Parasites and why we must prevent them

Heartworm disease is a serious disease that results in severe lung disease, heart failure, other organ damage, and death in pets, mainly dogs and cats. The worms are spread through the bite of a mosquito. Year-round prevention is best!  Talk it out with us to help you decide which preventive is best for your dog. The American Heartworm Society advocates to “Think 12." Give dogs 12 months of heartworm prevention and get them tested for heartworms every 12 months. 

Roundworms are active in the intestines of puppies, and often cause a pot-bellied  appearance. Worms may be seen in vomit or stool. Dogs become infected by ingesting worm eggs from contaminated soil. The eggs hatch in the intestine and the larva are carried to the lungs by the bloodstream.

These small, thin worms fasten to the wall of the small intestine and suck blood. Puppies can get hookworms from their mom at birth or through her milk. Dogs that come in contact with larvae in contaminated soil can also get hookworms. A diagnosis is made by examining the feces for eggs under a microscope.

Adult whipworms live in the first section of the large intestine. They look like pieces of thread with one end enlarged. Infestations are usually light, so a veterinary examination and fecal check is the best way to know if your pet has whipworms. 

Your pet can become infected with tapeworms by eating fleas. Flat, moving  segments can often be seen in the dog's stool. Dried tapeworm segments look like grains of rice and can be found either in your pet's stool or stuck to the hair around their tail-end. Tapeworms cannot be killed by the common over-the-counter de-wormers, but we do offer an injection to treat for them.

Flea infestations are extremely common in Texas. These small, fast, jumping insects live on your pet and take regular blood meals to produce eggs. A female flea will lay an egg about every 20 minutes! Flea Allergy Dermatitis is extremely common as many animals are allergic to the flea's saliva and the pet's skin can break out into a very uncomfortable rash/skin infection with incessant itching. Hair loss, itching, scabby/scaly skin and 

Ticks are small, crawling insects that will bite and then burrow their head into the skin tissue of your pet and then stay attached while it feeds on blood. There are many types of ticks, but all can be vectors (carriers) for different viral diseases such as Lyme Disease and Erlichia among many others. Ticks don't only attach to your pet, Ticks will even attach to humans!

The ear mite is a surface mite that lives on cats, dogs, rabbits, and ferrets. It is usually found in the ear canal, but it can also live on the skin surface. Ear mites are highly contagious and animals become infested by direct contact with another infested animal. The mite is barely visible to the naked eye and may be seen as a white speck moving against a dark background. These mites can be very irritating and cause a lot of scratching and head shaking for pets.