“Your pets are special to us”

[Heartworm]  [Intestinal Worms]

Annual Heartworm Injection for Dogs.
Until now, the only way to protect against heartworm disease in dogs has been either daily or monthly oral medication. For the first time we now have available protection by a simple annual injection                                             .
Features are:

1. Can start in dogs from 3 months of age – if started under a year of age, give next injection 6 to 9 months later.
2. Reminders are sent to you so that we minimise the chance of gaps in prevention. Better still you can get the first heartworm injection at the same time as your dogs annual vaccination – just one visit per year to takes care of two health care issues.
3. Cost is not much more than using monthly oral heartworm prevention – without the additional cost and inconvenience of blood tests when you miss a dose.
4. Injection is safe, generally pain and reaction free and suitable for Collies.

Ask when you are next in for more details or to give you a cost for your size dog. See below for more details on heartworm disease.

‘Revolution’ is a revelation in dog and cat health care
With the release of Revolution we now have one, easy to apply, monthly topical preparation that combines safety, ease of use and water resistance in one product that kills fleas and prevents heartworm disease in both dogs and cats. It can be used on pups and kittens from 6 weeks of age and even pregnant and nursing females. Its also rapidly absorbed so you can bathe after 2 hours of application. And it works out about the same cost as using a monthly chewable heartworm preventative and flea control combined.

HEARTWORM
Unlike intestinal worms, heartworm is an infection spread by mosquito bites between dogs. The incidence in Perth is around 6% but can vary dramatically from one area to another, with sometimes one block in a suburb have a high level of infection due to a few infected dogs acting as resevoirs.

Heartworm disease is produced by the presence of these worms which live within the chambers of the right side of the heart. Disease from these worms is mainly from their inflammatory effect on the pulmonary arteries supplying the lungs – hence coughing as an important symptom. As well as causing a chronic cough, lethargy, exercise intolerance and weight loss may be noticed. In acute, severe infections, sudden death may be caused by a tangled knot of worms causing obstruction to blood flow into the heart.

Prevention is the name of the game with heartworm disease for these reasons:

1. It is expensive and time consuming and potentially hazardous, in severe cases, to your pet to treat this disease
2. Symptoms may take a few years to appear after infection. In other words you dog may look perfectly healthy but be gradually developing heartworm disease.
3. Prevention is simple and affordable – especially with new methods now available

Prevention takes the form of either:

1. Monthly oral prevention
2. Monthly skin application of Revolution – a combined heartworm + flea control
3. Annual injection – see above

Heartworm prevention should be started by 12 to 16 weeks of age and continued throughout life while frequenting a heartworm zone.

A Heartworm Blood Test is required if you are starting heartworm prevention for the first time or if there are any breaks in heartworm prevention longer than 2 weeks. Please contact us for further details. The test is a simple to conduct in-house ELISA test that gives results within a few minutes so that you have peace of mind your dog is not harbouring a heartworm infection.

INTESTINAL WORMS
Dogs can be infected with

1. Roundworms - (Toxocara)
2. Tapeworms
3. Hookworms
4. Threadworms

They can have implications for your dogs’ health as well as occasionally affecting human health, especially children.
Risks of roundworms to children
Children can be infected by dog (and cat) roundworms by swallowing the larvae that hatches from a roundworm egg. This doesn’t cause an intestinal worm infection but the worms instead migrate through their body - usually causing no harm. It is when these worms migrate through the eye, especially the retina that problems arise – vision loss can occur. And unfortunately it is difficult if not impossible to treat. As the eggs take 3 weeks to hatch when deposited and aren’t themselves infective the main precautions to prevent Toxocara infection in humans are:

1. Worm dogs and cats regularly – especially as puppies and kittens.
2. Clean up droppings in your yard at least weekly - preferably wearing gloves.
3. Ensure you and your children wash their hands after touching pets or handling soil before eating

Dogs are infected by worms by:

1. Migrating across the placenta before born or through the bitches milk – all puppies are born with worms and need frequent dosing in the first 3 months to clear this infection
2. eating either eggs or larvae directly from the ground
3. Ingesting a flea – in the case of the flea tapeworm. Fleas are the tapeworms intermediate host so unless you control tapeworm infestation will continue to reoccur.
4. Eating earthworms, insects or snails.
5. Eating uncooked offal. Raw meat is usually safe

Symptoms of worm infestation are:

1. Dry coat
2. Weight loss
3. Increased appetite – as you are feeding the worms as well as your dog!
4. Rubbing/licking bottom – if symptoms don’t subside after worm dose your dog may need its anal glands checked by a vet.

So to keep your dog worm free:

1. Worm regularly. Worm dosing should be based on bodyweight using an effective product. We can advise a cost-effective all-wormer that kills all of the above worms including Hydatid tapeworms. Worming should be done at least every 2 weeks between 2 and 12 weeks of age, then 3 monthly for life. Dose more frequently if there is evidence of worms.
2. Use effective flea control to prevent the flea tapeworm.
3. Don’t feed uncooked offal.
4. Prevent your dog from gaining access to earthworms or snails if possible.