Intestinal Worms
Intestinal worms live in the gastrointestinal systems of cats and dogs and include hookworm, roundworm, whipworm and tapeworm. If you don’t regularly worm your pet, these little nasties can cause severe diarrhoea and disease, especially in younger animals.
And worming doesn’t have to be a drama either; it’s usually done with a simple tablet and there are plenty of products on the market to choose from so give us a call to see which ones are best for your pet.
Heartworm
Heartworm is the disease that nightmares are made of! Spread by mosquitoes, the worms can grow up to 30cm long and become lodged in your dog’s heart eventually causing heart failure and death. Prevention of heartworm is one of the most important things you can do for your dog – curing heartworm once contracted is rarely successful. And be careful which products you choose to protect your pet – intestinal ‘all wormer’ tablets do NOT protect against heartworm. The best form of protection is an annual injection, but other products available include oral medication and a topical spot product. We can advise on the best for your pet.
Fleas
These guys are like ants at a picnic – once they find your pet, they can be hard to get rid of without the best treatment and knowledge of the flea life cycle. Fleas are the most common external parasite on dogs and cats and these little nasties can cause intense itching and hair loss, and may also trigger skin allergies or transmit other parasites to your dog. Luckily though, flea prevention is simple; just a monthly spot treatment dabbed on your pet or an oral tablet every 3 months – call us to make sure you use the right product. And please be aware that some cheaper products are much less effective and in the case of pyrethrin-based flea treatments, can be toxic to cats.
Paralysis Ticks
Paralysis ticks are common along the Eastern coast of Australia and in East Gippsland, Victoria. Recently, there have been some occasional cases of dogs affected closer to Melbourne too. Once a tick attaches to your pet’s skin, it becomes engorged with blood and injects a potent toxin that causes muscle paralysis. If the muscles that help your pet breathe become paralysed, it can cause death. When it comes to ticks, prevention is always better than cure and there are topical treatments available to protect your pet. Call us to chat about which is best to protect your pet from parasites.
