Fleas are a very common parasite which cause itchiness, irritation and redness in your animal. Fortunately, they are quite easy to treat and at myvet Strathfieldsaye we offer a range of products to suit your pet’s needs.

Dogs and cats can have a reaction to flea saliva resulting in a skin condition called flea allergy dermatitis (FAD). Treatment of FAD can be complicated and veterinary consultation is recommended.

Some signs that your pet may have fleas include scratching, biting and hair loss, especially at the base of the tail and rump. It’s likely you will also see the fleas especially over the rump and in the groin region.

Warning: Some non-veterinary brands of flea treatments for dogs are potentially lethal when applied to cats. Always seek veterinary advice about the best flea treatments for your pet.

Most species of animals can be infected with intestinal worms including dogs, cats, rabbits, horses, fish, birds and reptiles. The two categories of worms that may affect our pet dogs and cats are intestinal worms and heartworms.

Intestinal worms

Intestinal worms can be detrimental to your pet’s health. The common intestinal worms we treat are roundworm, tapeworm, whipworm and hookworm.

You need to worm your puppies and kittens when they are two, four, six and eight weeks old, and then every month until they are six months old. Thereafter dogs and cats should be treated every three months. Untreated, intestinal worms can cause your pet to lose body condition and even vomiting, diarrhoa and anaemia.

The team at myvet Strathfieldsaye is available to provide you with advice and effective treatment for intestinal worms in your pet.

Heartworm

Heartworm (Dirofilaria immitis) is a parasite that is spread by mosquitoes, so you pet does not even need to be in contact with other pets to become infected!

Heartworm can cause a physical blockage as well as thickening of the heart and associated blood vessels.  In the early stages of infection there may be no visible signs, however, infection may eventually lead to signs of heart failure (reluctance to exercise, lethargy, coughing) and even death.

Heartworm is present throughout most of Australia (except Tasmania and arid areas).

Thankfully, heartworm is very easy to prevent and should form part of your pet’s health care routine. The team at myvet Strathfieldsaye can provide you with advice and effective treatment options for your pet.

Pet insurance is becoming more and more popular in Australia. It offers you peace of mind as it covers some or all of the treatment costs if your pet was ever involved in an accident or suffers a sudden illness. There is no equivalent of Medicare for pets, thus often treatment costs exceed what an equivalent problem would cost for a human patient.

There are several companies that offer pet insurance and the staff at myvet Strathfieldsaye can provide you with advice on finding the one that best suits your needs and your pet.

What does pet insurance cover?

Individual packages vary in the type of treatment covered. However, they usually include most accidents and unexpected illnesses. You need to consider the differences between policies, in particular the claim excess amount, proportion of treatment costs covered, annual claim limit, age restrictions, pre-existing illness exclusions and policy costs.

We highly recommend pet insurance. If you would like information regarding the different insurance agencies, drop into our clinic and pick up a brochure.