Fleas, Ticks & Worm Treatments
All year round we see parasites and as spring and summer approaches they are in full bloom looking for a place where they can thrive. We highly recommend preventing against these harmful parasites all year round.
Parasites spend their time living on or inside our pets resulting in damage to our pet’s well being and general health. Fleas, ticks and intestinal worms are the most important parasites to protect your pet against.
If your pet becomes infected the parasite will begin feeding off your pet, resulting in illness. This is why it is important to regularly treat your pets for parasites. Finding the right preventative for fleas, ticks and intestinal worming can be confusing as products vary and some are extremely toxic for cats. This is why we recommend having a discussion with your veterinarian or nurse about what products would be best suited to your pet.
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PARALYSIS TICKS
Our pets love the summer just as much as we do! It’s a great time of year to be outside enjoying the warmth and sunshine but also important that you recognise the dangers of the Paralysis Tick to our pets during the warmer months.
WHAT ARE PARALYSIS TICKS AND HOW DO THEY SPREAD?
Paralysis ticks are found ramped up and down the East coast of Australia. They thrive in warm and humid habitats, feeding off warm blooded hosts – typically wildlife species while injecting a nasty paralysing toxin. This tick is incredibly toxic and potentially life threatening to pets. The paralysis tick especially loves to reside in areas of native scrub and bushland, and areas with long grass cover, which are areas where various wildlife that play natural host to the tick tend to be found.
But avoiding these areas does not reliably prevent a paralysis tick from latching onto your pet. In our region, the risk of a pet acquiring a tick seems to exist regardless; but avoiding these sorts of areas does seem to reduce the risk. Also, very importantly, ticks can be acquired at any time of year (so we recommend precautions and preventatives all year round), however there seems to be a sharp increase in risk from early spring onwards, well into summer
WHAT DOES THE PARALYSIS TICK DO TO MY PET?
After attaching, the tick feeds on the host’s blood, injecting small amounts of saliva into the dog or cat in the process. The tick’s saliva contains a potent nerve toxin that causes the connection between nerves and muscles throughout the body to malfunction.
This causes weakness, which can manifest itself in many ways including:
- Wobbly hind legs initially, with progressive difficulty walking and weakness
- Coughing
- Regurgitation
- Difficulty breathing
- Complete paralysis.
The effects of paralysis can become so severe that your pet will be unable to walk or lift its head, and without treatment, the majority of affected animals will die.
If your pet shows any of the symptoms mentioned you must seek veterinary attention as soon as possible. Once clinical signs are apparent, even if you have removed the tick(s) yourself, your pet is still not out of the woods. The toxin has already begun to spread throughout your pet’s bloodstream and attached to nerves, and without treatment, progression of paralysis and worsening of signs is virtually certain.
HOW DO I PROTECT MY PET AGAINST PARALYSIS TICKS?
We highly recommend that you use a tick preventative all year round. This is the best way to guard your pet against ticks. There are numerous options in general and for dogs, the latest generation of preventatives come in various forms including an oral or chewable tablet, spot-on formulations, and an annual preventative injection. Various option also exist for cats, including a couple of spot on preparations (there is no registered oral tick preventative for cats available in Australia).
PERFORM A TICK SEARCH
In addition to a preventative, it’s important to perform a thorough tick search – daily (especially at higher risk times of the year) on your pet by working your fingers through your pet’s entire coat. Pay special attention to their eyes, lips and mouth. If you think you have found tick but are unsure, take your pet to the vet and they will assist you.
Our Veterinarians and Veterinary Nurses can assist you with finding the most suitable tick prevention for your pet.
Fleas
Fleas are little brown parasites that jump onto the skin of our pets causing flea infestations and skin irritation. Without treatment this enables fleas to infest in our homes and our pet’s environment, which is often a big concern for our clients. This is why we recommend preventing against fleas all year round.
Flea facts:
- Flea fossils have been found that date back to 100 million years ago when dinosaurs were roaming the earth.
- Fleas can jump almost 200 times their own length.
- One flea broke the record and jumped 33cm, that’s equivalent to the average human jumping 300 metres.
- Fleas live for only 2 to 3 months.
- Fleas lay eggs 36-48 hours after a blood meal.
- In one month a 25 female flea burden can multiply by 200,000!
- In the lifetime of a female flea they will lay 2,000 eggs.
- Female fleas feed on blood up to 10 times their body weight daily.
- When you spot a single flea, it is very likely there are many more present.
- North America holds the largest ever recorded flea known as the Hystrichopsylla Schefferi measuring almost half an inch!
Flea life cycle
Fleas have a 4-stage breeding cycle and reproduce very quickly. The female flea feeds and breeds on your pet laying up to 50 eggs in one day.
Flea infestations in your home
Flea eggs and larvae like to hide in humid places in the environment, such as cracks between floorboards, carpet and bedding. If there is a reoccurrence of fleas in your pet’s environment you may need to use a flea bomb. A flea bomb can be purchased from your local supermarket and will eliminate many of the pre-adult life-cycle stages that may be in your home.
Vacuuming the any floor surfaces 2-3 times a week can help with removal of eggs, especially those that a flea bomb may miss. The pupae stage can be quite resilient therefore you should wash all bedding including any bedding slept on by people in HOT water. It is very important to make sure you create a flea free environment so you can break the flea life cycle.
Do fleas cause skin problems?
Flea bites and saliva can result in flea allergy dermatitis in dogs and cats, which can cause problems such as scratching, hair loss, reddened and discharging skin. It is important to seek veterinary care for any skin problem your pet may have – flea allergy dermatitis is something that your vet will consider when investigating a skin problem in your pet.
Fleas and Tapeworm
Fleas host an intestinal worm called Tapeworm. Your pet can become infected with this worm if they ingest a flea. Good flea control and consistent worming of your pet should prevent this.
Protecting your pet against fleas
It is important to understand that the flea cycle has multiple stages. Treating your pet once against fleas will remove adult fleas, but maintaining consistent treatment against fleas is important in order to maintain a flea free pet and break the flea life cycle over time.
Flea prevention products
- Tablets and Chewables: Often combined with paralysis tick prevention capabilities, there are various options available in this space and most are very effective.
- Topical Spot-on Treatments: As with tablets and chewables, various topical spot-on treatments are available and many are combined with paralysis tick prevention capabilities.
- Once-a-year Injectable prevention: For dogs only, there is a very new annual flea and tick prevention injection. Please ask us if you would like more information about this very exciting new option.
- Environment Controls: If you maintain consistent and adequate flea prevention with all of your pets, it is less likely that fleas will enter your home. However, if a flea infestation in your home does occur, environmental controls are an integral part of a good flea control strategy, at least in the early stage. Flea bombs are effective in reducing flea infestations by reducing the viability of eggs and other life cycle stages, before they find their host (your pet!). Regular vacuuming of the floors and carpets can also assist by removing eggs from the environment. Washing all of your pet’s blankets (in HOT water) can kill any fleas life cycle stages (including eggs) present in the bedding.
HEARTWORM
Heartworm (Dirofilaria immitis) is a parasitic roundworm which spreads from its host via a mosquito. When the animal is initially exposed, a mosquito bites a pet and injects larvae into the bloodstream. The larvae develop and eventually reside in the chambers of the heart and pulmonary artery. The larvae mature into adult heartworms and can grow up to 30cm in length and 2cm in diameter in large populations. The adult worms produce microfilariae (larvae) that are released into the bloodstream of the pet. The mosquito then bites the infected pet and feeds on blood, taking up microfilariae, and the cycle begins again.
SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS OF HEARTWORM DISEASE?
When a pet is initially infected with heartworm there are no clinical signs or symptoms. Once adult heartworms have developed and reside in the heart chambers, symptoms and signs develop. This can take 6-7 months, and in some cases longer.
Symptoms that you may notice include;
- Coughing (persistent cough)
- Lethargy
- Shortness of breath
- Change in exercise abilities
These symptoms can be in seen in both dogs and cat. Dogs present far more frequently with heartworm infestation than cats do (cats are very resistant to heartworm infestation.
HOW DO I KNOW IF MY PET HAS HEARTWORM?
A simple in-house blood test can be performed at your veterinary clinic and usually results can be given to you before you leave the hospital. If the suspicion of heartworm disease is high and the first test result is negative, a second blood test at a later stage, or a blood smear examination looking for heartworm larvae may be performed.
HOW DO I PREVENT AGAINST HEARTWORM?
CATS
Heartworm prevention is less commonly recommended and not always considered routine in cats as they are usually resistant to natural infection. There are various oral and spot-on preventatives available, usually administered monthly. Many of these products have a wide spectrum and also control intestinal worms and sometimes fleas.
DOGS
For dogs there are also oral and spot-on preventatives available, also administered monthly. Some of these products combine heartworm prevention and intestinal worming cover with flea/tick cover. An excellent and very effective heartworm preventative which can we administered by your veterinarian is the annual heartworm preventative injection.
INTESTINAL WORMS
It is common for pets in Australia to be parasitised by various types of intestinal worms. The most common worms seen include hookworm, roundworm, whipworm and various tapeworms. The lifecycle of intestinal worms consists of eggs and larvae, which are passed and can end up on your pet’s feet. The most common way that dogs and cats become infected with intestinal worms is exposure to the faeces of other (infected) animals, or by licking around their anus and feet. Humans, especially children, can also become infected with intestinal worms when dogs lick their face or hands, and eggs are then transmitted to the mouth.
Even pets that live mainly indoors can become infected with intestinal worms. Cats that eat mice, insects or little lizards can be exposed to worms.
Treatment of intestinal worms
It is important to make sure you regularly worm your pets. In dogs there are four worms to consider – hookworm, roundworm, whipworm and tapeworm. Most of the time dogs and cats become infected when they lick their feet which have come in contact with microscopic eggs. Once ingested these eggs turn in larvae and eventually worms. Cats commonly get infected with hookworm, roundworm and tapeworm. Even cats that remain indoors can still get worms if they eat a mouse or insect which can expose them to intestinal worms.
Below is a chart of how regularly you should worm your cat or dog
Pet’s Age |
Frequency |
6-12 weeks |
Every 2 weeks |
12 weeks-6 months |
Every month |
6 months – Adult |
Every 3 months |
DOGS WORMING REGIME:
- Puppies: Every 2 weeks, until 12 weeks of age, then monthly to 6 months of age
- Dogs from 6 months of age: Every 3 months, for the rest of their life
CAT WORMING REGIME:
- Kittens: Every 2 weeks, until 12 weeks of age, and then monthly to 6 months of age
- Cats from 6 months of age: Every 3 months, for the rest of their life
Toxoplasmosis
Toxoplasmosis is an infection with the protozoan parasite Toxoplasma gondii ( T. gondii). It is a very common infection that can infect most warm-blooded animals and people. Its primary (definitive) host is the cat. Generally, infection is asymptomatic (the infected host shows no symptoms) but in some situations it can cause serious illness.
After a cat ingests the parasite in its prey, T. gondii multiplies in the small intestine, and oocysts (a form of the parasite) are passed in faeces – these are infective to other potential hosts. The cat is the only host to excrete oocysts in faeces. Other animals that are exposed to the infective particles in faeces may become infected. Other warm-blooded animals that are infected do not excrete the parasite in faeces, however their tissues (muscle and organs) may contain parasite cysts which may infect other hosts if these tissues are eaten.
Domestic Cats and Toxoplasmosis
Many people worry that their cat may carry T. gondii and therefore touching their fur will infect them. This is essentially not true. The parasite does not live on a cat’s fur so it should be safe to pat them. The parasite is excreted in faeces only for a very short period after infection, and the oocysts must go through a process called sporulation that can take 48 hours before they are able to infect a new host. Most cat owner’s change their cats litter at least once a day, therefore the chance of becoming infected is minimal. Additionally, cats are very hygienic and fastidious about self-cleaning. Keeping your cat indoors will also reduce the chance of them becoming infected is minimal. Additionally, cats are very hygienic and fastidious about self-cleaning. Keeping your cat indoors will also reduce the chance of them becoming infected by ingesting either infected prey (or faeces) in their environment.
So how do humans become infected?
- Eating undercooked or raw meat (tissues infected by cysts).
- Coming in contact with contaminated soil (unwashed hands after gardening).
- Coming in contact with infected cat faeces (unwashed hands after changing a litter box).
- Ingestion of unwashed fruit and vegetables from contaminated soil.
- An unborn baby can become infected via transmission through the placenta, if a mother is infected during her pregnancy.
Diagnosis of Toxoplasmosis
There are a variety of potential symptoms associated with Toxoplasmosis, which can make it difficult to diagnose. A blood test can identify antibodies that show that an animal has been exposed to the parasite in the past. Often two blood tests in succession are required to demonstrate with confidence that an unwell animal has had a recent infection with T. gondii. Often the veterinarian will prescribe antibiotics and other relevant medications for suspected Toxoplasmosis while working to confirm a diagnosis.
Tips to reduce your chances of contracting the parasite
- Wash your hands after gardening
- Change your cats litter tray at least daily
- Wash your hands thoroughly after cleaning a litter tray
- Wash all vegetables and fruit
- Pregnant women should avoid litter trays
- Avoid eating raw or undercooked meat
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VACCINATIONS
Just like humans, pets require vaccinations to keep them healthy and protect them from potentially fatal diseases. Treatment against these diseases is sometimes unsuccessful and this is why we strongly believe ‘prevention is better than cure’.