Parasite Control
Parasites can cause illness, and can spread disease between animals and from animals to humans, therefore it is important to choose an appropriate treatment or prevention schedule.
Pets of different ages and lifestyles have different risk factors for contracting parasites, which may change over their lifetime. It is therefore important that we tailor parasite prevention to individual pets. For this reason a consultation with a vet is required before any medication can be dispensed.
Annual vaccination and health checks appointments are ideal opportunities to discuss tailored parasite prevention schedules.
Members of our health plus plan receive discounts on products for routine flea, tick and worm prevention. The reception team can give information about joining the scheme, or click on the link.
Flea life-cycle
- A single flea can lay 40-50 eggs per day and up to 2000 in a lifetime
- Eggs fall off the hair into the pet’s surroundings
- Within 1-6 days eggs hatch into larvae which live deep in carpets and soft furnishings
- Mature larvae form into pupae
- Adult fleas emerge within 3-5 weeks in ideal conditions but can remain dormant for up to 350 days
- A serious infestation can occur when thousands of adult fleas emerge simultaneously often months after the initial fleas were treated.
Treating an infestation
Ticks
Adult ticks attach to animals or humans and feed on their blood. When feeding the tick regurgitates digestive enzymes to prevent the hosts blood from clotting so it can continue to feed. During the regurgitation process ticks infected with other diseases can pass them on to the host. If the tick is removed early, the chances of disease transmission is rare.
Routine flea, tick and Worm prevention
From the many products available, we generally recommend a monthly tablet for dogs and a monthly spot -on for cats for year round flea, tick and worm prevention. Some pets and households may have different requirements, which is why we recommend discussing parasite control during a consultation.
Worming
Where do worms come from?
- From other infected animals
- From eating worm larvae or eggs (e.g. in infected stools or in grass)
- From the bitch or queen via the placenta to puppies and kittens
- From raw meat, infected prey animals or infected insects such as fleas
Dogs
We recommend worming all puppies at their first vaccination and at that time putting in place an ongoing worm control program.
Monthly worming is required to completely eradicate shedding of worms from dogs into the environment. There is a vast array of worming product available.
We generally recommend a combined monthly flea, tick and worm tablet, but it is important to discuss your pet’s specific needs at consultation to ensure the most appropriate product is dispensed.
Cats
We recommend worming all kittens at their first vaccination and at that time putting in place an ongoing worm control program. Cats that hunt are particularly at risk of tapeworm infection, which they get following ingestion of infected prey, or infected fleas.
When cats are infected with tape worm, actual segments of the worm, which resemble grains of rice, can often be seen on the fur around the cat’s bottom. It is best to discuss your pet’s specific needs at a vaccination appointment to ensure you receive the most appropriate product. Members of our Health Plus Plan receive discounts on parasite products. Please ask at reception about joining the scheme.