Worming, Tick & Flea Care

Intestinal Worms

All dogs need to be treated for intestinal worms regularly. The most common intestinal worms that affect dogs in Australia are roundworm, hookworm, whipworm and tapeworm. Loss of appetite, vomiting, diarrhoea are some of the symptoms a dog can experience from a worm infestation.

Your puppy has been wormed at 2, 4, 6, and 8 weeks with Milbemax. Puppy will need to continue being wormed fortnightly until they are 12 weeks of age, and then monthly until six months of age. After six months all dogs need to be wormed every three months for effective protection.

Your Vet will have the best advice.

Heartworm

Dogs get heartworm from mosquitoes - who spread immature stages of heartworm when they bite dogs. Heartworm disease can be fatal, but prevention is possible through a monthly or annual preparation. Puppies should be started on prevention from 12 weeks of age.Your puppies have been wormed with Milbemax which also has heartworm prevention.

Your Vet will have the best advice.

Worming treatments

There are a number of fantastic products on the market now that cover both intestinal worms and heartworm, and others that also cover fleas and ticks.

Given the variety of options - I will always recommend that you consult your Vet about what preventative programs are going to work best for you and your puppy.

Tip: Put regular worming, tick and flea treatment dates into your calendar so you don’t forget them. I use Nexgard Spectra or Simparica on the first of the month for all my adult dogs. This covers Fleas,Ticks, Intestinal worms and Heartworm.

Ticks & Fleas

Ticks are small spider-like acarids and fleas are insects, but these two tiny creatures have at least one thing in common—they are both parasites that feed on your dog’s blood and can cause a lot of discomfort and serious health problems.

Flea bites may go unnoticed on some pets, cause slight irritation in others and produce extensive itching, red lesions, hair loss and even ulcers in those animals with flea allergy dermatitis, which is the result of extreme sensitivity to flea saliva.

The Paralysis Tick and the Brown Dog Tick are both seen in many parts of Australia, but it is the Paralysis Tick which is by far the most dangerous for dogs, and can cause death in a very short time if your pet develops symptoms and is left untreated.

Tip: Check your dog every day if you live in a tick-prone area even when using preventative tick products.

Tick & Flea Treatments

Again, there are a wide range of preventative treatments for ticks & fleas available. Your puppy HAS NOT been treated for fleas or ticks as yet.

I prefer to use Nexgard Spectra or Simparica Trio on my own dogs. This is a monthly all-in-one treatment that covers intestinal worms, heartworm, ticks and fleas, and can be administered to puppies from 8 weeks of age.

As mentioned before, there are many options and products out here to treat intestinal worms, heartworm, fleas and ticks. Please talk to your Vet about what options they recommend that will also work in with your lifestyle (and memory).

Resources

Ticks and your pet; what you need to know (RSPCA)

What is the best flea & tick treatment (petcircle.com.au)

How often should I worm my dog (petcircle.com.au)