Dog Wormer UK: Drontal vs Prazitel vs Milbemax, and What Worming Really Costs per Year

Worms are the parasite you don't see. A dog can carry roundworm or tapeworm and still eat, play and wag its tail as normal. By the time you notice diarrhoea, a pot belly, a dull coat or weight loss, the infection is usually well established.

That is why a dog wormer sits on the calendar of every UK dog owner. And it is where the product choice matters: compared by cost per dose rather than box price, worming the same 10 kg dog four times a year can cost £7 or £18 a year, depending on what you buy and where.

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Drontal, Prazitel Plus, Milbemax and Itch: What's Inside Each

All four kill the intestinal worms most commonly found in UK dogs: roundworms (Toxocara), hookworms, whipworms and tapeworms. But they are not all built the same way:

• Drontal Tasty Bone (Elanco): febantel, pyrantel and praziquantel. One tablet per 10 kg. No prescription needed.
• Prazitel Plus: the same three active ingredients (febantel, pyrantel and praziquantel), also one tablet per 10 kg. No prescription needed.
• Itch Wormer: the same three active ingredients again, dosed by Itch for your dog's weight and delivered on subscription.
• Milbemax (Elanco): milbemycin oxime and praziquantel. One tablet covers a dog from 5 to 25 kg. Prescription only, and given monthly it also helps protect against lungworm and heartworm.

In other words, Drontal, Prazitel Plus and Itch Wormer use the same combination against intestinal worms. What you pay for is the brand name, the flavour and, with Itch, the delivery.

The Cheapest Dog Wormer per Dose: the Table

We priced each product for a 10 kg dog at Pet Drugs Online on 18 October 2026, and Itch Wormer at itchpet.com on the same day. The yearly cost assumes a dose every three months (four a year), the usual interval for an adult dog.

• Prazitel Plus: £1.75 a tablet, 1 tablet = £1.75 per dose, £7.00 a year.
• Drontal Tasty Bone (2 to 20 kg tablet): £2.29 a tablet = £2.29 per dose, £9.16 a year.
• Milbemax (5 to 25 kg, prescription): £3.89 a tablet = £3.89 per dose, £15.56 a year, plus the prescription.
• Itch Wormer subscription (3 to 10 kg): £4.50 per dose, delivered free = £18.00 a year.

What about a 20 kg dog? Milbemax changes places

In bigger dogs the sums shift, because Drontal and Prazitel Plus need 2 tablets at 20 kg, while one Milbemax tablet covers 5 to 25 kg:

• Prazitel Plus: 2 tablets = £3.50 per dose, £14.00 a year.
• Milbemax (prescription): 1 tablet = £3.89 per dose, £15.56 a year.
• Drontal Tasty Bone: 2 tablets = £4.58 per dose, £18.32 a year.
• Itch Wormer subscription (10 to 20 kg): £7.75 per dose, £31.00 a year.

At 20 kg, Milbemax costs only 39p more than the cheapest over-the-counter option and less than Drontal, but it needs a prescription. Always do the sums with your dog's real weight.

What about small dogs? Pomeranians, Yorkies, Chihuahuas

For dogs of 3 to 5 kg, the Drontal datasheet gives half a tablet. The tablet is scored to split in two, so one £2.29 tablet covers two doses:

• Drontal Tasty Bone (½ tablet, 3 to 5 kg): £1.15 per dose, £4.58 a year.
• Milbemax for small dogs (1 to 5 kg, prescription): £1.64 per dose, £6.56 a year.
• Itch Wormer subscription (3 to 10 kg): £4.50 per dose, £18.00 a year.

Ask your vet how to store the other half until the next dose. Dogs under 3 kg need a dose your vet should confirm.

Is the Itch subscription worth paying more for?

Per dose, Itch Wormer costs about two and a half times a Prazitel Plus tablet. What you pay for is the system: Itch works out the dose from your dog's weight, posts it free on the right date and lets you pause or cancel at any time. If you have ever found last spring's wormer still in the drawer, that reminder is worth something. If you are organised, a pack of tablets and a phone reminder is cheaper.

One more thing to watch with the cheap options: delivery. On a one-tablet order, postage can cost more than the wormer itself. Buying a year's tablets in one order avoids that.

How Often Should You Worm a Dog?

There's no single interval for every dog. ESCCAP UK & Ireland, the expert group on companion-animal parasites, splits it like this:

• Puppies: more frequent doses from the first weeks of life, on a schedule your vet sets.
• Most adult dogs: at least four times a year. Worming once or twice a year has been shown not to be enough.
• Higher-risk dogs: monthly. That means dogs that scavenge or hunt, raw-fed dogs, and dogs living with young children or someone with a weakened immune system.

A worm egg count (a stool test) can help your vet decide whether your dog's current interval is working.

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Lungworm: the Gap in Your Over-the-Counter Wormer

Lungworm (Angiostrongylus vasorum) is a UK-specific worry. Dogs catch it by eating slugs and snails, or by licking their slime off toys, bowls and grass. It can cause coughing, tiredness and bleeding problems, and it can be fatal.

Over-the-counter triple wormers such as Drontal, Prazitel Plus and Itch Wormer are not licensed against lungworm. Protection comes from monthly prescription products, such as Advocate, NexGard Spectra or Milbemax. If your dog eats slugs, snails or grass, or lives in an area where lungworm is common, ask your vet whether it needs one.

Those products often also cover fleas, which can change the sums for your whole parasite budget. Our guide to flea treatment for dogs compares the monthly cost of the main chews.

5 Legitimate Ways to Pay Less for Worming

1. Compare cost per dose, not box price. Work out how many doses a tablet or pack gives at your dog's weight. That's how Milbemax, the priciest option for a 10 kg dog, ends up cheaper than Drontal at 20 kg.

2. Look past the brand name. Prazitel Plus has the same three active ingredients as Drontal, at the same dose rate, for 24% less per tablet. Ask your vet if you are unsure which suits your dog.

3. Pay for the cover your dog actually needs. If your vet hasn't recommended lungworm prevention, an over-the-counter wormer at the right interval deals with intestinal worms. If they have, a prescription product filled online is far cheaper than the practice-counter price.

4. Weigh your dog before you buy. Too low a dose may not kill every worm; too high is wasted money. Never share one dog's wormer with another dog of a different weight.

5. Pick up after your dog, every time. Worm eggs build up in gardens and reinfect your dog. Less reinfection means fewer problems and fewer extra doses.

When to Call the Vet

• Signs of worms: diarrhoea that doesn't settle, worms in vomit or faeces, a swollen belly (especially in puppies), weight loss, or scooting.
• Signs of lungworm: coughing, tiring quickly on walks, breathing difficulty, nosebleeds or unusual bruising.
• After a dose: vomiting, severe diarrhoea, tremors or lethargy that doesn't improve.
• Pregnant or nursing bitches: only worm on your vet's advice.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Prazitel Plus the same as Drontal?

Prazitel Plus contains the same three active ingredients as Drontal for dogs (febantel, pyrantel and praziquantel), at one tablet per 10 kg. On 18 October 2026 a Prazitel Plus tablet cost £1.75 at Pet Drugs Online, against £2.29 for Drontal Tasty Bone.

How much does it cost to worm a dog in the UK?

For a 10 kg dog wormed four times a year, our comparison came to about £7 a year with Prazitel Plus, £9 with Drontal, £16 with Milbemax (plus the prescription) and £18 with an Itch Wormer subscription. Prices change, so check before you buy.

How often should I worm my dog?

ESCCAP UK & Ireland advises at least four times a year for most adult dogs, and monthly for higher-risk dogs. Puppies need more frequent doses. Your vet should set the interval.

Does Drontal protect against lungworm?

No. Over-the-counter triple wormers such as Drontal, Prazitel Plus and Itch Wormer are not licensed against lungworm. Lungworm protection comes from monthly prescription products chosen by your vet.

The Bottom Line

Drontal, Prazitel Plus and Itch Wormer share the same three active ingredients against intestinal worms, and in our comparison Prazitel Plus was the cheapest per dose. Milbemax costs more for a small or medium dog but covers lungworm when given monthly, and it becomes competitive at 20 kg. Itch costs more per dose and sells convenience.

Agree the interval and the cover your dog needs with your vet, then compare the cost per dose. Over a dog's lifetime of worming, that habit adds up.

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