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Your Complete Guide to Worming, Flea, Lice, & Mite Treatments for Small Animals
We fall in love with our animals for their cute faces and calming presence, but there’s certainly more to pet ownership than cuddles! Besides the daily care, you also need to keep them up-to-date on their worming, flea, lice, and mite treatments. But how often should you be treating your small pets? Read on to find out!
How often should I worm my pet?
Your pet can get worms from other pets, eating things they shouldn’t (such as slugs, snails, and old food), or coming into contact with another animal’s faeces containing worms. The symptoms of worms can be extreme, so it’s best to get into a routine of regularly worming your pet before symptoms occur.
Adult dogs should be wormed about once every 3 months, as should adult cats. One of the best wormers available for dogs and cats is Panacur, which is available in paste, liquid or granules for easy digestion. Other small animals, such as rabbits, guinea pigs, and chinchillas do not usually need regular worming, but you should do so if you are concerned. For rabbits, we recommend Panacur’s Rabbit Worming Paste.
What parasites do I need to treat my pet for?
Besides worms, you should also look out for external parasites such as lice, mites, and fleas.
Fleas will also prey on you, so if you notice fleas, take action quickly. Some animals will react strongly to just a few fleas, while others may show few signs unless you look in their coat. You can find out more about the importance of tick and flea treatment in our previous blog post:
The best way to treat fleas is to use regular preventative treatments. Advantage’s Spot On range is one of the best flea treatments; you can get Spot On Rabbit flea treatment, which also works for Cats, & Small Dogs Under 4kg, as well as treatment for Large Rabbits and Cats Over 4kg, below. It’s often a good idea to treat pet bedding and carpets, as fleas can live in carpets for months without a host to feed on.
Mites and lice are another common issue, especially in small animals and birds. They often live in the ears and fur and on the legs of birds. Fortunately, Ivermectin Drops are an affordable and simple mite and lice treatment for all small animals. You can find Ivermectin drops for small mammals, small birds and large birds below:
Do I need to treat my indoor pet?
If your pet lives indoors and never goes outside or comes into contact with outside animals, then how often you treat your pet is up to your discretion. If your pet ever gets fleas, you should always treat for fleas and worms, as some fleas can cause worms if ingested.
You should also treat for worms regularly for the first few years you have your indoor-only pet, in case they picked up anything from their parent, and if you find they have eaten anything that came in from outside that may be carrying parasites, such as mice.
Parasites are unpleasant for both your pet and you, and can cause significant health problems if left unchecked. Fortunately, regular treatments with products like those mentioned above can keep your pet and home parasite-free, healthy, and happy. We offer convenient delivery across the UK, from Manchester, to London, to Liverpool and beyond!
This blog post was written on behalf of Vet Pharmacy by Pharmacy Mentor.