Parasites - Fleas, Ticks & Worms

How would I know if my pet has fleas?

Reaction to flea bites can be variable. On some animals they go unnoticed, whilst others can be extremely itchy, have areas of hair loss and scabs on the skin. Severe infestation may even result in anaemia, especially in young kittens. Fleas can also transmit tapeworm.

If a pet is heavily infested, fleas are easy to spot. They are small, brown, and wingless insects that can jump long distances. "Flea dirts” (small black specks of flea faecal matter containing digested blood) are an indicator of flea presence and can be found on your pet deep within their fur and their bedding.

Remember to always seek your vets advice if you should have any concerns.

Where would my pet pick up fleas?

The most common flea that affects cats and dogs is the cat flea. Your pet will pick up relatively few of these when outdoors, however once in the home these fleas will lay eggs which then hatch in to adults and re-infest your pet. Heated and carpeted (and even laminate flooring) homes provide the ideal conditions for the development of fleas all year round.

The life cycle of the flea is as follows: Flea > Eggs > Larvae > Pupae > Flea. They can remain as pupae for some time before emerging when they detect a host nearby. The entire cycle can range from 12 - 180 days. In 1 month 25 female fleas can multiply to 250,000 fleas.

Remember to always seek your vets advice if you should have any concerns.

How can I treat a flea problem on my pet?

It is far easier to prevent a problem than have to treat an infestation. You must consider two aspects; treating your pet and treating your home. There are a variety of products available for your pet that will kill fleas and sterilise their eggs. Your vet will advise you on the most suitable products.

And don’t forget to treat your house, as this is where the fleas are harboured. All bedding should be washed, all floors (carpet, stone & laminate) hoovered and household flea spray distributed according to instructions.

Remember to always seek your vets advice if you should have any concerns.

How do I prevent my pet catching fleas?

All our pets will get exposed to these pests at some point meaning prevention is by far the best course of action. We recommend regular preventative medications administered either orally or via a body surface (“topical”).

Remember to always seek your vets advice if you should have any concerns.

Are house pets safe?

Many might think house pets would be safe BUT humans can be unknowing carriers of fleas. Using catteries and kennels will also introduce an exposure risk. For these reasons we still recommend using preventative medication for fleas.

Remember to always seek your vets advice if you should have any concerns.

Do they cause my pet pain?

In small numbers your pet shouldn’t experience pain but they may have localised skin irritation which causes them discomfort. However if fleas are present in large numbers this can be very distressing for your pet aside from the implications of any diseases/worms they could be exposed to.

Remember to always seek your vets advice if you should have any concerns.

If my pet has fleas will it also have a worm problem?

Most fleas are carriers of tapeworm. So sadly if your pet has fleas there is a very high chance they also have tapeworm. This is not something to panic over but it does need treating.

Remember to always seek your vets advice if you should have any concerns.

What happens if left untreated?

Left untreated fleas will use your pet to nourish themselves, breed and eventually infest your house and pet. Not only will your pet experience rising levels of discomfort and itchiness; in very small patients significant flea infestations can cause severe anaemia and even death.

The longer you leave any fleas present the harder it is clear up the problem.

Remember to always seek your vets advice if you should have any concerns.

Are they harmful to humans?

The most a flea will do to us is give us a bite! Just remember if you are bitten you need to treat your pet and your whole house or you will continue to be bitten.

Remember to always seek your vets advice if you should have any concerns.

What are ticks?

Ticks are egg-shaped insects that feed on the blood of animals. They find a host and attach themselves by implanting their mouth-parts under the skin.

Remember to always seek your vets advice if you should have any concerns.

Where would my pet pick up a tick?

Ticks are generally picked up when dogs and cats walk through grassland areas.

Remember to always seek your vets advice if you should have any concerns.

Are ticks harmful to my pet?

They can result in anaemia and transmit a number of diseases. The three most important to be aware of are as follows:

Lyme Disease: this is caused by a bacterium that is carried by the tick and injected when it bites. It results in inflammation around the bite, lameness and fever and can also affect humans.

Ehrlichiosis: this is caused by a bacterium called Rickettsia. It results in anorexia, weight loss, fever, stiffness and prolonged bleeding and can also affect humans. The disease does not commonly occur in the UK, but pets that travel (particularly to Europe, Africa or the USA) are at risk of infection and may bring the disease back to the UK.

Babesiosis: this is caused by a parasite called Babesia. It results in weakness, anaemia, loss of appetite and fever and can be fatal. Humans are rarely affected. Due to pets travelling abroad this has recently become more common in the UK.

If your pet has been in a high risk area, we recommend that you inspect your pet’s coat for any sign of ticks. Any attached ticks should be removed, but removal requires significant care.

Remember to always seek your vets advice if you should have any concerns.

How should I remove a tick?

We are more than happy to demonstrate how best to remove them at the vets if you’re concerned. The main thing to prevent is any tick mouth parts being left behind in the skin, which can happen if the tick is pulled off or any attempts to burn/damage the tick are made. To successfully remove a tick, the tick should be gripped as close to the skin as possible (using a purpose designed tick remover) and carefully rotated until the tick dislodges intact. Ticks should not be handled without wearing gloves.

Remember to always seek your vets advice if you should have any concerns.

How can I treat a tick problem on my pet?

You don’t need to treat your house in the event your pet has a tick. But regular treatment for your pet will keep ticks at bay. Your vet can discuss with you about which product is most suitable for your pet.

Remember to always seek your vets advice if you should have any concerns.

How do I prevent my pet catching ticks?

All outdoor pets will get exposed to these pests at some point meaning prevention is by far the best course of action. We recommend regular preventative medications administered either orally or via a body surface (“topical”).

Remember to always seek your vets advice if you should have any concerns.

Is prevention expensive?

The cost of medications varies by manufacturer but typically we would expect it to cost approx £10 per month for cats and approx £15 per month for dogs.(as of Jan 2018)

Remember to always seek your vets advice if you should have any concerns.

Do they cause my pet pain?

In small numbers your pet shouldn’t experience pain but they may have localised skin irritation which causes them discomfort. However if ticks are present in large numbers this can be very distressing for your pet aside from the implications of any diseases they could be exposed to.

Remember to always seek your vets advice if you should have any concerns.

What happens if left untreated?

Besides the risk of contracting Lyme Disease, Ehrlichiosis or Babesiosis from ticks, they tend not to spread on your pet. Although they mate on their host they will drop to the floor to lay their thousands of eggs.

Remember to always seek your vets advice if you should have any concerns.

Are they harmful to humans?

Humans can be (although very rare in the UK) affected by Lyme Disease, Ehrlichiosis and Babesiosis carried in ticks.

What is Roundworm?

It is a parasite that mainly inhabits your pets' intestines feeding on partially digested food. Although they can spread to other parts of the body and can reach up to 12cm long!

Remember to always seek your vets advice if you should have any concerns.

What are the symptoms of infection?

May be visible in your pet’s faeces. Otherwise symptoms will range from few to weight loss, increased appetite, vomiting and diarrhoea.

Remember to always seek your vets advice if you should have any concerns.

Can I leave it untreated?

Once you are aware they have a worm burden it is very much in your pets best interests to treat them.

Remember to always seek your vets advice if you should have any concerns.

How does my pet become infected?

By eating roundworm eggs. Possible sources include soil, ingesting faeces, hunting rodents or eating raw meat. Puppies and kittens may become infected in the womb (if the mother is infected) or by drinking their mother’s milk.

Remember to always seek your vets advice if you should have any concerns.

Could it transmit to humans?

Yes it can cause blindness in children. Ensure you keep your worming treatment up date and take special care with hygiene. Children should avoid playing on ground known to be used as a pet loo and before eating they should regularly wash their hands after playing outdoors or stroking pets.

Remember to always seek your vets advice if you should have any concerns.

Can it be cured?

Yes if you regularly worm your pets.

Remember to always seek your vets advice if you should have any concerns.

How do I prevent my pet being infected?

We recommend treating puppies and kittens:

• Up to 12 weeks old: Every 2 weeks
• 12 weeks to 6 months old: Every month
• Rest of life: There are monthly spot on treatments or tablets to be taken either monthly or quarterly.
• Rabbits should be treated according to their lifestyle. Those at high risk may require treatment every 3 months whilst house rabbits could be every 6 months. We recommend an oral paste. Please discuss with you vet to reach the right solution for your rabbit.

Your vet will discuss appropriate drugs, doses and frequency for your pet with you.

What is Tapeworm?

It is a parasite that attaches itself to your pets small intestines after hatching in their tummy. They can reach lengths of over half a meter and are made up of many segments called proglottids. Proglottids may only be 3-5mm in length. These can be visible in your dogs faeces when they break off.

Remember to always seek your vets advice if you should have any concerns.

What are the symptoms of infection?

Proglottids (3-5mm section of a tapeworm resembling a grain of rice) may be visible in your pet’s faeces. You may notice your pet ‘scooting’ his anus across a rough surface due to the irritation a proglottid may cause his skin. Other symptoms may include: weight loss, increased appetite, vomiting and diarrhoea.

Remember to always seek your vets advice if you should have any concerns.

Can I leave it untreated?

Once you are aware they have a worm burden it is very much in your pet’s best interest to treat them. Although they are not usually harmful, a heavy infestation may cause weight loss.

Remember to always seek your vets advice if you should have any concerns.

How does my pet become infected?

To become infected your pet needs to ingest a ‘host’ carrying tapeworm eggs. The most likely ‘host’ will be an infected flea ingested when grooming. Other possible sources include: ingesting faeces, hunting rodents or eating raw meat.

Remember to always seek your vets advice if you should have any concerns.

Could it transmit to humans?

The risk would be very low and would likely involve eating an infected flea!!

Can it be cured?

Yes if you regularly worm your pets. There are oral or topical medications that can be given to kill the worms.

Remember to always seek your vets advice if you should have any concerns.

How do I prevent my pet being infected?

First step is to keep your pets free from fleas. It is essential to keep your pet’s flea treatment up to date as well as regularly worming them.

We recommend treating puppies and kittens:

• Up to 12 weeks old: Every 2 weeks
• 12 weeks to 6 months old: Every month
• Rest of life: There are monthly spot on treatments or tablets to be taken either monthly or quarterly.
• Rabbits should be treated every 3 months.

Your vet will discuss appropriate drugs, doses and frequency for your pet with you.

What is Lungworm?

Lungworm is a parasitic worm that lives in the blood vessels around the heart and respiratory system. Their presence causes heart problems, pneumonia and breathing issues. Mild cases may even go unnoticed.

These problems become severe once the worm has reproduced 28 days from being a larvae possibly causing haemorrhaging in lungs, intestines, liver and eyes. Leaving this untreated can be fatal.

Remember to always seek your vets advice if you should have any concerns.

What are the symptoms of infection?

Clinical signs can range from lethargy, weight loss and nasal discharge to coughing, difficulty breathing and bleeding disorders. Left untreated and it can be fatal.

Remember to always seek your vets advice if you should have any concerns.

Can I leave it untreated?

Whilst the parasite is not as common as fleas or other types of worm, the effects can be far greater and infection can be fatal. And even after treatment, if you left it late before coming to the vets the lungworm may have left permanent damage to your pets organs.

Remember to always seek your vets advice if you should have any concerns.

How does my pet become infected?

Dogs are at risk from eating infected grass, slugs and snails. Cats can be infected when they eat rodents or birds that have themselves eaten an infected slug or snail.

Remember to always seek your vets advice if you should have any concerns.

Could it transmit to humans?

No.

Can it be cured?

Yes if you regularly worm your pets.

Remember to always seek your vets advice if you should have any concerns.

How do I prevent my pet being infected?

Vigilance is your key defence. Try and avoid letting your pets eat snails/slugs and grass and remember to keep your preventative medication up to date.

We recommend treating puppies and kittens:

• All ages: Either a monthly spot on treatment or monthly tablet.
• Rabbits should be treated every 3 months.

Your vet will discuss appropriate drugs, doses and frequency for your pet with you.

What is Encephalitizoon Cuniculi (E Cuniculi)?

It is a microscopic protozoan parasite that lives in a rabbit's nervous system (brain and spinal cord) and/or kidneys.

Remember to always seek your vets advice if you should have any concerns.

What are the symptoms of infection?

In some cases a rabbit may not show any signs, however if it spread to the kidneys it can result in kidney failure (which shows as increased thirst and weight loss) and if it spread to the brain results in neurological signs including a head tilt, loss of balance and convulsions.

Remember to always seek your vets advice if you should have any concerns.

Can I leave it untreated?

Because it primarily affects the nervous system (brain and spinal cord) and kidneys, if left untreated it is usually fatal.

Remember to always seek your vets advice if you should have any concerns.

How does my pet become infected?

An infected rabbit will shed spores in it’s urine which when eaten or inhaled infect others. It is very common for the parasite to be transmitted from mother to young during pregnancy.

Remember to always seek your vets advice if you should have any concerns.

Could it transmit to humans?

Yes, humans can develop the disease, as the parasite is zoonotic. Generally only severely immunocompromised individuals are at risk.

Can it be cured?

When clinical signs are advanced, only supportive care can be implemented as there is currently no treatment that will reverse the damage already caused by the parasite.

Remember to always seek your vets advice if you should have any concerns.

How do I prevent my pet being infected?

All rabbits recently acquired, regardless of background, should receive a course of worming treatment to kill any presence of the parasite. However it offers no long lasting protection. Your only defence is to ensure your rabbit does not come into contact with any possible carriers of the parasite meaning:

• Any new rabbits entering a home with other rabbits should undergo a quarantine and treatment period.
• Regular worming eg oral pastes either quarterly or biannually depending on your rabbits lifestyle.
• Clean any pre-existing hutches or runs. The parasite in the environment is, however, easily killed by contact with bleach 1-10% for a minimum of 30 seconds.

Your vet will discuss appropriate drugs, doses and frequency for your rabbit with you.