How do you determine if your pup/dog needs worm medication?

Do you give them worm medications on a set schedule? Do you take a stool sample to be tested for worms? Do you get your worm medications from a vet or over the counter, like Hartz?Belgian Nut, thank youEmily, thank you too.Julie D. Thank you for a very informative answer. Exactly what I was looking for!

Adults only get wormed if its actually needed. That means a stool sample to the vet and wormer from the vet, no over-the-counter crap.

You can give a stool sample to the vet if you are worried at all! My little girl had worms and the vet found out by her stool sample! Just make an appointment !

I don't pump any wormers into my dog's bodies without verification of any worms or parasites that are present. Although some worms can be seen with the naked eye, not all can, and you sure can't see anything with intestinal parasites such as Coccidia or Giardia, other than symptoms of the possibility of them. From my understanding, even Giardia is hard to detect, so sometimes if the symptoms are there, the Vet will want to treat for it anyway, even if the dog/pup tests negative for it. A fresh stool sample should be taken to the Vet to determine which worms or parasites are present, if any. If there are, medication should be dispensed by your Vet Clinic. I don't do over the counter junk, and Hartz is the last thing on this planet I would use. I wouldn't use a product made by Sergeant's either.