Fleas and worms are the most common parasites our pets are likely to suffer from.

Fleas are very successful parasites and they manage to survive all year round despite some very good flea control products on the market. Unfortunately not everyone uses a good flea control product and wild animals also serve as a host to allow fleas to breed. An adult flea once it has fed by sucking blood from your pet will lay around 50 eggs per day. These will fall off your pets coat and into your carpets. There they will hatch into larvae and then pupate while awaiting optimal survival conditions before hatching as adult fleas again. In warm and humid conditions this life cycle can be as short as a few weeks. Houses with central heating provide a perfect habitat for fleas all year round so regular flea control is needed all year round also. Good flea control requires the use of a product on your pet's coat to kill adult fleas and also a form of environmental control to prevent the life cycle being completed. To ensure good flea control use a residual, dual action prescription product every 1 – 2 months, available from your vet.

Worms can be picked up by your pets from eating prey animals, grass, chewing sticks and carrying toys. They can infest your pet's gut and attach themselves there while producing 100s of eggs. These are passed out into the environment and will contaminate soil in any area where animals go. 50% of soil samples taken anywhere in the country have been shown to contain worm eggs. Regular worming is essential to ensure your pet does not contribute to this soil contamination. There are also health implications for people; some worms will use humans as their intermediate host causing blindness, problems with abdominal organs and neurological problems. Children are especially at risk as they are more likely to ingest worm eggs. There are two main types of worms that need to be prevented. These are Tape Worms and Round Worms (which includes Lung Worm), both of which may infect dogs and cats but are easily prevented. To ensure good worm control use a dual action prescription wormer every 3 months, available from your vet.

Fighting Fleas Factsheet (PDF)