Description: Discover why pets get parasites, what a pet parasite is, and other useful information that’ll help you to cope with stressful situations as a pet owner! We created a comprehensive article that will be very useful to you.
Dangers posed by parasites like roundworms, heartworms, ticks, fleas, and more, can be quite scary to humans, even when a lot of safety measures are taken. In such a scenario, the way these organisms could affect a pet can be quite frightening. It is always essential to be aware of the ways to keep the pet safe from parasites. A sick pet can dishearten the whole family, while it also puts them at serious risk of losing their health or worse.
What Pets Are Affected?
Сats and dogs, which are common pets, happen to be affected by parasites. Why pets get parasites? Looking for external pests like ticks and fleas is effortless. It is possible to define signs of infestation by actions like frequent scratching, hair loss, and chewing. However, it can be rather difficult to identify signs of internal parasites like hookworms, roundworms, and tapeworms. A pet owner should pay close attention to the signs of diarrhea, weight loss, vomiting frequency, and more. These symptoms can be overlooked since they are non-specific.
One of the best ways to determine the presence of internal parasites is by consulting a veterinarian every 12 months. Once at the clinic, the veterinarian will undergo an examination of the stool sample using a microscope so that intestinal parasites symptoms can be identified. The microscopic examination will reveal information about larvae, eggs, and other organisms. The veterinarian may also test the blood for any vector born parasites and heartworm diseases.
A pet owner should also consider taking another pet (despite how much time has passed since it came in the family) to a veterinarian. So, the risk of other pets being affected is greatly reduced.
Reasons to Eliminate Pet Parasite
The parasites can be undetected for most times, as there might be no visible symptoms. Most signs that the pet parasite shows will not point to a clear understanding that they are suffering deep within. Many people who are consciously trying to protect their little ones from external problems tend to forget the importance of the issues created by these organisms. Simple pet parasite prevention medicine against heartworm will be able to help to overcome parasites that spend time in the intestine — like hookworms, roundworms, and whipworms. Similarly, the fleas and ticks can be avoided by using preventative at least monthly so that tick-borne disease is not spread. A small consultation with the veterinarian will provide information on how to kill internal parasites by the use of excellent preventative products that are available in the market.
Even though parasites can be a huge factor behind the morbidity of pets, it is straightforward to prevent these creepy creatures. Just like a mother would protect the children, the pet owner has to take extensive care when it comes to parasite prevention.
Symptoms Caused by Common Pet Parasites
Fleas
The discomfort caused by fleas (unpleasant pet parasite) is apparent straight away with the first symptom being the redness of the skin and itching.
Ticks
These pet parasites end up causing red patches of skin that are quite irritable. The ticks are usually small and brown. They can cause severe problems, like Lyme disease, which is more frequently carried by these pests.
Ear Mites
These are usually present in the ear lobes, and they are quite stressful to the pet. They can result in a black or brown discharge from the ear, while frequent scratching and headshaking are tell-tale signs of the problems caused by this parasite.
Heartworm
This intestinal pet parasite causes multiple symptoms. They include the likes of weight loss, decreased appetite, lethargy, and cough. If untreated, the problem of heartworms can become a rather serious issue with heart failure or swollen belly. Let’s see more internal parasites symptoms.
Hookworm
Pets expert website can point out the signs of hookworm infestation when a puppy demonstrates poor growth and anemia symptoms. If left untreated, the signs of this pet parasite may become a lot more severe with diarrhea being one of the common issues.
Roundworm
The roundworm, a nasty pet parasite, does not have a typical symptom on its own. Instead, it is common to come across aspects like poor growth, diarrhea, and swollen abdomen as symptoms of its presence in the intestine.
Whipworm
This pet parasite does not show any signs in its early stages, but later it can lead to diarrhea and weight loss. Hence, it is essential to check and treat the animal for this infestation regularly. A tell-tale sign is the presence of fresh blood in the feces, while anemia is also quite common.
Tapeworm
There are very few signs of tapeworm infestation, but poor absorption of food and diarrhea are common symptoms. It’s a very nasty pet parasite as well.
How to Keep a Pet Parasite Away
Prevention Throughout the Year
The common misconception is that parasites can infect the pets only during the summer months. However, this is not true since the problem can appear at any time of the year. The issue of pet parasites is lowered during winter and other colder months, but some internal parasites tend to survive and progress throughout the year. Hence, the essential step that can be done to prevent infestation is by using internal and external parasite preventative products. How to treat internal parasites? The same way —by using corresponding products.
Staying Clear of High-Traffic Pet Areas
The interstellar worms are capable of laying more than 100,000 eggs per day, and these are usually passed through the feces. The eggs of this pet parasite are capable of quickly spreading across the entire area in which the animal roams. Once the environment has been contaminated, it is extremely easy for other pets to get infestation that may take a long time to clear. Hence, it is better to avoid areas where there is high traffic of pets – like dog parks.
Regular Cleaning of the Yard
The yard should be kept free from feces so that it prevents the spread of intestinal worms and other pet parasites. There’s simply no other way around it – you have to keep the yard clean.
Conclusion
There are various methods you can use to keep your home neat to avoid parasites. It’s also terrific to know what symptoms different parasites give to pets. This way, you will be able to recognize what happens early and act upon it. We hope this article was helpful – we went above and beyond to make the information as easy as possible to understand.
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Author’s Bio: Rachel H. lives with her husband in Seattle. She’s an animal LOVER, a passionate advocate, and an avid volunteer at various area animal shelters. As a blogger, Rachel loves writing and even started a blog about pets. She has three furry babies and tries to learn as much as she can about dogs, especially.