Fleas, ticks, and other parasites are a threat to your pet
all year round
The McGehee team recommends annual testing along with proper parasite prevention to ensure your pet’s health and safety. Rest assured, if your pet has issues with parasites, your veterinarian can provide appropriate treatment and start them on a monthly preventative to ensure maximum protection.
Have questions about parasite prevention?
Contact McGehee Clinic for Animals today!
What Are Intestinal Parasites?
Intestinal parasites such as roundworms, hookworms, tapeworms, whipworms, and giardia typically infect pets via their eggs, which may be accidentally ingested and hatch in your dog or cat’s intestines. All pets, including those that spend most of their time indoors, are at risk of intestinal parasite exposure, as they can be brought into your home on shoes, clothes, or potting soil for indoor plants. These parasites don’t always cause external symptoms so it can be difficult to diagnose your pet without testing.
What Are External Parasites?
The most common external parasites we see at McGehee Clinic for Animals are fleas and ticks. These pesky parasites live in outdoor environments such as patios, backyards, or dog parks, but just like with intestinal parasites, all pets are at risk. External parasites can spread disease and cause itching, hair loss, allergies, anemia, and skin infection which makes your pet uncomfortable. Fortunately, our team can provide flea and tick treatment if you notice any issues with your pet. In addition, we offer cat and dog flea and tick prevention in Memphis, TN and can recommend monthly preventatives to ward off external parasites all year.
What Are Heartworms?
Heartworms are a small, parasitic roundworm that is often spread by mosquitoes. If your dog or cat is bitten by an infected mosquito, it may be difficult to accurately diagnose as symptoms don’t appear after the initial infection. As it progresses, heartworm disease can cause the following symptoms:
- Coughing
- Reluctance to exercise or fatigue (dogs)
- Lack of appetite
- Weight loss
- Asthma attacks (cats)
- Vomiting (cats)
- Sudden death
We recommend blood testing to confirm a diagnosis, however, additional testing may be necessary depending on the severity of your pet’s infection. Heartworms cannot survive in the human bloodstream, but despite the minimal threat to humans, we recommend taking the necessary steps to ensure proper heartworm prevention by keeping mosquitos away from your pet and administering monthly heartworm prevention.
