Fleas may seem like a more prominent issue for both pets and your home due to the scratching and biting involved, but actually, worms can be just as harmful to your dog or cat’s health.
Because worms are more complex to identify due to them living inside your pet rather than on their skin, your dog or cat can be at risk of suffering from worms for an extended period without this being treated.
Not all pets will display obvious signs of having worms, and over time, this can be detrimental to their health and even fatal if left untreated.
To prevent this from happening and affecting your beloved pet’s health, as a dog or cat owner, it’s important to provide your cat or dog regular worming treatments, whichever type of worming treatment you decide to go for.
Types of worming treatments
It’s important to note that there isn’t one type of worm that our cats or dogs are at risk of contracting.
Several different types find their way into your pet’s system through various means, whether it’s while they’re out and about from their environment, ingested through raw meat, other animal feces, or even their mother’s milk.
Due to there being so many types of worms, there isn’t just one standard type of worming treatment that will protect dogs or cats entirely from any and all of them.
Worming treatments will need to be advised from a vet or a professional company that knows your pet’s species, age, breed, diet, and lifestyle so the right type, strength, and application of treatment can be recommended.
Generally, though, worming treatments need to be administered to your cat or dog regularly, usually, at least every few months, to prevent worms and kill any existing worms that have found their way into your dog’s system.
Puppies and kittens need worming more frequently while they’re young due to them ingesting their mother’s milk and being more at risk of becoming ill due to the effects that worms can have on an animal’s health.
All in all, worms cause discomfort in our pets, which, if left, can even develop into pain and worse, so it’s in every cat and dog owner’s best interest to find a worming treatment that you can rely on that works for you and your animal.
Itch Pet offers monthly subscriptions for cat and dog flea, tick, and worming treatments. You can sign-up to pay an affordable monthly fee, answer some questions about your pet, decide which treatments you need, and you will have worming treatments delivered to your door as and when they’re needed.
What’s more, you don’t have to remember when your cat or dog needs worming as they simply deliver the treatment at the time it’s needed to keep your pets worm, flea and tick free.
Common types of worms
Cats and dogs aren’t at risk of all the same types of worms. However, some of the main types that both can contract are:
- Roundworms: These can crop up as a result of your pet eating worm larvae, such as when outside, eating raw meat or eating infected meat like dead animals outdoors.
- Tapeworms: Tapeworms can find their way into your cat or dog’s system through the accidental consumption of fleas or flea eggs, such as from their fur or skin when grooming themselves or other animals.
- Hookworms: Dogs can become infected from ingesting hookworm larvae, absorbing larvae through the skin or from their mother’s milk. They’re most commonly a result of grooming their feet, sniffing or eating feces or contaminated soil when on walks.
- Whipworm: Dogs are at risk of being infected by whipworms if they ingest eggs with larvae, for example, by eating or sniffing feces, eating contaminated soil, or from their mother when young.
Common symptoms of worms
There are various symptoms of worms that you should look out for if you suspect your dog has become infected, such as:
- Vomiting
- Long term diarrhea
- Weight loss
- Swollen stomach or pot belly
- Dry or coarse fur
- Scooting or itching
- Evidence of worms in vomit, feces or on the skin
Other ways to prevent worms
Although regular worming treatments from a reputable company or vet are always recommended to prevent and kill any worms your cat or dog may have become infected with, there are some other things pet owners can be doing to keep a worm-free and happy home, like:
- Keep your cat or dog’s water, and food bowls clean.
- Disinfect any of your cat or dog’s food or water bowls often, including the areas around where they eat or tend to lick.
- Keep a generally clean and hygienic home overall.
- Make sure to wash any soft furnishings that your pet has access to often as worms and larvae can live in the fabric and enter your pet’s skin – this will also help to prevent the occurrence of breeding of any other pesky species that can harm your animal like fleas and ticks.
Part of owning a pet, specifically a cat or dog, is understanding the responsibilities that it brings.
One of these is making sure you keep your pet protected and safe from any issues like worms, fleas, and ticks, which are unfortunately common occurrences if left to breed and infest.
Not only does regular worming keep your pet happy, healthy and prolongs their life, it also protects those in your household from becoming infected too.
