Tick and Parasite Prevention – Important All Year Round!

Your dog’s health is no doubt a top priority, so you’ll want to keep parasite prevention on your radar all year round, not at just peak times. Here’s how to keep your dog free of fleas, ticks and worms.

Taking a proactive approach to your dog’s parasite protection is the best way to ensure they stay healthy and happy. Especially puppies whose immune system is still developing need extra attention on this!

How to protect your dog from fleas

For the health of your dog and your entrire family, it’s crucial that you don’t slip up with flea prevention. Fleas can quickly snowball into an infestation problem in your home and cause a lot of headache! Plus in puppies in their infantile stage fleas can even cause severe anaemia.

Use a flea treatment that suits your dog’s age and weight requirements. This could be in the form of a topical treatment that you apply between their shoulder blades, a tablet or a chew. If you’re unsure, chat with your local pet shop team member or a vet, who can help you find the right one for your needs. It’s essential to have your dog on flea medication all year round!

Tick season is in full swing in spring and summer, but the reality is that depending on where you live, they are a year-round threat and can be an extremely harmful parasite for both dogs and us humans. The most dangerous type of tick is the paralysis tick which can be fatal if a bite is left untreated. You can protect your dog by using a monthly chewable tablet or a spot-on treatment between the shoulder blades. Just ensure that your dog fits within the minimum age and weight restrictions on the packet before administering any parasite protection!

How to protect your puppy from intestinal worms

Especially puppies are susceptible to worms, such as roundworms, hookworms, whipworms and tapeworms, which can all cause serious illness. You’ll need to start protecting them from intestinal worms right away when you bring your new puppy home and this should have been started by the breeder already.

This is first done with a tablet every two weeks until puppies are three months old. Then, your puppy should be given an intestinal worm tablet every month until they’re six months old. After 6 months of age, you’ll choose a product they can take into adulthood – the frequency will depend on the product you choose.

Heartworm can be very serious for dogs. They are transferred via mosquitos and can be fatal, so it’s essential that you cover this off in your parasite protection plan. Your options are a heartworm injection, a tablet, a chew or you can also find topical treatments for this for puppies. Just be sure that your puppy fits within the minimum age and weight requirements.

Important information

You must check that your chosen products provide enough cover, you’ll need protection from ticks, fleas and worms. Often, products will cover two types of parasites, but you’ll still need to ensure you’re covered on all the other ones. And ensure the products you choose can be used in tandem.