Pets, Parasites and Protecting the Family

Today, I am writing about pets, pests, parasites…. And how to protect your family –

your entire family. Are you ready for a (true) story?

Just Imagine the following scenario. You are sitting on the lounge, with a drink in your hand. On one side lies your beloved cat, Leonard… all curled up. On the other side lies your dog Sheldon. And then, in walks your wife.

In her hand is a pencil like thing, and when you get up to have a look at it, it has two bars on it… one purple, one blue. Whilst your head starts to comprehend what it means, you notice the open box of pregnancy tests on the table.

You look at your wife, you look at your pets, and then you look at the door.  But you aren’t looking at the door because you want to run through it, but to wish the pets outside. The need to protect your pregnant wife and your unborn family has just kicked in.

Images go through your brain of how pets can make your unborn child sick, from going blind, to deaf to other congenital abnormalities.

Think of your family group... then do all  you can
to protect them all.

All vets are dedicated to the health of all animals, as we know by keeping our pets healthy, we keep us all healthy too. 

It is not uncommon for parents- to - be to ring up their vet to ask questions about their pets, especially after they have been given (mis) information by their own doctor. 

• Did you know that you could get worms from lying on the grass?
• Did you know that 30% of kids eat soil, sand and grass, a behavior known as pica?
• Did you know that these are the ways our kids, as well as us, can get infected by the worms that our pets may carry?
• Did you know that a puppy infected with only 20 roundworms (which is not a lot of worms) can layover 500 000 eggs in the environment in one week. 

All very sobering thoughts.

What do you need to do to protect your family?

The first thing is….

1. 1.       Go to your pet’s health record, and to where you store all of your pet’s medications.
2. 2.       Put it all on one spot on the table
3. 3.       Get a sheet of paper and write down everything that you have and what it does. For example – Advantage for cats – does fleas and lice.

Use the following information to make sure your pet’s preventative program is all sorted. If in any doubt, your local vet will always help you. 

Preventative care for your pet is the best way of protecting your human family, so Leonard and Sheldon (or whatever your pet’s name’s are,  can still stay sleeping on the lounge whilst you watch TV).

For dogs:

•   Your worming medication should cover Roundworm, Hookworm, Whipworm, Flea Tapeworm and Hydatid Tapeworm.
•    Your vet can provide the best Heartworm prevention through a once a year injection, so take advantage of that.
• Your flea control should cover fleas and lice, (animals can be short term carriers of head lice, so I like to treat them too).

Cats (and kittens) are great family pets if all of the right
things are done to keep them (and your family) healthy.

For cats:

•     Your worming medication should cover roundworm, hookworm and tapeworm.
•  Your flea control should cover fleas, lice and mites.

Your vet can provide the best advice on how often and what you should use to keep your pet worm and flea free, as we have seen what products do and don’t work.  It is our daily work.

Now onto Ringworm.  Unfortunately, Ringworm is not a worm, but a fungal infection and Toxoplasmosis is a protozoan disease, both of which we can’t worm against.  These two types of infections are the most common reason why new mums are often scared of their cats.

Cat’s can be carriers of Ringworm, and Fungal cultures are needed to check, but most kids are infected from the class mates or from playing in the dirt.

Toxoplasmosis is the scary one, but as a mother of four, who has worked with cats, I am still Toxoplasmosis negative, so it really isn’t an easy infection to get.

But to protect yourself and your family against Toxoplasmosis and intestinal worms, especially if you are pregnant, follow these guidelines.

• ·         Make sure you have one litter tray per cat plus one extra
• ·         Wear gloves when cleaning the litter tray
• ·         Practice good hygiene – wash your hands frequently
• ·         Rinse all fruit and vegetables prior to eating.
• ·         Avoid uncooked or partially cooked meat
• ·         Cover your kid’s sandbox when not in use
• ·         Clean up your pet’s poop daily

Leonard and Sheldon... we are happy to be part of a family.
Your pet loves to be part of your family.
Go give your family a hug!

Families are fun, and they are more fun if you have pets.

 Don't think about preventative care of your pet as "alot of money", but think of it is an investment in the long life and health of yourself, your children, your family as well as your family pet.

I am Dr Liz, and I am a vet at Russell Vale Animal Clinic.  We love animals, and we are here to help.