| INTERNAL PARASITES 
Tapeworms: Found in both dogs and cats, tapeworms are the most visibly detectable intestinal parasites, as they often appear as rice-shaped segments around a pet's anal region or in its feces. Some tapeworms do not have visibly detectable segments and can be the source of some of the most serious and life-threatening diseases to humans. Because heartworm preventatives generally offer no protection from these parasites, it's critical to protect your pets from these pests with a Total Pet Parasite Protection program. Tapeworms require an intermediate host (generally fleas, rabbits, rodents and ruminants) to mature, so pets can only become infected by ingesting a host carrying the infection 
Hookworms: Typically about 1/2 to 3/4 of an inch long, hookworms are found in the small intestines of cats and dogs. They live on blood and tissue, often rapidly leading to serious illness and death. In fact, as few as 50 worms can be fatal to a puppy or kitten. A female hookworm often sheds eggs at the rate of 25,000 a day, quickly contaminating an environment. Pets then become susceptible to infection by either ingesting hookworm larvae or by the larvae penetrating a pet's skin. Puppies born to previously infected mothers will also generally become infected through nursing. 
Roundworms (also known as ascarids): Large, cream-colored worms that typically grow 10 to 15 cm long. While these worms are easy to see if they are expelled in vomit or feces, it is quite possible that infected pets will show no outward symptoms of a roundworm infection. These infections are very common in puppies and kittens. Roundworms are prolific egg shedders — a single female can produce up to 100,000 eggs a day. Pets often become infected by ingesting soil or vegetation contaminated by these shed eggs. In addition, pets can become infected by consuming a secondary host (such as a rodent, rabbit or bird), through their mothers before birth (puppies) or by nursing. 
Whipworms: Found mainly in dogs, whipworms attach themselves to a pet's large intestine where they feed on blood. Pets can only become infected by whipworms through the ingestion of eggs, but unfortunately, whipworm eggs are especially hardy. They can survive in soil for years, even in the coldest climates, quickly re-infecting pets that frequent contaminated areas. WORM FACTS: In a recent study, 10-30% of public soil samples were contaminated with intestinal parasite eggs.A single female roundworm can produce up to 100,000 eggs per day.A recent national survey showed that 19% of dogs were infected with hookworms.Tapeworm infections are often visible. One sign is the appearance of worm segments (they look like small grains of rice) in an animal's feces.All people should be vigilant of the dangers posed by intestinal parasites, but children, the elderly and the immune-compromised are at the highest risk of becoming infected.Fleas can transmit tapeworms to your pets.A complete intestinal parasite program consists of three parts:
1. The use of a monthly heartworm preventative.
2. The use of a broad-spectrum dewormer.
3. The use of a monthly topical flea control product. Often, parasite eggs can't be seen by the naked eye even though they may be present in the feces of an animal.In just one week, two puppies infected with roundworms can shed over 20 million eggs, contaminating a 2,800 square-foot backyard.Some parasite eggs can survive in soil for years. | | EXTERNAL 
Lice are insects that can be seen with the naked eye. They are flattened and possess no wings. They are very host-specific and do not tend to leave their preferred animal. Lice spend their entire life cycle on the pet. Lice (singular: louse) are insects belonging to either the Mallophaga for chewing lice and Anoplura for sucking lice. There are about 460 species of sucking lice and 3,000 species of chewing lice. Transmission of lice is by direct contact with an infested pet. Unlike fleas and ticks, lice do not persist or travel in the environment. Grooming instruments may, however, serve as a source of transmission. Lice lay eggs (termed nits) on the hair shafts. The life cycle takes about 21 days to complete. 
(Sometimes called red mange or demodicosis)
The Culprit - Demodex Canis Demodectic mange, also called demodicosis, is caused by a microscopic mite of the Demodex genus. Three species of Demodex mites have been identified in dogs: Demodex canis, Demodex gotoi, and Demodex injai. The most common mite of demodectic mange is Demodex canis. All dogs raised normally by their mothers possess this mite as mites are transferred from mother to pup through cuddling during the first few days of life. Most dogs live in harmony with their mites, never suffering any consequences from being parasitized. However, if conditions change to upset the natural equilibrium, such as some kind of suppression of the dog's immune system, the Demodex mites may gain the upper hand. The mites proliferate and can cause serious skin disease. 
Ear mites are tiny infectious organisms resembling microscopic ticks. The mite can just barely be seen as a small white dot with the naked eye but usually must be detected by examination of a sample of ear wax under a microscope. Infection usually produces a characteristic dry black ear discharge commonly said to resemble coffee grounds. Because of the classical appearance of this discharge, infection is often diagnosed based on this discharge although without visual confirmation of the mite under the microscope, it is possible to be led astray. The discharge is composed of ear wax, blood, inflammatory biochemicals, and the ear mites themselves. Most people have heard of ear mites and know they are a relatively common parasite of dogs and cats. There is, unfortunately, a tendency in the general public to see a pet’s inflamed ear with discharge and assume it is an ear mite infection, often leading to weeks of inappropriate treatment with over-the-counter remedies. It is important to distinguish an ear infected with yeast or bacteria from one infected with mites; it is also important to recognize that the old topical remedies requiring several weeks of ear cleaning and treatment have largely been replaced by far simpler products.  Fleas are the most common external parasite of companion animals. Flea allergy dermatitis is the most common skin disease of dogs and cats! Flea control has always been a challenge for veterinarians and pet owners because the adult fleas cause the clinical signs, yet the majority of the flea population (eggs, larvae and pupae) are to be found off the pet in and around the home. The ideal flea control program utilizes products that target the various stages of the flea life cycle, not only the adult fleas on the pet. In order to help you to select the most appropriate products to achieve a flea-free existence for an allergic pet, we will start by telling you about the life cycle of the flea.
Ticks are skin parasites that feed on the blood of their hosts. Ticks like motion, warm temperatures from body heat, and the carbon dioxide exhaled by mammals, which is why they are attracted to such hosts as dogs, cats, rodents, rabbits, cattle, small mammals, etc. The bite itself is not usually painful, but the parasite can transmit diseases and cause tick paralysis, which is why tick control is so important. (Removing the ticks leads to rapid improvement of the paralysis.)
It takes several hours for an attached tick to transmit disease, so owners can usually prevent disease transmission to their pets by following a regular schedule to look for and remove ticks. Most types of ticks require three hosts during a two-year lifespan. Each tick stage requires a blood meal before it can reach the next stage. Hard ticks have four life stages: egg, larva, nymph, and adult. Larvae and nymphs must feed before they detach and molt. Adult female ticks can engorge, increasing their weight by more than 100 fold. After detaching, an adult female tick can lay approximately 3,000 eggs.
During the egg-laying stage, ticks lay eggs in secluded areas with dense vegetation. The eggs hatch within two weeks. Some species of ticks lay 100 eggs at a time, others lay 3,000 to 6,000 per batch. Once the eggs hatch, the ticks are in the larval stage, during which time the larvae move into grass and search for their first blood meal. At this stage, they will attach themselves for several days to their first host, usually a bird or rodent, and then fall onto the ground. The nymph stage begins after the first blood meal is completed. Nymphs remain inactive during winter and start moving again in spring. Nymphs find a host, usually a rodent, pet, or human. Nymphs are generally about the size of a freckle. After this blood meal, ticks fall off the host and move into the adult stage. Throughout the autumn, male and female adults find a host, which is again usually a rodent, pet, or human. The adult female feeds for 8 to 12 days. The female mates while still attached to her host. Both ticks fall off, and the males die. The female remains inactive through the winter and in the spring lays her eggs in a secluded place. If adults cannot find a host animal in the fall, they can survive in leaf litter until the spring. | |