Internal parasite treatment: twice in 45 days, 14 days apart, last one within 5

Last verified: 2026-08-25

The answer

A government approved veterinarian must treat your pet against nematodes and cestodes (roundworms and tapeworms) — twice, with three constraints that apply together:

1. both treatments within the 45 days before export;
2. the two treatments at least 14 days apart;
3. the second treatment within 5 days before the export date.

Why the window is tighter than it reads

Constraint 3 does most of the work. The second treatment has to land in a five-day slot immediately before departure, and the first has to be at least 14 days before that — inside the same 45-day span.

The department’s worked example, for an export date of 30 January:

The practical consequence: if your travel date moves, the second treatment probably has to move with it. A flight delayed by a week can push the second treatment outside its five-day window, and it has to be redone. Do not treat this as a box ticked early.

Combine the visit, not the treatments

The department names one genuine time-saver:

the final veterinary check and the second internal parasite treatment may be done at the same veterinary visit.

Since the pre-export clinical examination also has to happen close to departure, booking them together removes one appointment from the tightest week of your preparation. Ask for that explicitly when booking.

What that final visit covers

The pre-export clinical examination must be done by a government approved veterinarian or an official government veterinarian, and examines the animal for external parasites and for clinical signs of infectious or contagious disease.

So the last appointment is doing three jobs at once: the second internal treatment, the external parasite check, and the clinical examination. If anything is found, the effects cascade into your travel date — which is why the last week of preparation is the one to leave slack in.

Ask about a combined product

Products covering both nematodes and cestodes are available in many countries, and using one keeps the schedule simpler. Your approved veterinarian can advise what is available where you are.

What this page does not tell you

• Which products are acceptable. The department publishes a list; your approved veterinarian applies it.
• Whether the day counts include the treatment day. The department gives worked examples rather than a stated convention here — take your exact dates to your veterinarian rather than calculating to the boundary yourself.
• What happens if a treatment is missed or late, which is a question for your competent authority before travel, not after.