Why protecting your pet from parasites is essential?

Pets can be affected by a range of parasites, such as heartworms, intestinal worms, fleas, and ticks. Parasites live in or on your pets and cause many different issues, such as hair loss, diarrhoea, or even paralysis and death.

The main types of pet parasites (in our area) and their effects are:

Heartworms are parasites transmitted by mosquitoes which can infect the heart and lungs of your dog. Heartworms can grow up to 30cm and can become lodged in the heart or lungs, eventually causing death.

Intestinal worms, which refers to a range of parasites such as hookworms, roundworms, tapeworm and whipworm. Intestinal worms can absorb nutrients from your dog’s or cat’s foods or suck their blood.

Fleas, tiny parasites which can jump huge distances and can cause skin diseases and irritation in pets and humans.

Ticks, which are small insects that attach themselves to your pet. The most dangerous is the paralysis tick, which injects a neurotoxin that can cause paralysis, respiratory illness, and death if not treated quickly.

Some parasites can potentially affect pet owners and cause serious illnesses. For this reason, parasite preventative treatments must be taken seriously. Fortunately there has not been any report of paralysis tick in our area and surroundings. However, if you are planning to go interstate or to the northeast of Victoria please contact us to get the best preventative advice.

Our Parasite Control Solutions

Heartworms can be prevented using either an injection, oral medication, or topical product. As treatment of heartworms is often not successful, prevention is always the best course of action. Keep in mind that “all wormer” treatments are only for intestinal worms and will not treat heartworms.

Intestinal worms in dogs and cats can be treated regularly with topical liquids which are placed directly on the pet’s skin. These kinds of treatments are usually applied once per month.

Treatment for fleas is often included in products that also focus on heartworms and intestinal worms. Take note that the chemical pyrethrin in some flea treatments is toxic to cats.

It is possible to buy products which will protect your dog from ticks, as well as fleas. As tick treatments for dogs often contain chemicals which are fatal to cats, make sure only to use tick-prevention products which are specifically made for cats.

Mitcham Pet Hospital can help with all of your parasite treatments for your pets.

If you have any other questions, please contact us