Dr. David Evans
Pet Human Years
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Fleas, Ticks and Worms
The Chester Basin Animal Hospital is prepared for the parasite season. We carry several products to help give your pet a parasite free lifestyle. Please view our PARASITE section for more detailed information on parasites, and our RETAIL PARASITE section for our products.
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, etc. A bite of a tick is not normally painful, however, the parasite can transmit diseases and cause tick paralysis, which is why tick control is so important. It takes hours for an attached tick to transmit disease, so owners can usually prevent disease transmission by checking their pet regularly and removing the ticks as soon as possible.
FLEAS Just one female flea in a home can create an infestation. After she has had her blood meal from her host, she then lays up to 50 eggs. This is the first stage of the life cycle of a flea. Once the female flea lays her eggs, the eggs do not stay on the host. They fall off into the carpet, floor, furniture and bedding of the host.
WORMS A parasite is regarded as an organism that derives nourishment by feeding on or within another animal. The most noted parasites in dogs and cats are 'worms' and that is because the majority of all puppies and kittens acquire intestinal worms either prior to or shortly after birth. Worms are only part of the parasite picture, however, as many non-worm parasites exist as well. Common parasites include fleas, ticks, and mites as well as worms and other intestinal parasites.
