There are many fabulous things about living in a city with a warm climate like Sydney. The beaches, cafes and harbor make for a fantastic lifestyle. But it’s not just us that benefit. There are many insects and parasites that thrive in this climate and can cause our pets (and potentially families) great harm if care is not taken. So today we’ll run through the parasites we think are of most concern and give you some advice on what to do to prevent them.
- Heartworm – Spread by mosquitoes, this is a worm that lives in your pet’s heart. As you might expect having worms in the heart is not good and severely affected animals can die in heart failure.
- Paralysis ticks – A seasonal problem, worst from September/October through until March/April. One tick can be enough to cause a rapidly progressive paralysis in your pet. If left untreated this can lead to death. Dogs are commonly affected. Ticks are very prevalent in coastal areas both North and South of Sydney, but we do treat dogs that have never left the city and get walked in Cooper and Centennial parks.
- Intestinal worms (round and tape worms) – All dogs and cats are born with them and they’ll all tend to pick them up as they go about their daily business of sniffing around and eating things they shouldn’t! Worms can cause tummy aches, vomiting and diarrhoea in your pet. But worse, if they infect your children they can cause serious damage to the liver, eyes and lungs.
- Fleas – Sydney’s perennial problem. Fleas are a nuisance and can cause serious skin disease in cats and dogs. Many pets are allergic to the flea bites. Fleas also carry tapeworms.
- Flies – Some pets, especially older animals or animals that have had surgery are affected by flies. In extreme cases flies can lay eggs which hatch out into flesh eating maggots. More of a problem in summer.
Next installment – preventing parasite problems.