How to Prevent & Detect Common Pet Parasites

Fleas, ticks, lice, heartworms, round worms, hookworms, whip worms, tapeworms, and other similar parasites lurk in every corner. They can not only make your pet extremely sick, but also pose a serious danger to the health of you, your family, & your friends.

The best form of prevention is to schedule routine wellness exams with Advent Veterinary Services & consistently administer parasite preventatives, available through our onsite pet pharmacy. Other preventative steps you should take include:

  • Be Clean!
    • Clean litter boxes, cages, kennels, etc.
    • Pick up after your pet at all times followed by hand washing.
    • Wash your hands after playing with your pet or touching other animals.
    • Change your pet’s water to fresh drinking water daily.
    • Do not let your pet drink from puddles, ponds, etc.
    • Prevent your pet from eating or playing with dead animals or interacting with wildlife and other like creatures that are not treated by veterinarians.
    • Do not allow your pet to step in, smell, or eat animal feces.
    • Do not feed your companion animal raw meat.

Symptoms of pet parasites:

Although some pets do not show many, if any, symptoms of parasites, you may notice one or more of the following signs if your companion animal has external or internal parasites:

  • Diarrhea
  • Vomiting
  • Change in appetite
  • Abdominal bloating
  • Weight loss
  • Scooting
  • Weakness and fatigue
  • Coughing
  • Scaly skin
  • Bumps or scabs on the skin
  • Frequent licking of the feet or anal region
  • Incessant rubbing against furniture, the floor, or scratching oneself
  • Tiny eggs, lice, ticks, or fleas on your pet’s body or around the animal’s living quarters

To test your pet for parasites or for similar veterinary inquiries, please feel free to contact us during regular business

What parasite prevention do we carry?

We carry Trifexis (flea, heartworm, hookworms, roundworms, and whipworms prevention), Interceptor Plus (heartworm, hookworm, roundworm, whipworm, tapeworm), Heartgard Plus (heartworms, roundworms, and hookworms), NexGard (flea & tick), & Seresto collars (flea & tick). All of these are available by prescription in our in-house pharmacy.