Parasites in Companion Animals
Fleas
Fleas are unfortunately a common and pesky parasite our pets (and we) have to deal with.
The most common type of flea is the cat flea -Ctenocephalides felis. Although it is called the cat flea, it can infect multiple species including: cats, dogs, livestock, rabbits, raccoons, foxes etc.
Fleas can be more than a nuisance but deadly to some animals- especially young and very small animals. Fleas feed on blood and can cause severe anemia (low red blood cell numbers) if there is a heavy flea burden. Fleas can also cause severe skin irritation and infections from their bites. Some animals can be allergic to the fleas bites and develop severe skin disease from even 1 or 2 flea bites.
In addition to the bites and irritation they cause, fleas can also transmit other parasites like tapeworms. Fleas can carry a tapeworm called Diplydium caninum that when the flea is ingested by the animal can reside in the small intestine where it matures and grows. This type of tapeworm can be passed to other animals as well as humans.
There are 4 stages to the flea life cycle, which can sometimes make it difficult to eradicate the problem.
It is also very important to treat all animals in the household to ensure one animal does not continue to bring more fleas into the household- this applies to indoor cats too!
There are many different products available to treat for fleas, contact us to to help you find one that is most appropriate for your situation.
Ticks
Ticks are skin parasites that feed on the blood of their hosts-which can be dogs, cats, rabbits, coyotes, foxes, humans etc. There are multiple types of ticks in our area and unfortunately there are increasing numbers every year.
The bite of the tick is generally no more than a nuisance, but ticks can transmit multiple different diseases to your pet. The most well know being Lyme disease, but they can also transmit diseases such as Erlichia, Anaplasma and Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever. Theses illness can vary from mild to severe with affects generally targeting the bone marrow and joints.
One of the best defenses against these diseases is to remove any tick you find promptly from your pet, as the longer they are on, the more likely it is for them to transfer any diseases they may carry. We recommend to check your pet for ticks daily after they have been outside, especially if they have been in the long grass or wooded areas.
If you do find a tick on your pet, you can remove it at home or bring them in to us to have it removed.
If you are going to remove it at home: grasp the tick firmly as close to the skin as possible (with tweezers preferably) and use firm and steady pressure to pull the tick up and away from the pet.
You can also purchase a tick removing tool such as a "Tick Twister" that facilitates the removal.
For the Spring/Summer/Fall of 2019 our clinic is enrolled in a tick study run through the University of Guelph. You can bring any ticks that you have removed off your pet an we can send it away for identification and testing at no charge.
If you have concerns about ticks in your pets, give us a call and we can help you determine what tick prevention product is right for you and your pet.
Check out www.petsandticks.com for more great tick info.
Heartworm
Heartworm can be a deadly parasite to dogs that is transferred by mosquitoes. In our area the heartworm transmission season is from the months of June to November.
The infected mosquitoes bite your pet and while they are taking their bloodmeal transfer the microsopic larval stage - called microfilaria, to your pet. These microfilaria mature inside the bloodstream and settle in the heart as adults which can cause severe and deadly damage to the animal.
Heartworm preventative medications kill these microfilaria before they have a chance to mature into adult worms inside your pets body. A bloodtest to confirm that your dog does not have heartworm is done prior to starting on prevention to ensure we are finding infections early and ensures you can start their prevention safely.
The further south you go the more prevalent heartworm is. If you plan on travelling down to the sunny south with your pet it is extremely important to have them protected against this potentially deadly parasite.
Here is a link to more information on heartworm disease in Canada https://www.canadianveterinarians.net/documents/heartworm-an
Internal Parasites
frequently seen in young puppies and kittens. They are worms that live in the small intestine and steal nutrients and in the case of hookworms, blood from their host. Puppies and kittens can be infected through the placenta while still in the uterus or from their mothers milk. These worms can also infect humans which is one reason why we recommend routine parasite screens and deworming especially in young pups.
Coccidia- Coccidia is a single celled organism that cannot be seen by the naked eye and requires microscopic examination of the feces to diagnose. This parasite can cause profuse watery diarrhea that can range from mild to very severe. Unfortunately coccidia cannot be killed with our routine dewormers which is why fecal examinations are very important to ensure we are treating with the proper medications.
Tapeworms- There are a few different types of tapeworms that can infect both cats and dogs. The first Diplydium species - a type that can be passed to them by ingesting fleas. The second Teania species - is contracted from ingesting infected animals like mice, rats or rabbits. Both of these tapeworms can sometimes be seen as rice like segments around the anus of the animal. There is another type called Echinococcus species - that can be quite dangerous to both animals and people. This tapeworm is contracted from infected coyote or fox feces or from ingesting infected rodents. You can find more info on this tapeworm on our Pet Health Info page.
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