Advice for keeping your pets, you and your family safe

  

There are many reasons you don't want your pet to contract intestinal worms. They can cause your pet to have a poor appetite and upset their stomach to the point of diarrhea or vomiting. Not to mention they are just plain disgusting.

Kids aren’t particularly good about washing their hands, which they tend to always put in their mouth, so they are more likely to get infected with worms from their furry friends.

These worms aren't going to cause the exact same issues in people as they do in pets. Because these worms are used to infecting pets, they get "lost" inside humans, never quite reaching the gut. Instead they end up in odd places inside the human body. That's why people can have strange, wide-ranging symptoms from these worms, like a skin rash or a problem with vision, rather than an upset stomach.

Ok, so you’re probably really grossed out right about now. But the good news is that this is really easy to prevent! We’re here to give you some tips to keep your pet, you and your family safe from worms:

• Keep your pet on monthly heartworm prevention. Aside from protecting your pet against heartworm, a life-threatening disease, these preventives also target intestinal worms, giving you the peace of mind that your pet is regularly being dewormed so you’re not at risk.
• Get fecal tests done on a routine basis. This can help you catch a worm problem before it becomes a long-standing issue. Your veterinarian can recommend how frequently this should be done based on the prevalence of intestinal worms in your area.
• Poop scoop the yard or litter box regularly. Always wash your hands when you’re done picking up after your pet, even when using a baggie or scooper to do so.
• Reduce the likelihood of your pet contracting worms by trying to prevent behaviors that may expose your pet to infection, like eating other animals’ poop or catching mice.
• Don't go barefoot in parks or beaches that may be frequented by stray dogs or cats.
• Keep children's sandboxes covered when not in use to prevent neighborhood cats from using it as a litter box.

Speak with your VCA veterinarian to find out which parasite preventive would be best for your pet. 

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