In order to remove fleas from your pet, home and life, you must eliminate fleas from your dogs, cats and other pets.

How can you control fleas in your home? Dogs and cats share the same fleas. All pets in your home must be on a flea preventive medication. We can provide you with the safest and most effective flea preventive for your pet’s needs.

Here are some FAQ’s to keep you prepared and hopefully prevent fleas in your home. Furthermore, check out our video on how to look for fleas on your pet.

Fleas can cause anemia (low red blood cell counts) in heavy infestations, especially in young or sick dogs. Fleas can also carry diseases, including tapeworms.

Successful flea control includes treating both your home and your pet. We have flea prevention medications at our Peninsula Vet Care hospitals, call us for more information.

Shampoos, sprays, powders and topical preparations are all available. Be sure to consult your local Peninsula Vet Care hospital to choose the most effective and safe flea products for your home and pet.

Environmental preparations are becoming increasingly sophisticated. Remember that most products are only effective against the adult flea. Your veterinarian can provide you with flea products that contain Insect Growth Regulators (IGR) that will help destroy the flea eggs and larvae. Before applying any environmental product, we recommend vacuuming your carpet to stimulate the pre-adult fleas to emerge from their protective cocoons. Be sure to discard the vacuum cleaner bag after its use.

Concentrate on dark, shaded areas. Spray a product containing an IGR and repeat every 14-21 days for three to five applications.

Preventative care is best for ticks. Together we can find a product that works best for you and your pet to prevent occurrence. There are a range of options to ensure the optimal health of your friend. If treatment is required after a tick bite has occurred, our team has the expertise to get your pet back healthy.

If you are traveling to an area that has paralysis ticks, prevention medication is available. Call your local Peninsula Vet Care hospital before you travel!

How do I tell what type of tick is on my pet?

It is very difficult to differentiate between the two main types of ticks commonly found on dogs and cats. Identification requires a history of travel in the past weeks and examination of the tick with a microscope.

Ticks can often be quite difficult to find, particularly on animals that have long fur. Ticks can attach to any part of an animal’s body, including inside ears and between pads and toes. Ticks can easily be confused with skin warts, wounds and scabs.

There are two main types of ticks commonly found on dogs and cats;

The brown dog tick (Bush tick) is non-toxic; this tick is typically found in the cooler areas of Eastern Australia and should be removed from your pet by a vet.

The paralysis tick (Ixodes holocyclus) is deadly. This tick is generally located in Queensland, NSW and North Eastern Victoria, including East Gippsland. Removal and potential treatment is required as soon as possible.

Tick paralysis occurs when ticks attach to and feed on dogs and cats. The tick releases a toxin into the animal as it feeds, causing paralysis and death.

What do I do if I find a tick on my pet?

It is best to take your pet to your local veterinarian for an examination, where we can safely remove and identify the tick. The use of a plastic tick hook makes this process much easier. Do not twist or squeeze the body of the tick, as this can squeeze more toxin into your pet.

What are the signs of tick paralysis?

Animals may become agitated and unable to settle, they may start to stagger when trying to walk or even collapse or you may notice a change in their bark/meow sounds. They may also appear to be breathing faster or having trouble breathing, may make unusual grunting sounds and there may be coughing, vomiting or gagging present.

What is the treatment for tick paralysis?

After a thorough assessment from the veterinarian and identification and removal of the tick, patients need monitoring and hospitalisation for at least 48 hours. The vet will give tick anti-serum to help prevent or reduce the effects of the toxin.

There can be more than one tick attached to your pet, hospitalisation and close monitoring is essential, as patients can deteriorate 12-24 hours after tick removal.

What are the risks associated with tick paralysis for my pet?

The risks with tick paralysis include:

Heart failure

Aspiration or upper respiratory tract obstruction

Respiratory muscle paralysis

Death

Patients should be rested for 3-4 weeks following discharge from the hospital.

Will my pet recover completely?

Your pet will recover completely if you seek immediate veterinary attention as soon as you suspect your pet may be suffering from tick paralysis.

The longer the paralysis tick feeds on the animal, the more likely it is that the animal will suffer from serious health problems, and the less likely there is of a full recovery.

In some severe cases, animals may die.

How much does it cost for my animal to be treated?

Tick paralysis cases can become very costly to treat due to the cost of the tick anti-serum, the many tests/medications required and the lengthy intensive care needed to aid a full recovery. Talk to our team about pet insurance or other plans to help with medical costs.

Our Price Guarantee

Have you heard about our new tick treatment price guarantee?

At each of our Peninsula Vet Care locations, we are able to secure better pricing from manufacturers on tick treatment products. And so, we are passing on those savings to you, our clients! We are so confident in our great new prices, that we have created our tick treatment price guarantee.

If you find a cheaper price from any local Peninsula business on any stocked tick treatment, we will beat it by 10%!

At Peninsula Vet Care, not only do we offer great prices, but also the expert advice to ensure you get the best product for your best friend.

Contact us today to find out more.

Prevention is the best treatment of heartworm. If treatment is required, it can be difficult and is not without risk. Prompt treatment and rest are essential to ensure that your dog recovers from this dangerous disease.

What is heartworm?

Heartworm (Dirofilaria immitis) is a serious and potentially fatal disease in dogs.

Heartworm is a blood-borne parasite, transmitted via mosquitoes. Mosquitoes bite dogs, and the infective larvae enter the bloodstream moving into the heart and adjacent vessels. The young larvae mature over six months after infection.

Heartworms can clog the heart and major blood vessels in your dog, interfering with normal heart valve function, and the blood supply to all bodily organs, leading to disease and death. Young heartworms (microfilariae) circulate throughout the body in small blood vessels and may block blood flow depriving organs of nutrients and oxygen. This occurs in the lungs and liver.

What are the symptoms of heartworm?

Symptoms of heartworm that you may see in your pet are:

Soft dry coughing

Shortness of breath

Weakness

Reduced exercise tolerance

Restlessness

Death

How is heartworm diagnosed?

Heartworm is diagnosed with blood tests and in cases showing symptoms, may require further tests including:

Serological blood tests to detect adult heartworms

Blood smears to detect microfilaria

Complete Clinical Blood Test to assess organ damage

X-rays to detect heart enlargement and disease secondary to heartworm

Electrocardiograms and Echocardiography may be required to assess heart function

How do I prevent heartworm?

Heartworm is readily preventable with a range of products, including Proheart annual preventative injections. Starting injections at ten weeks of age, then repeated at six months, then annually with vaccinations.

In adult dogs, we recommend testing for heartworm before giving heartworm preventative medications. As giving preventative medications can kill the adult worms, allowing them to clog large blood vessels with catastrophic results.