Which deworming tablet should you buy for your dog?

How to check a dog dewormer covers all four common worms, compare the price per dose, and stop worms coming back. With Hyderabad prices.
By Cuddle Paws Co
6 min read
A young short-haired indie dog standing on wet grass in a city park after rain, whole body in frame, looking calmly towards the camera.

Choose a tablet that covers all four common worms. Turn the box over and check it lists three medicines: pyrantel, praziquantel, and either febantel or fenbendazole. If one is missing, the tablet misses a worm. Then give the dose for your dog's weight, not one tablet for every dog.

Key Takeaways

  • Check the back of the box for pyrantel, praziquantel, and febantel or fenbendazole. Together they cover all four common worms.
  • Compare the price per dose for your dog's weight, not the price per pack.
  • Pick up after your dog the same day. It stops roundworm eggs becoming infectious.

Check the back of the box

The four common worms in dogs are roundworm, hookworm, whipworm and tapeworm. Each medicine only covers some of them:

  • Pyrantel covers roundworm and hookworm.
  • Praziquantel covers tapeworm.
  • Febantel or fenbendazole covers whipworm.

So a tablet needs all three to cover all four worms. A tablet with pyrantel alone misses whipworm and tapeworm, even when it costs about the same as one that covers everything. The front of the box rarely makes this clear.

What we stock

Look at the price per tablet, not per pack. Bandystar Plus looks cheaper, but it works out at about Rs 57 a tablet, against about Rs 39 for Eazypet.

And a tablet isn't always one dose. Dosing goes by weight, so a big Labrador may need several tablets where a small Shih Tzu needs one. The Kiwof Plus XL at Rs 1,111 is made for bigger dogs.

Puppies: the Kiwof Puppy suspension at Rs 106 covers roundworm only. That's right for young puppies, who usually pick up roundworm from their mother. Just don't use it on your dog once it's grown.

Ivermectin: these tablets are often sold alongside dewormers, but they don't treat whipworm, so they can't replace a proper dewormer.

Worms are common, especially after the rains

A large survey in Andhra Pradesh found that about half the dogs tested carried a gut parasite. Most carried just one kind. Infections were more common in the rainy season, and more common again in street dogs.

You can't tell from the outside which worm your dog has. That's why a tablet that covers all four is the safer choice.

Pick up after your dog, the same day

Roundworm eggs in fresh droppings can't infect another animal straight away. They need a week or more in the soil first. Picking up the same day stops them.

Whipworm is harder. Its eggs can survive in soil for years, so a park stays contaminated long after the dog that left them has gone. That's why worms often come back even when the tablet worked.

Hookworm larvae live in damp soil and can get in through a dog's skin, so a dog can pick them up just by walking on wet ground.

Get a stool test too

Most advice in India stops at "deworm every three months". Vet parasite guidelines also recommend a stool test at least twice a year for adult dogs. A test shows whether the tablet worked, and finds tiny gut parasites that no dewormer treats.

A typical deworming schedule

Every two weeks for young puppies, monthly until six months old, then every three months for life. Ask your vet if your dog needs something different.

We're on the ground floor in Gachibowli. Bring the dewormer you've been using, or your dog's weight, and we'll read the ingredients with you. It takes two minutes.

The research behind this

What each medicine covers. VCA's drug reference describes pyrantel as used "to treat intestinal roundworm, hookworm, and stomach worm parasites". The Companion Animal Parasite Council's whipworm guideline lists two short-course treatments: fenbendazole for three consecutive days, and the combination of febantel, pyrantel and praziquantel. Pyrantel appears only inside the combination, never on its own.

What the boxes contain. Intas Eazypet lists praziquantel 50 mg, pyrantel pamoate 144 mg and fenbendazole 500 mg. Mankind Bandystar Plus lists praziquantel 50 mg, pyrantel embonate 144 mg and febantel 150 mg.

How common worms are. The largest South Indian survey we could find examined faecal samples from dogs in central coastal Andhra Pradesh.

Bar chart of gastrointestinal parasite prevalence among 1,907 dogs in central coastal Andhra Pradesh, published 2020. Any parasite 52.2%, a single species only 49.7%, more than one species 2.5%.
Kurumadas and colleagues, Indian Journal of Animal Sciences, 2020. Includes tiny gut parasites that dewormers don't treat.
Result % of dogs sampled
Any parasite 52.2
One species only 49.7
More than one species 2.5

Population: 1,907 dogs, central coastal Andhra Pradesh, faecal examination, published 2020. Source: Kurumadas and colleagues, The Indian Journal of Animal Sciences, 2020.

The 52.2% includes protozoa such as *Cystoisospora* and *Cryptosporidium*, which no dewormer treats, so read it as "carried a gut parasite" rather than "had worms". The same survey found infection significantly more common in the rainy season, and 65.9% in stray dogs.

How worms spread. The CDC says roundworm eggs "embryonate over a period of 1 to 4 weeks in the environment and become infective". CAPC notes that "infective whipworm eggs may persist in the environment for several years". A Chennai study of 185 faecal samples found 58 (31.35%) positive, mostly for the hookworm *Ancylostoma caninum*, whose larvae "dwell in the soil and are capable of penetrating the host skin".

Testing. CAPC recommends at least four faecal examinations in a dog's first year and at least two a year in adults. It also reports multi-drug-resistant hookworms "observed and confirmed in several dog breeds around the USA". There is no equivalent Indian data on resistance.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which dewormer covers all worms in dogs?

One that contains pyrantel, praziquantel, and febantel or fenbendazole. Together they cover roundworm, hookworm, whipworm and tapeworm.

How often should I deworm my dog?

Usually every two weeks for young puppies, monthly until six months, then every three months. Adult dogs should also have a stool test at least twice a year.

Can I use a puppy dewormer on an adult dog?

Not as its only dewormer. Puppy suspensions often cover roundworm only, while adult dogs need cover for all four common worms.

अक्सर पूछे जाने वाले सवाल

कुत्ते के लिए कौन सी पेट के कीड़ों की दवा सबसे अच्छी है?

ऐसी दवा जिसके डिब्बे पर pyrantel, praziquantel और febantel या fenbendazole, तीनों लिखे हों। ये तीनों मिलकर चारों आम कीड़ों को मारते हैं। दवा हमेशा कुत्ते के वज़न के हिसाब से दें।

कुत्ते को कीड़ों की दवा कितनी बार देनी चाहिए?

छोटे बच्चों को हर दो हफ़्ते, छह महीने की उम्र तक हर महीने, और उसके बाद हर तीन महीने में। बड़े कुत्तों की साल में कम से कम दो बार पॉटी की जाँच भी करानी चाहिए।

कीड़े बार-बार क्यों लौट आते हैं?

कुछ कीड़ों के अंडे मिट्टी में सालों तक ज़िंदा रहते हैं। इसलिए कुत्ते की पॉटी उसी दिन उठाएँ, और गीली ज़मीन वाली जगहों पर ध्यान रखें।

Sources

Prices are current as of September 2026 and do change. The figure on each product page is the live one.