Flea & Worm

Worm Prevention :

There are two main types of worms that concern us when it comes to your pet: Intestinal worms and Heartworm.

Intestinal worms:

Intestinal worms live within the gastrointestinal system of both dogs and cats. These worms can range in size some becoming surprisingly long. The most common intestinal worms affecting Australian dogs and cats are: Tapeworm, Roundworm, Whipworm and Hookworm. Large worm burdens can lead to weight loss, diarrhoea and in severe cases anaemia. For our puppies, even a small worm burden can cause a big problem and so more frequent worming is needed.

It is important to ensure your pets have a routine worming treatment, to reduce the occurrence of infection and reduce environmental contamination. Intestinal wormers are available as both spot-on and tablet/chew treatments.

Heartworm:

Heartworm (Dirofilaria immitis) is a blood borne parasite spread via mosquitoes. Heartworm has a complicated lifecycle, which involves mosquitoes feeding on an infected dog and ingesting immature worms, these worms or microfilaria then mature into a larval stage within the mosquito. A single bite from an infected mosquito can then infect our pets. The worm then matures within the heart and blood vessels leading to thickening and physical blockages.

There are many preventative options for heartworm, including spot-on, tasty chews and a yearly injection. If your pet has not had heartworm prevention, it is recommended that a heartworm test be conducted before a prevention program is begun.

Please contact us if you have any questions on how to worm and flea treat your pet.