Parasite Prevention
Internal and external parasite control is an important part of preventative medicine on Vancouver Island. Our mild climate leads to flea and tick problems all year round. As fleas are known to carry tapeworms, this also leads to internal parasite issues in any animal that spends time outdoors. Other risk factors such as diet, hunting tendencies, and amount of time spent around other animals can also contribute to your pet's over-all worm burden.
Keeping your animal "bug" free helps with their coat quality, activity levels, weight gain/maintenance, and gastrointestinal health. It also keeps you and your family healthier, as many internal parasites can be transmitted between animals and humans. This is especially important in families with young children or immunocompromised individuals.
Please Note - In order to provide your animal with parasite control products, they must be up to date on their Annual Wellness Examination. This means they must have been seen by one of our Veterinarians within the last 12 months.
Keeping your animal "bug" free helps with their coat quality, activity levels, weight gain/maintenance, and gastrointestinal health. It also keeps you and your family healthier, as many internal parasites can be transmitted between animals and humans. This is especially important in families with young children or immunocompromised individuals.
Please Note - In order to provide your animal with parasite control products, they must be up to date on their Annual Wellness Examination. This means they must have been seen by one of our Veterinarians within the last 12 months.
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We recommend using Parasite Control products all year round.
These products are thoroughly tested and found to be safe when administered appropriately. Reactions are rare and usually mild/self-limiting. Please let your veterinarian know if your animal has had a previous reaction to any type of product in the past. |
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If you choose to monitor for parasites rather than treat preventatively, there are a few tips for early detection of infestations. Fecal Flotations Fecal flotations help us to identify parasite eggs and larvae, which allows us to customize an internal parasite treatment and prevention protocol for your animal. A flotation should be performed every 6 - 12 months if prophylactic treatment methods are not employed. |
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Flea Combing Animals with a flea infestation do not always have live fleas on their body. This is especially true of cats, as they are such fastidious groomers. As such, it is more reliable to search for "flea dirt" with a method like flea combing. This is a simple and easy way to detect a flea problem. |
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What do you do if your pet gets fleas?
We recommend using a prescription flea control product for at least 3 consecutive months. This ensures that all life stages of the flea are eradicated from your pet. Thorough environmental decontamination is also required. All in-contact animals should be treated for fleas as well. What do you do if you find a tick on your pet? Ticks should be removed as soon as possible. This can be done at home using a "Tick Twister," or you can bring your pet to the clinic for help. What do you do if you notice worms in your animal's stool? If parasites are visible in your animal's stool or vomit, they should be assessed by your Veterinarian and started on a regular broad spectrum internal deworming medication. |
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Please be VERY CAREFUL with over-the-counter flea and tick products for cats. Many products (such as Zodiac or Hartz) contain chemicals that are toxic to cats and can cause life threatening seizure reactions. If your cat is accidentally dosed with any of these products, please contact your Veterinarian immediately. |