We get it – maintaining a comprehensive parasite prevention program for your pet can be challenging in terms of the expense, knowing which products to use, and keeping track of dates!

But the reality is that the treatment required for parasite-related health issues (such as flea-related skin irritation or worm-related gut upset) is usually more costly! And in the case of the potentially deadly parasite-related illnesses, such as tick paralysis or heartworm infestation, the consequences of leaving your pet unprotected can be awful for the poor pet and traumatic for their owner, too.  We are very lucky in Albany that both paralysis tick and heartworm are not issues that we face, but we still see a lot of travelling pets who might be exposed to these nasty diseases, along with tick-borne Ehrlichiosis in the north of WA.

Our team is therefore here to shed light on a few of the most common parasite prevention pitfalls that we see, so you can stay alert.

1. Incomplete protection

It can definitely be confusing trying to work out what each product does, and what protection your pet actually needs. Many owners get tripped up using products marketed as “all-in-one” or “complete” and then find out later that the product doesn’t protect their pet adequately, with some products not covering sufficiently against either paralysis ticks or all the varieties of intestinal worms.

2. Incorrect frequencies

With different products varying in their required administration frequency from fortnightly, monthly, quarterly, 6-monthly or annually, owners sometimes fail to apply them at the correct time, particularly if they’re swapping between products.

Unfortunately, vets particularly on the east coast of Australia see many cases of deadly tick paralysis where a caring and usually reliable owner simply lapsed once and was a few days or weeks late to apply their pet’s prevention.

3. Not treating puppies/kittens

Some new owners mistakenly assume that recently obtained puppies and kittens don’t need parasite prevention for a while. However, these babies may come to your home with parasites (if they were insufficiently treated by their breeder), and they can also pick up parasite infestations from other pets or from public, bushy or rural environments.

For personalised recommendations on the safest and most effective parasite control routines for your pet, consult our knowledgeable team!