While not always pleasant to think about, parasites are a common issue faced by pet owners everywhere. Regardless of the species of your pet, parasite control must be taken seriously for the health of both your pet and yourself!

What Are Parasites?

Parasites are organisms that live within or on another organism and steal nutrients from their host. Parasites can be both microscopic (protozoa, skin mites, etc) or visible to the naked eye (fleas, ticks, mosquitos, lice, worms). The damage parasites can do to their host can be both direct and indirect. For example, ticks are parasites that bite and consume blood from their hosts, weakening the animal they’re feeding from. However, some ticks also carry and spread Lyme Disease, a potentially serious bacterial infection.

Where Can My Pet Get Parasites?

Depending on the type of parasite, your pet can be exposed to or contract parasites just from being outside (or being in contact with animals or insects that make their way into your home). Your pet can also get parasites from being exposed to other animals or the excrement of other animals at places like dog parks, pet stores, your yard, groomer’s etc. Some indoor-only pets can also be exposed to parasites from little critters such as insects or mice that come inside the house.

What Are Some Symptoms of Parasitic Infection?

While you may be able to visualize certain parasites, a large number of them are not visible and only make their presence known through symptoms your pet is showing. This is why monitoring your pet’s normal behavior and appearance is important.

Because there are various types of parasites (internal parasites like worms or giardia, or external parasites like fleas and mites), there are a plethora of symptoms that your pet may exhibit. For internal parasites your pet may experience diarrhea, vomiting or weight loss. External parasites may cause itchiness or hair loss. Having any parasite can cause your pet to not feel like themselves, so they might not want to eat like they normally would or they may be lethargic. Many times, a pet may have a parasite but show no outward symptoms at all, until the infestation has progressed significantly.

What Are Some Common Parasites And How Are They Spread?

Heartworm is a serious infection transmitted by mosquito bites.

Ticks are not only parasites themselves, but can also transmit other serious diseases like Lyme, Anaplasma, and Ehrlichia. Your pet can be exposed to ticks if they go outside or are exposed to animals that do (including you!).

Roundworms, hookworms, whipworms, tapeworms, coccidia and giardia are all gastrointestinal parasites that your pet can pick up from a contaminated environment or contact with an infected animal/infected material. Puppies and kittens can get certain intestinal parasites from their mother through the placenta or from nursing.

Fleas are parasites found on the skin, but spend most of their lifecycle in the environment.

How Can I Protect my Pet From Parasites?

Thankfully there are many options to help prevent parasitic infections. For dog and cat owners, flea/tick and heartworm prevention will be the most important. Most heartworm prevention also includes prevention for certain intestinal parasites. If your pet goes outside or is directly exposed to animals that do, they are at risk for infection.

Heartworm preventatives are often supplied as oral chewable or flavored tablets given once a month year round. Common options include Simparica Trio and Milbeguard.

There are some topical options available for heartworm prevention as well, such as Advantage Multi.

Flea and tick preventatives also come in a variety of forms. There are topical preventatives (Bravecto, Vectra) and oral chews (Simparica Trio, Bravecto). Be sure to read the label of your preventative to be sure that it is being given at the correct interval (monthly, every 12 weeks, etc), and that it’s appropriate for your pet’s species. Some products are safe for dogs and cats; others are species-specific.

Simparica Trio is mentioned in both types of prevention because it is one of the few options that will prevent fleas, ticks, and heartworms all in one convenient dose.

Limiting your pet’s exposure to certain environments and situations help lower the risk of them contracting parasites. However, the risk cannot be eliminated completely. This is why your veterinarian may recommend regular testing (fecal tests, heartworm tests or tick-borne illness screening) to be sure that they haven’t contracted an infection. If your pet is showing signs of an infection your veterinarian may recommend other tests in order to diagnose your pet.

In the event that your pet does have parasites, your veterinarian will come up with a treatment plan (usually some form of an oral medication or topical therapy, depending on the animal and parasite being treated).

Contact us today to schedule an appointment with Dr. Aparna Modi to get your pet started on parasite prevention!