Spotting fleas isn’t always easy — they are small and fast, and some dogs can show signs of severe itchiness and irritation when only a few fleas are present. The other thing to consider is that the adult fleas you see on your dog are only part of the problem. You may be surprised to learn that adult fleas (the ones you see) make up only about 5% of the total population. The remaining 95% (eggs, larvae and pupae) are found in carpets and bedding. Each female flea can lay up to 50 eggs per day, so it doesn’t take long for an infestation to take hold. It is important to remember that fleas aren’t just a problem in the summer. Use flea control all-year-round, especially if they have allergies. You and your pet will be happier for it.

The most common ticks infesting dogs in Australia are the paralysis tick, the brown dog tick, and the bush tick.

The paralysis tick (Ixodes holocyclus) is one of the most dangerous parasites that can affect your pet. Tick paralysis is estimated to affect tens of thousands of dogs and cats per year in Australia, with many animals dying. The greatest risk is associated with high numbers of adult ticks in spring and summer, but disease can be seen throughout the year. Paralysis ticks are found on the east coast of Australia, from northern Queensland to Victoria.

After the tick has attached to the host animal, it sucks blood and then secretes a toxin that can cause severe illness, or even death, in cats and dogs.

Signs of tick paralysis include: loss of coordination in the hind legs (wobbly or not being able to get up) which may progress to the front legs, change in bark, retching, coughing or vomiting, loss of appetite, or laboured or rapid breathing. Any of these signs may indicate the presence of a paralysis tick. If your dog shows any of these signs, you should seek veterinary attention as soon as possible.

• Using effective tick control products regularly for all dogs and cats that are living in, or travelling to, known paralysis tick regions.
• Search your dog daily for ticks. Although tick control products will greatly reduce the risk of tick paralysis, it only takes one tick to cause tick paralysis. For this reason, it is important to also perform daily searches on your pet.
• Reduce exposure to ticks in the environment (e.g. clean up leaf litter and debris, minimise or restrict your pet’s access to bushy environments)
• If you find a tick, remove it immediately, and seek veterinary attention.

Brown dog ticks and bush ticks do not cause tick paralysis, but they can cause skin irritation and also transmit other important diseases e.g. Babesia parasites which invade the red blood cells of dogs causing anaemia (which can be fatal).

We are more than happy to show you how to do a thorough tick search and recommend appropriate tick control products for your pet. Please call us to discuss.

Heartworm disease is a serious and potentially fatal disease seen in all mainland states of Australia. Dogs are more susceptible to heartworm infestation than cats, and heartworm disease also tends to be more severe in dogs. Adult worms live within the heart and large blood vessels where they can grow to more than 30 cm in length. Heartworm larvae, more commonly called microfilariae, can also be found circulating in an infected dog’s blood.

Heartworms are transmitted from one dog to another by mosquitoes, which pick up the tiny microfilariae when they bite an infected dog. The microfilariae develop in the mosquito and are transmitted when the infected mosquito bites another dog. The heartworm larvae then migrate through the dog’s tissues and circulatory system, eventually reaching the heart and lungs where they grow into adult heartworms.

Heartworm may cause no clinical signs in the early stages of infestation, but as the worms grow and mature, they can interfere with the normal circulation of blood. This can result in signs of heart failure, and in some cases may lead to sudden death.

If your pet has not been on heartworm prevention we strongly recommend you speak to us about a heartworm test prior to starting a prevention program.

Please call us to discuss the best heartworm prevention program for your pet.

Worming is one of the first health care issues pet owners need to address as pups and kittens are the most susceptible. As their name suggests, intestinal worms are parasites that live inside your pet’s intestines. These worms range in size from small to surprisingly large (up to 18cm in length). Regardless of their size however, they all have negative, and potentially deadly effects.

Most species of animal, as well as humans, can be infected with intestinal worms including dogs, cats, rabbits, horses, fish, birds and reptiles.

Common intestinal worms in Australian pets are:

• Roundworm
• Tapeworm
• Whipworm
• Hookworm

If your pet has a large number of worms, they may find it difficult to maintain body condition, and can lose weight. In some cases it can cause vomiting, diarrhoea and even anaemia (a low red blood cell level). Occasionally, heavy intestinal worm burdens can cause death.

Worms sometimes have complex life-cycles which involve a period of existence and development outside your pet. Understanding the life cycle of a specific worm is important, so that strategies for treatment and prevention can be designed and implemented. For instance, some tapeworms need to pass through fleas to complete their lifecycle, so flea prevention is an important method of controlling tapeworms.

It is important to maintain a routine worming treatment for your pets, to reduce the incidence of infection and to reduce environmental contamination. There are many worming treatments available for the various worm infections that occur in our pets.These are available as tablets, spot-ons, or chews. Re-infection is a common problem, particularly in pets that are in contact with a heavily contaminated environment. Another very important reason to worm your pets is to protect your family; as children in particular can become infected with certain dog and cat worms.

• Promptly clean up pet faeces
• Practice good hygiene, always encourage children to wash their hands regularly (especially after playing in dirt or sandpits, playing with pets or prior to eating)
• Prevent children from playing where the soil may be contaminated
• Keep your pet’s environment clean
• Always dispose of dog faeces in public parks and playgrounds

We recommend that puppies and kittens are wormed every 2 weeks until 12 weeks of age, then once monthly until they are 6 months old. Thereafter, adult dogs and cats should be wormed at least every 3 months for the rest of their life (or they may be put onto a monthly all-wormer such as Nexgard Spectra).

Please call us to discuss an intestinal worming program for your pet.