Did you know that Spring and Summer are the most common months for parasites such as fleas and ticks to come out. They can appear all year round but we see higher numbers during this time.
So why do we recommend your pet being on parasitic prevention all year round?
Flea’s are small parasites that live off your pet by biting them and feeding off their blood. They can cause your pet to be extremely itchy, have skin reactions such as rashes and hair loss and in severe cases can cause anaemia (low red blood cells) in your pet. Not only can they cause health issues for your pet, they can be extremely hard to eradicate. Unfortunately it is not as simple as treating your pet with a parasitic medication, you must also clean the environment that your pet lives in. Flea eggs can live in other areas and once they hatch can restart the infestation all over again. Items that should be cleaned include all bedding your pet has had contact with and vacuuming the area your pet has been around. This is why we say prevention is always better than treatment.
Intestinal worms are also important to treat, there are many species that can live in your pets tummy and if left untreated can pose many health threats to your pet such as gastrointestinal upsets, anaemia and anorexia to name a few. They can be easily prevented with a monthly/quarterly chew (depending on your preference).
Ticks are extremely important to prevent instead of treating. Ticks, especially paralysis ticks can be intrusive for your pet to treat and in some cases can be fatal. At present (November 2022) there is a Nationwide tick antiserum shortage meaning a lot of animal hospitals are unable to source the life saving tick antiserum therefore decreasing the chances of survival if your pet was to get a tick and wasn’t on a tick preventative. We recommend that your pet is on ongoing tick preventative to prevent your pet from having to go through intensive treatment which may include time on a ventilator.
Prevention is better than treatment, we recommend staying on yearly round parasitic control to avoid your pet from catching any of these nasty parasites.