At Vets on Parker, your pet will be looked after by vets and vet nurses who are pet owners just like you. We have pets that sleep in our homes, beds and on our couches too!
Because of our super close relationship with our pets, it is even more important to make sure we keep them free from parasites. The common parasites that we see in pet dogs and cats in Melbourne, can not only cause discomfort and illness in your pet, but can also affect your own health.
To make it as easy as possible to keep your pet happy and healthy, we have outline our recommendations for parasite control below.
For more information on parasites, please see the blog articles
DOGS and PUPPIES
Intestinal worms
We recommend an easy intestinal worm treatment be given to all dogs over 6 months of age every 3 months
For puppies, intestinal worm treatment is given every 2 weeks until 12 weeks, and then monthly until 6 months of age.
Flea control
The best and easiest way to prevent these pesky parasites is with an easy 3 monthly chew called Bravecto. The Bravecto treatment system covers ticks too!
If you aren’t so keen on an oral chew for flea control, there are numerous topical flea control preventatives too. At Vets on Parker, we recommend Advantage.
Heartworm
We are lucky that we don’t see much of this terrible parasite in Melbourne. It is so easy to prevent – a single annual heartworm prevention injection! Ask your vet about this today!
Ticks
The Bravecto chew will protect your dog for 4 months from the paralysis tick. It can be used safely in conjunction with most other parasite preventions (Advocate, Sentinel etc.) Other tick preventions such as Advantix, Nexgard, Serasto collars – may be recommended by your vet.
CATS and KITTENS
Intestinal worms
We recommend an easy intestinal worm treatment given to all cats over 6 months of age every 3 months
For kittens, intestinal worm treatment is given every 2 weeks until 12 weeks and then monthly until 6 months of age.
If you are using the flea preventative, Advocate, then instead of giving your cat a 3 monthly intestinal worm treatment you only need to give them a tapeworm treatment.
For completely indoor cats that are fed commercial diets, the frequency of intestinal worm treatment can be reduced. We recommend discussing this further with your vet to determine the best solution for your pet.
Fleas
We advise using a monthly topical flea preventative for you cats and kittens. Advantage and Advocate are the two treatment systems we recommend at Vets on Parker.
Heartworm
Heartworm prevention is not necessary for cats in Melbourne.
Ticks
Unfortunately, there is only ONE product available for cats that prevent the paralysis tick. This product is Frontline plus Spray which needs to be applied every 3 weeks.