, such as a bottle of clean water to offer it. If you don't have any water with you, flowing water from a stream or river is a lower-risk drinking alternative because pollutant concentrations are usually lower.

Possible side effects of a worming treatment are vomiting or diarrhoea - but the positive aspects of a worming treatment outweigh the disadvantages.

"You should essentially be following the recommendations of ESCCAP, a European association of veterinary parasitologists," says vet Ralph Rückert, pointing to the association's online guidelines for pet owners.