Pets, Parasites & You

Pets are family and it is extremely important to keep them healthy and free of parasites.

Parasites can affect your pet in a variety of ways from skin irritation to life-threatening diseases. They also can infect and transmit life threatening diseases to you and your family also. Your veterinarian can help prevent, accurately diagnose and safely treat parasites and other health problems that not only affect your dog or cat, but also the safety of you and your family.

What are the common parasites that affect pets?

• Tapeworm
• Roundworm
• Hookworm
• Whipworm
• Flea
• Tick
• Mite
• Chewing Lice

Reducing risks for your family

You can reduce the risk of parasitic infection to your family by eliminating parasites from pets; restricting access to contaminated areas, and other high-traffic areas; and practicing good personal hygiene. Disposing of pet feces on a regular basis can help remove potentially infective worm eggs before they become distributed in the environment and are picked up or ingested by pets or humans.

Round the year prevention

Parasites are everywhere and can infect your pet any time of year. External parasites, such as fleas and ticks, may be less prevalent outside during certain times of the year; however, they often survive in the house during the winter months, creating an uninterrupted life cycle. Other internal parasites, such as worms, may affect your pet all year long. Consult with your veterinarian to implement a year-round parasite control program.

What can you do?

You can help by implementing a year-round pet parasite control program to reduce the risks of parasite infection and transmission. By following a few simple guidelines, you can do this:

• Practice good hygiene
• Use preventative flea/tick treatment year-round
• Administer worming medications as recommended by your veterinarian
• Only feed pets cooked or prepared food (not raw meat).
• Minimize exposure to areas of contamination
• Clean up pet feces regularly and dispose them responsibly
• Visit your veterinarian for annual testing and physical examination.
• Ask your veterinarian about parasite infection risks and effective year-round preventative control measures administered monthly.

When to use anti-flea & tick products?

It is recommended that Spot-On application should be used once-a-month; There are spot-ons available in the market that break life cycle of fleas and ticks in addition to killing adult fleas and ticks. This will help you to have control of flea and tick population and reduce chances of re-infestation.

Frequently asked questions

Do fleas & ticks present a health risk to your family?

Yes. Fleas and ticks can carry and either directly or indirectly transmit several potential illnesses of humans. For example, rickettsiosis (infection with Rickettsia) can be transmitted directly by ticks. Bartonellosis (infection with Bartonella) is transmitted between cats by fleas and then may spread to people. Also, fleas serve as an intermediate host for tapeworms, which can infect both humans and pets.

What kind of intestinal worms infect pets?

There are a number of intestinal worms that can infect dogs and cats, and they vary according to the species. In general, these include roundworms, hookworms, whipworms and tapeworms, and they are very prolific. In fact, one worm can produce more than 100,000 eggs per day, which are then passed in the pet’s feces and spread throughout the area the pet roams. Once in the environment, some of these eggs can remain infective and present a health risk for your pet and humans for years

If my pet has intestinal worms, how does this affect humans?

Roundworms are the most common intestinal parasite of pets and the most likely to be transmitted to humans. Humans can accidentally ingest infective worm eggs that have been passed through the pet’s feces and left in the environment.  Especially children are at high risk as they unknowingly ingest the parasites. The eggs can then hatch in the human’s intestinal tract, and the immature worms can travel to various tissues in the body, including the eyes and brain, potentially causing serious infections.