Flea and Worm Control

Fleas

Fleas - the age old battle that pet owners have to deal with. Fleas have been around for millions of years in our environment so unfortunately, we will never eradicate them, but we can keep our pet happy and comfortable by keeping them under control. 

We normally only see the adult fleas on animals which is only 5% of the burden. 95% of the issue is pupae, larvae and eggs living in our environment (carpet, bedding, floor cracks, dirt outside). By the time you see fleas on your pet, you already have a big problem. 

The flea life cycle can range from 2 weeks to several months, depending on the conditions in the environment. Regular flea treatment is required to break this cycle to ensure happy and comfortable pets over the warmer months. If you have a flea burden it can take up to 3 months of flea control to get the flea population back under control due to the way the lifecycle works.  

Taranaki Vet Centre recommends:

• Start preventative treatment before you see fleas and continue all year round so  that the flea lifecycle doesn’t have the chance to reproduce
• Treat ALL animals within the household (cats and dogs) 
• Hot wash bedding and drying in the sun to help remove fleas and eggs 
• Vacuum the house regularly to remove eggs and larvae and also stimulate the pupae stage to hatch so that it can be affected by the flea treatment

We have several different flea treatments available in the clinic with varying durations of action and methods of applications. Spot on treatments, chewable tablets and collars ranging from 1 month to 8 months of protection. Most of our flea products also contain wormers, making flea and worm prevention easier than ever! 

Check out our handy chart below to see which product will best suit your pets needs:

Worms

Intestinal worms are the other common parasite that pet owners must deal with. These worms can live inside our pets stomach and intestines and take up the goodness and nutrients they consume which can lead to several health issues.

There are four types of intestinal worms that can affect our pets; roundworm, tapeworm, hookworm and whipworm (dogs only). They are so easy for our pets to pick up by eating; infected animals (mice, birds etc), infected faeces or contaminated soil in the environment when sniffing around. Roundworm is most commonly passed from Mum to their puppy or kitten either before they are born or in their milk when feeding. Tapeworm needs the flea to complete its lifecycle so this worm is generally contracted when an animal ingests an infected flea when they are grooming themselves. 

The symptoms of the different worms varies and you may not see any changes in your pet until there is a large worm burden. Once a burden has developed, signs your pet has worms can be "scooting", pot-bellied appearance, poor growth, weight loss, vomiting, diarrhoea, poor coat condition, pale pink gums (due to anaemia) and worms visible in pets faeces.

Taranaki Vet Centre recommends:

• Treat preventatively for worms due to animals not showing any symptoms for a while (worms are masters at hiding to survive).
• Puppies/Kittens should have a worm tablet every 2 weeks from 2 weeks of age.
• Monthly from 12 weeks to 6 months of age
• Then for the rest of their life we generally recommed a worm treatment every 3 months or monthly if they are good at hunting.

We have a variety of easy and affordable products available to treat these parasites. A few of our flea treatments we stock (as seen in the chart above) include a worm treatment component aswell. This means you can apply one monthly treatment to your pet and know both fleas and worms are covered. The other option is a worm tablet starting at just $4 for a cat/small dog.

Pop into your local clinic to talk to our knowledgable staff about the best option for your pets needs. Once you've decided on your preferred product, we'll show you how to apply it for the best effect. Alternatively, head to our Resources page on Pills, Drops and Treatments for some how-to videos!