Fleas and Worming

Protect your pets from these nasty pests!

Fleas

Fleas can range from an annoyance to your pet, to an all out problem for the family. The flea season tends to run from April to October, with the worst being when the weather is hot and humid. However, as most people now have carpets and central heating, it is not uncommon for fleas to live all year round in the house. Every female flea lays 100-200 eggs when on your pet and these will fall off onto the areas where the dog or cat lies or sleeps. Therefore, to acheive the best level of flea control, you must deal with both the adult and young stages of the fleas' lifecycle.

As well as causing an irritation to your pet, fleas can also cause severe allergic reactions, leading to nasty skin infections. They may also carry tapeworm and pass this to your pet. Most commonly, fleas are seen along the back of the pet and they will scratch along there. In pale coloured animals, you may see 'black dust' which is flea dirt.

We recommend spot-on treatment for your pets. These products will kill both the adults and eggs/larval stages. Hair and skin that falls off the pet will act on the stages in the house. For cats, we also have a 6-monthly injection which 'sterilises' the flea so that its eggs are non-viable. In a sereve outbreak, you may also have to spray the house. For any advice on what products to use, please speak to one of our staff and they will be happy to help you.

If your pet has open wounds or is scratching excessively, we would recommend bringing them in to see a vet as they may require further treatment.

For any further information or advice, please contact one of the surgeries to speak to one of our staff.

Worming

As much as we love our pets, they can carry some nasty parasites. There are a number of worms that can infect them, the main ones being Roundworms and Tapeworms. Why do we worry about this? Well, firstly, a heavy worm burden can cause health problems for your pet. Secondly, some worms are contagious to humans, particularly children, and can cause serious problems and even blindness. If your pet has worms when it passes faeces, they will contain worm eggs which are very hardy and can stay in the ground for a long time. They are then passed to other dogs or to people through contact and ingestion. One dog can pass millions of eggs a day in its faeces.

Regular worming with the right preparation will give you the best chance of keeping your pet worm-free, and reducing the chances of contaminating the environment. A selection of worming preparations are stocked at the surgery, but most are not available for general sale, e.g. in supermarkets and pet shops. As well as working better, they can also be safer too. Worming recommendations vary according to the age of your pet, and his or her weight. No starvation or special feeding is required, but do follow the dosage instructions carefully and keep all medicines out of children's reach. Always spray regularly for fleas, to reduce tapeworm infestation.

We recommend that you worm your pet every 3 months. If they are regular hunters it may be necessary to worm them every month. The wormer will only kill adult worms in the animal, it does not last for 3 months, however this time fits in with the lifecycle of most worms and should prevent infection and passage of eggs.

All flea and worm treatments are covered under the Pet Health Club. If you're interested in becoming a member today and saving yourself money, visit our Pet Health Club.

For any further information or advice, please do not hesistate to contact your local surgery and speak to one of our friendly staff.