The short answer is yes. Pigs should be dewormed regularly to keep them healthy and happy.
According to the American Mini Pig Association (AMPA), pigs are easily susceptible to contracting both internal and external parasites.
Pigs can contract parasites from the soil, grazing, other pets, other pigs, eating bugs, including earthworms or mealworms, and so on. Read the full AMPA article here.
Even if your pet pig is mostly indoors, it is still exposed to parasites that can cause mites and internal parasites, so deworming is absolutely necessary for its overall health.
How Often Should I Deworm My Pet Pig?
Most people in the pig community agree that deworming with an oral dewormer like Ivermectin Horse Paste is necessary at least every six months— once in the spring and once in the fall.
But if you live in an especially warm climate or if your pigs live with other animals, such as dogs, chickens, goats, or horses, it’s recommended that you deworm them every 3-4 months, rotating between Ivermectin and Safeguard.
Each of these two deworming medicines treats different parasites.
Let’s take a look at both:
How Do I Deworm My Pig? What do I Use?
The easiest way to deworm your pet pig is with an oral wormer such as Ivermectin Horse Paste.
Although there’s no need to buy an injectable worming medicine, the AMPA suggests using an injectable pig/goat wormer but administering it orally.
You can read their full article on deworming your pet pig here.
Administering the Ivermectin Horse Paste orally is as easy as putting a pea-sized amount of the paste onto a cracker, bread, or any of your piggy’s favorite treats and feeding it to them!
Do this once in the spring and once in the fall, giving it to your pet pig in two rounds, ten days apart.
Ivermectin treats mites, lice, and a variety of internal parasites, so you will most likely only need this broad-spectrum oral dewormer for the lifetime of your pet pig.
But, as mentioned earlier, if your pet pig is exposed to more parasites, you should also add Safeguard into your worming schedule.
The American Mini Pig Association recommends the following:
"With a small syringe, dose 0.2 cc or ml per 10 pounds of body weight to mix with pig’s food. Your pig will need 2 doses, 14 days apart. Repeat these 2 doses every 4-6 months. This bottle will cost between $30-60 but will last years in a normal pet household. Check expiration date."
"Fenbendazole(name brand Safeguard)– for tapeworms, whipworms, ascarids. Safeguard for goats, 10% suspension (100 mg/ml) is an excellent choice but does not treat mites or lice. Therefore, this is an excellent addition to ivermectin but should not be replaced. Dosing with this oral suspension is easy. Mix 0.1 ml or cc per 10 lbs of body weight into food such as canned pumpkin or yogurt. This dose should be given once a day for three days in a row. If worms are suspected, repeat the 3-day dosing two weeks after the first. The regular schedule for Fenbendazole is every 4-6 months."
Never forget to Deworm Your Pet Pig Again!
Administering an oral dewormer is easy, but remembering when your piglet’s next worming is due isn’t as easy.
Download your free worming schedule now!
Download & print your free worming schedule & wellness tracker so you can easily keep up with your pet pig’s health and wellness!
Resources & Further Reading
For more reading about your pet pig’s health and wellness needs including vaccinations and dosages, I highly recommend the following article from Halbert Farm and the above mentioned article from the American Mini Pig Association.
