Pests like fleas, ticks, and worms and fleas could cause serious health issues for your dog. The consequences for the health of your pet can be harmful. Warm, humid environments are perfect for parasites. The most active parasites in the pet world are in the summer, spring, and autumn when temperatures rise. However, they may create problems in winter. The larval and adult stages of parasites can endure subfreezing temperatures for an extended time.
Controlling parasites for your cat or dog is an ongoing commitment. One of the best ways to prevent parasites from making the pet sick is to adhere to your vet’s cleaning and treatment recommendations.
Preventing Dog Parasitism
Infestations with internal or external parasites could have devastating consequences for dogs’ health. Most infections are not recognized until they have already caused serious harm, like gradual fatigue and anemia. It can also lead to death. Use these tips to safeguard your pet family members from parasites that can be a nuisance, such as mosquitoes, ticks, fleas, and intestinal parasites.
1. Annual Wellness Exam
Diagnostic testing is as important as vaccinations and a physical exam of the health of your dog’s annually scheduled exam. Bring your pet to the vet every year to have a routine blood test and further testing for heartworms and tick-borne illnesses, as your vet recommends. The bites of ticks can lead to anaplasmosis and ehrlichiosis in pets, and mosquito bites may spread heartworm diseases.
Additionally, vets can test for intestinal parasites by analyzing feces samples for the presence of eggs from parasites that could spread to humans or other dogs. To protect the family members, it’s essential to determine the exact parasites your pet is or has come in contact with. You can avail of North Cobb Animal Hospital wellness pet plans to ensure that your pet is monitored and protected against viruses that can be fatal to them.
2. Pay Attention
It is better to avoid intestinal parasites rather than treat them. The same applies to external parasites. The ticks can transmit diseases such as Lyme and Babesiosis to dogs, whereas fleas are known to transmit tapeworms and trigger allergic reactions.
Awareness of any signs and attention to your dog’s behavior could aid in identifying any issues in the early stages. Take a close look at your dog after a walk to for parasite prevention for cats and dogs to ensure that they didn’t pick up any objects from the ground or any other animal. Abdominal pain, diarrhea, weight loss, and fatigue are all common indicators of having an intestinal parasite.
3. Grooming
If your dog has a lavish and thick double coat, you will not be able to determine whether they are suffering from parasites outside their body because it is impossible to detect the signs. Maintaining your coat’s condition by regularly grooming it will aid in determining if it’s time to bring your pet to the vet to get treatment or if you can treat them at your home. You can gain more information about it by reading blog posts and articles online from pet owners.
4. Parasite Prevention Products
Parasites can infect dogs from a variety of sources, including humans. There is a risk of becoming a vector if you don’t wash your hands after playing with dogs or when you’ve been in an area where there could be larvae or eggs on the ground.
If you’re not certain that your dog is parasite-free, vets suggest deworming and treating ticks and fleas. Eliminating fleas, for example, has helped alleviate allergies and dermatitis. After a single dose of medication, examine your dog’s feces for eggs of internal parasite larvae, eggs, or adults. This will determine if they require another dose. A bathing session with a safe shampoo for treatment can prevent lice, fleas, and ticks.
5. Waste Disposal
Although external parasites such as fleas and ticks will not survive in the poop of your pet, internal parasites such as tapeworms and roundworms could be a severe problem. The dog’s feces are full of parasite eggs that could infect humans and other animals when left in the dirt for too long. Beware of dog-friendly trails and parks that aren’t maintained clean Always get rid of your pet’s feces as soon as possible to prevent soil contamination.