Periodontal disease, or 'dental' disease, is a very common problem we deal with in Veterinary practice. If left untreated, it can lead to debilitating pain or discomfort, and even go so far as to impact the health of internal organs such as the heart, liver and kidneys. However, in most cases dental disease can
Vaccinations play a vital role in the overall health of our pets. It is important to keep them up to date, as the diseases they protect them from can be life-threatening, or cause long-term, chronic problems. Thanks to modern medicine, these viruses are much less common nowadays. Developing a vaccine means they have been almost
Vaccinations play a vital role in the overall health of our pets. It is important to keep them up to date, as the diseases they protect them from can be life-threatening, or cause long-term, chronic problems. Thanks to modern medicine, these viruses are much less common nowadays. Developing a vaccine means they have been almost
Non-Worm Parasites By definition, a ‘non-worm parasite’ is any micro-organism that will not develop into a worm at any stage in their life cycle – they will stay as single-celled organisms. Non-worm parasites also include bacteria and fungi. There are many, many different types that we see in Veterinary practice, and most of
The Silent Killer Heartworm is one of the lesser-known, yet more deadly parasites that can infect our pets, coined ‘the silent killer’ as clinical signs may not develop for months or even years. This usually occurs when there is a large heartworm burden – and for some animals, once symptoms are present, it
Fleas are classified as ‘ecto parasites’ – meaning they live on the outside of a host, unlike the heartworm and intestinal worms as previously discussed. Similarly to their tick cousins, they can also be carriers for diseases such as flea allergy dermatitis, tapeworm, cat scratch fever and anaemia. Diagnosis is typically fairly straightforward –
Hookworm, roundworm, whipworm and tapeworm are the 4 most common intestinal worms that can infect your pets. See Figure 1 for a visual representation. This family of parasites are usually missed as they don't pose as great of a risk compared to ticks and heartworm. However, it is important nonetheless to be aware of their
There are three main types of ticks that infect domestic animals in Australia – paralysis ticks, bush ticks and brown dog ticks. The most harmful is Ixodes holocyclus – the paralysis tick. Famously known for its debilitating toxin that can be fatal to any of our dogs and cats at any stage in their
