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By Dave Nicol
Keeping your Pet and Family Safe
In recent years we have learned more about the parasites your pet may carry. This article is a review of the local parasite probelms faced by Parkvets clients, plus an introduction to the concept of risk assessed parasite protection plans, our ground breaking new service keeping your pet and your family safer together.
French Heartworm
French heartworm (sometimes referred to as lungworm) was previously only prevalent in South West England. However foxes have spread the disease East and we now see several dogs each year infected with this parasite.
The worm spends half of its life incubating in a slug or snail. Then when a dog eats the snail the worm moves through the dog's body from the guts towards the blood vessels of the heart.
As you'd imagine, this can cause a great deal of damage to the infected dog. Affected dogs frequently develop a cough and in severe cases can die because of damage to the lungs and heart.
Recently certain prescription products have been licenced for the treatment and prevention of this horrific parasite. Rather than waiting until your pet has adult worms in its heart we would strongly recommend using a monthly preventative product. If your dog eats slugs/snails then it is at risk from this parasite. Please tell the vet and ask what treatment may help to protect your pet.
Roundworm (Toxocara)
Did you know that most puppies are born with roundworms and most kittens get them from their mother's milk soon after birth?
It is very important that your puppy is treated regularly to eliminate these intestinal parasites because untreated puppies can suffer from slowed growth, tummy upsets and occasionally death.
Puppies and kittens that are in close contact with children should be wormed as well because children can be infected with roundworms too.
Roundworm infection in children can be extremely serious with the potential to cause liver damage, asthma and even blindness.
Fox Mange
Foxes are becoming ever more common in our streets and gardens and hence the chances of your dog coming into contact is increasing. Foxes carry a number of parasites, fleas, worms and mange.
Mange is a skin disease caused by mites only visible under a microscope. The mites live underneath the skin and cause intense itching.They are very infectious and can be transferred by contact with the foxes or indirectly from the environment as well.
If left untreated the condition causes an extremely itchy rash that develops into more serious, widespread skin disease.
Thankfully prevention is easy using the appropriate monthly spot on.
Fleas
Although fleas are tiny - just 2mm in length - they are a major cause of irritation to both pets and their owners.
Adult fleas spend the majority of their lives on our pets or in our homes, feeding on blood and reproducing. Female fleas typically lay 30-60 or more eggs per day. These fall off your pet and are deposited around the house where they lie dormant for many months before developing into adult fleas.
As with most parasite problems prevention is better than cure. So regular application of a prescription product is advisable, the good news is that unlike older flea control products like frontline, the newer ones will deal with the eggs and larvae in the home as well as on your pet.
All cats and dogs within a household have to be treated to successfully control these robust parasites.
Ticks
Rarely a cause of illness in the Parkvets locality these spider-like creatures are found in long grass and heathland.
When they come into contact with a cat or dog they feed for about 14 days growing in size up to about 0.5cm. Adult ticks have a wide grey body and are often mistaken for warts! After 14 days they usually drop off the pet.
Problems can occur when owners try to pull ticks out because the mouth parts can be left behind. Ticks should only ever be removed with a tick hook that can be purchased cheaply at Parkvets.
Ear Mites
A relatively uncommon and insignificant parasite, these mites are usually found in puppies, especially those that have originated in puppy farms.
The mites are just visible to the naked eye and are highly infectious to other dogs and cats. Affected animals have a thick black crusty discharge from their ears and shake their head/scratch at their ears because of the irritation.
Risk Assessment
At Parkvets we believe in individual risk assessment of all the factors specific to your pet. This means that you get the most appropriate recommendation tailored to your unique circumstances.
Our recommendation based on this assessment then ensures that both your pet and family are protected against parasite risks.
Risk assessment need only be performed once every year to ensure your parasite control remains ideal throughout the life of your pet and although it can be performed at any time, it is best done during your pet's annual visit for health assessment and vaccination.
Self Assessment Download
To learn more about what parasites are a risk to your pets please click the relevant link to download our PDF risk assessment flow chart for dogs and for cats. Once downloaded you may print these off and perform your own assessment before coming to the practice.
Obtaining the products - Parkvets Policy
Apart from the household sprays, dispensing laws in the UK prevent us from supplying Prescription (POM -V) products unless your pet has been seen by one of our vets within the last year.
In most cases this will have been at the annual vaccination. If you require any of these POM products and your pet has not been seen within the year, you should arrange for your pet to have a health check with a veterinary surgeon.
If your pet has had a health check at Parkvets within the last year then you can order these products by phone by ringing reception at your local Parkvets clinic.
While each POM-V treatment must be authorised by a vet we aim to have it ready for you to collect within 48 hours.
