(847) 966-3080
North Shore
Veterinary Clinic
No one wants to consider the idea that tiny bugs may be crawling around their pets and their home and feasting on their blood. Perhaps consider the possibility that your dog or cat may be playing host to many tiny and not so tiny worms living in their intestines or even their heart. By parasite control, we mean the methods we use to eliminate these pests and to prevent their return, as well as keeping them away from your pets in the first place. These methods include medications and living strategies for our pets and your home.
What do we mean by "parasite?" A parasite lives in or on a host animal and takes from it whatever the parasite needs to live and procreate. In the process, it usually causes harm to its host.
While no one can guarantee your pet will never come into contact with these parasites, we will advise you on how to make your pet's risk of exposure as low as realistically possible. If your pet comes into contact with these unpleasant pests, we will help you eliminate them. (This is usually much easier than most people think.) Your pet will be able to run and romp and play without you having to worry.
Parasites can cause a variety of problems for you and your pets. Sometimes, parasites do not cause any difficulties, but much more often, they make your pets uncomfortable and irritable. Besides making life unpleasant, they can compromise your pet's health and occasionally even create life threatening situations. Parasites may introduce many issues:
- Cause skin irritation, itchiness, lesions, and secondary skin infections.
- Transmit infectious viruses and bacteria.
- Carry antigens potentially causing allergic reactions.
- Ingest your pet's blood and cause anemia.
- Transmit other types of parasites.
- Compromise your pet's immune system to make it more susceptible to other diseases.
- Steal nutrients from your pet for their own growth and reproduction.
Besides addressing how to remove any parasites we find, we will do everything we can to get your pet feeling comfortable and back to full health.
The most common parasites that we see include:
- Fleas
- Ticks
- Mosquitoes
- Ear Mites
- Demodectic Mites
- Sarcoptic Mites
- Tapeworms
- Hookworms
- Roundworms
- Whipworms
- Coccidia
- Giardia
- Heartworms
Some pet owners feel embarrassed if we find parasites on their pets and some question the cleanliness of their own homes. However, most of the time, it's not an issue of cleanliness, but of information, and the majority of pet owners never needed to know about any type of parasite before. Don't worry, we can address all these issues and help keep everyone in your home happy and healthy.
Many parasites do not and cannot affect people, but some parasites can infest humans. They can also have some of the same consequences for people as for pets, including risk of disease transmission and allergic reactions.
For further information regarding any parasite and its risk towards people, please contact your physician.
