Parasite Prevention

Fleas

Fleas can make your cat very uncomfortable and also allow a flea infestation into your home. Parasite prevention includes stopping a flea infestation before it starts. Flea control is also important since some fleas transmit intestinal tapeworms to your pet.

 Intestinal Worms

Intestinal worms (roundworms, hookworms) are abundant in the environment. Pets can acquire these worms from infected soil of feces. Intestinal worms can cause vomiting, bloody diarrhea, anemia and stunted growth. Hookworms and roundworms also pose a threat to human health if your family members are exposed to the worm eggs. Prevention is much easier and safer than treatment after the problem has developed.

Countrycare (& the Center for Disease Control) recommends a fecal examination EVERY 6 MONTHS to check for intestinal parasites.

In addition to the worms listed previously, there are also other types of parasites that may be detected on a fecal flotation and should be addressed accordingly.

Aging

As animals move through life, they go through many of the same aging processes that humans do. Their hair may turn gray, their body seems to wear out and the their senses dim. Diseases that are commonly known to afflict humans also affect our pets: kidney, heart, and liver disease, tumors, cancer, diabetes, depression, “Alzheimer’s”, etc.

We need  to consider what is a typical lifespan for a pet and realize that they age much quicker than humans do. Different breeds and lifestyles can also affect the aging process.

The old saying was seven dog years for every ‘human’ year. The table below is a more accurate quantification of comparing your pet’s age to “human years”. For example, if your dog is 75 lbs. and is 8 years old…it would be equivalent to a 55 year old human.

Aging is not a disease, but rather a manifestation of the body’s diminished repair response. In animals, ‘old age’ is generally referred to as the last 25% of their lifespan. In addition to the number of years lived, aging is affected by such important factors as genetics, nutrition and environment. While dogs and cats begin to undergo aging changes starting at about age 5-7 years, different pets will show the various signs of growing ‘old’ at different rates. The best time to recognize your pet’s “senior” status and need for extra TLC is long before advanced problems are apparent.

To increase the length and quality of your pet’s life, it is important to 1) realize the speed of the aging process and 2) take preventative steps to manage risk factors related to your pet’s health.

Important Steps

• Have regular wellness check-ups by your veterinarian. Every 3-6 months is appropriate for seniors.
• If you only have your pet examined once every calendar year, your pet has actually aged  4-8 years!!!!
• The correct nutrition and supplements are especially important as the body ages and it cannot assimilate nutrients as well as when he/she was younger.
• Exercise is important to keep their bodies from deteriorating physically. (Use common sense for the appropriate type & amount of exercise.)
• Watch for any (even subtle) physical or behavioral changes so that they can be addressed as soon as possible.

View the Human-Animal Age Conversion Chart (PDF) to see how old your pet really is!