Common Parasites of Small Animals

     Parasites in general are very bothersome to both pets and the people that care for them. There are two types of parasites, internal parasites and external parasites . Internal parasites live inside animals, in the intestines, blood, muscle tissue or even brain. External parasites live on or in the skin. Common small animal parasites include heartworms, intestinal worms, fleas, ticks, mites and lice. All of these can cause a great deal of discomfort, illness and sometimes death.

     Heartworms are internal parasites; the adult worms live in the heart and the progeny live in the bloodstream. The parasites are transmitted to your pet by the bite of a mosquito. The mosquito carries the larvae, which grows into the adult worms that lodge in the heart. The adult worms lodged in the vessels of the heart cause many problems for your dog or cat including coughing, vomiting, lethargy and weight loss. Eventually heart failure and death can occur. Treatment for the adult heartworms is available for dogs, but it comes with significant risks and is costly. Currently there is no safe treatment available for cats.

     Fortunately, there are excellent preventative medications to stop this parasite. There is a monthly tablet, which destroys the larva transmitted from the mosquito, and there is a new product, an injection which lasts for six months, to eliminate the parasite. We recommend that your dog be tested for heartworm in March or April to make sure your dog does not have the disease first. Giving the preventative to an infected dog may cause an allergic reaction.

Intestinal Parasites
     There are many intestinal parasites. These parasites include roundworms, hookworms, tapeworms, coccidia, giardia, cryptosporidium, and whipworms . All can cause a large amount of damage leading to vomiting, diarrhea, anemia and weight loss. In puppies and kittens, death may occur if there is an enormous amount of parasites because they do not allow for proper nutritional absorption.

    The transmission of these parasites varies. Pets may be infected through the placenta before the puppies or kittens are born, through the mom's milk during nursing, or from directly ingesting the egg of the parasite. Treatment depends on the type of intestinal parasitic infection. It is important to see a veterinarian if your pet has any of the above symptoms. Often the intestinal parasites shed eggs in your pet's stool so veterinarians will check their stool to look for the eggs.

External Parasites
     Fleas, ticks and mites are considered external parasites since they are found in or on the skin and hair. Fleas cause problems because they multiply very rapidly. Fleas are transmitted from pet to pet and wild animals to pet. The adult fleas take small bites of your pet and feed off the blood. This is not a large problem if there are just a few fleas but can lead to anemia and weight loss in young animals. Also, some pets are allergic to flea bites causing them to scratch until they have a skin infection.

    There are many treatments for fleas. Veterinarians recommend the less toxic sprays, top spots and oral pills verus the powders and collars. It is also very important to clean and treat the environment to eliminate flea eggs, larva, and pupa at the same time you are treating your pet.

    Ticks are concerning since they carry disease and transmit them to your pet. Some ticks carry Lyme disease and/or other infectious agents that cause diseases like Babesiosis, Rocky Mountain spotted fever; and tick paralysis . Lyme disease in dogs causes fevers, swollen lymph nodes, swollen joints, limping, lethargy and decreased appetite. The treatment for Lyme disease is a long course of antibiotics, usually 4-6 weeks. There is vaccine for Lyme disease that may help to prevent it, but its potency is not as good when compared with other vaccines. Available tick prevention includes sprays, top spots and collars.

    Lice and mites live in and on the skin and hair follicles. Lice are usually considered more of a nuisance by causing hair and skin irritations. They are treated with shampoos, sprays and dips. Mites are generally species specific and are transmitted from one animal to another by contact. Some mites cause mange or scabies , which results in extensive scratching, hair loss, and inflammation of the skin. This scratching and inflammation leads to scabs and severe skin infections. Treatment involves injections of an insecticide or insecticidal dips and antibiotic for secondary bacterial infections.

    Parasite prevention and regular veterinary care are important ways to reduce your pet's exposure to both internal and external parasites. Talk to your veterinarian about the best parasite prevention for you and your pet.