Protecting against and proactively managing the many parasitic threats to your pet’s health
Your pet is likely the heartbeat of your household and the center of your world. Likewise, preventive care is at the heart of what we do at your community veterinary clinic in midtown Toronto, Ontario. Led by Dr. Steven Davidson, Upper Village Veterinary Hospital provides flea, tick, and parasite prevention and treatment or control – an essential component of our proactive expertise and our patients’ wellness programmes. With our breadth and depth of diagnostics and therapies, we aim to prevent potentially life-altering and life-threatening conditions. Many “creepy-crawlies” can cause permanent damage to your dog’s or cat’s vital organs. But the “worst” can be avoided by partnering with our skilled veterinarian and team.
What are some of the biggest parasitic dangers to my pet?
Parasites are largely classified as external or internal. True to these classifications, external parasites “live” outside your pet’s body, in their fur and skin, whereas internal parasites reside inside your pet’s body. They depend on your pet as their “host.” So, these organisms benefit from your pet, at the risk of your dog’s or cat’s health and comfort. Some of the most common external parasites we protect against, detect, treat, or manage include fleas, ticks, and mites. Likewise, we commonly partner with our clients/pet parents to prevent and control tapeworms, roundworms, hookworms, whipworms, heartworms, coccidia, and giardia.
How can external parasites affect my pet?
They can not only affect your pet, but some may also adversely affect your human family’s health and quality of life. Fleas, ticks, mites, and their ilk can result in intense itching and discomfort. Your pet may even be vulnerable to developing secondary infections due to damage to the skin from extreme scratching to relieve the itch. Some of these parasitic threats can spread severe diseases to other pets and humans and are associated with everything from Lyme disease and blood vessel damage to anemia and blood loss.
What do worms and other internal parasites do to my pet?
Tapeworms can enter your pet when they eat infected fleas or lice. As they work their way into your dog’s/cat’s GI tract, they may feed on and steal the vital nutrients needed for fuel and healthy function. Roundworms are a common parasite that can infect your pet when they consume contaminated feces or even just by rooting in the ground. They also deplete our pets of the nutrients they need and can affect your pet’s digestion. More prevalent in our canine friends, hookworms work their way through our pets’ skin and mouth. They can cause serious blood loss by sucking blood from the intestinal lining of their “host.” Severe anemia is also a threat if your pet becomes infected by whipworms (often spread through other animals’ waste). Your pet may also lack interest in food and have persistently watery stools. Coccidia can be passed easily from pet to pet via contaminated soils and fur. It is associated with intestinal damage among pets with weak immune systems. Giardia can also be spread easily, causing serious diarrhea and disrupting your pet’s ability to absorb the nutrients in food. Of all the internal parasites, though, heartworms have a particularly notorious reputation.
Why are heartworms so dangerous?
Tapeworms can enter your pet when they eat infected fleas or lice. As they work their way into your dog’s/cat’s GI tract, they may feed on and steal the vital nutrients needed for fuel and healthy function. Roundworms are a common parasite that can infect your pet when they consume contaminated feces or even just by rooting in the ground. They also deplete our pets of the nutrients they need and can affect your pet’s digestion. More prevalent in our canine friends, hookworms work their way through our pets’ skin and mouth. They can cause serious blood loss by sucking blood from the intestinal lining of their “host.” Severe anemia is also a threat if your pet becomes infected by whipworms (often spread through other animals’ waste). Your pet may also lack interest in food and have persistently watery stools. Coccidia can be passed easily from pet to pet via contaminated soils and fur. It is associated with intestinal damage among pets with weak immune systems. Giardia can also be spread easily, causing serious diarrhea and disrupting your pet’s ability to absorb the nutrients in food. Of all the internal parasites, though, heartworms have a particularly notorious reputation.
What can I do about parasites?
The good news is these infections and their resulting health effects are highly preventable. Upper Village Veterinary Hospital starts by getting your pet into a healthy routine of vaccinations as appropriate to their age, health, and other factors (such as “risk exposures”). Additionally, routine deworming, heartworm prevention and testing, and other preventives are an essential part of parasitic control. We rely on our advanced diagnostic tools to improve treatment and effectively manage any ongoing infections. Accurate diagnoses are typically based on testing a sample of your pet’s stool and blood. As needed, we get symptomatic pets stable before moving forward with treatment that varies based on the nature of the infection. We treat pets promptly, safely (with minimal side effects), and in a way that prevents the spread of the disease to other pets, people, and households in our community.
Call us at (647) 560-9276 to schedule your pet’s wellness visit in midtown Toronto, ON today. We’ve also made it as easy as possible to stay ahead of these harmful invaders with our money-saving, in-house wellness plans. For an affordable monthly plan, these and other services to protect your pet’s good health are covered with no strings attached.
