Did you know that a single flea can lay up to 50 eggs a day, quickly turning a minor nuisance into a full-blown infestation? And it’s not just fleas—other parasites like roundworms, mites, and ticks, can also affect your pets and your family. In Texas, parasite prevention is a year-round endeavor, so without further ado, here’s how to prevent parasites in dogs and cats.
Common Parasites That Affect Dogs and Cats
We know that you always want to keep your pet happy and healthy. And we know how awful people feel when their pets get parasites of any kind. However, pets can be exposed to a wide range of parasites every single day. From fleas to tapeworms, here are some of the more common types of parasites and the health risks they pose to pets and humans.
Internal Parasites
These parasites live inside your pet’s body, usually in the intestines, lungs, heart, or eyes. If your pet has internal parasites, you may notice symptoms like vomiting, diarrhea, a bloated belly, coughing, inability to exercise, or eye issues, including redness, swelling, discharge, and excessive tearing.
Common internal parasites include:
- Roundworms, Hookworms, and Tapeworms
These parasites live in the gut, causing diarrhea, vomiting, and weight loss. These types of worms can also be transferred to humans through your pet’s feces. If they have worms and you touch their poop and don’t wash your hands or accidentally get sand in your mouth playing outside where your pet has gone to the bathroom, the roundworm and hookworm eggs can be transferred to you.
- Heartworms
Pets can get infected with heartworms from being bitten by mosquitos. These worms live in your pet’s heart and can cause cardiovascular disease.
External Parasites
These parasites live on your pet’s skin or underneath their fur. If your dog or cat has external parasites, you may notice intense scratching, dry or flaky skin, or even anemia, especially in smaller dogs and cats. Some symptoms to watch out for are tarry or bloody feces, blood in vomit, and pale pink or whiteish-colored gums.
Common external parasites include:
- Fleas
There are several types of fleas that can infest your pets (and your home). They usually cause intense itching, but in severe cases there may be skin lesions and swelling.
- Mites
These are tiny parasites that usually live on the skin or inside the ears of dogs and cats. Most types of mites cannot survive on humans, but there are a few that can. If you notice your pet scratching at their ears consistently, you should have them checked by your veterinarian.
- Ticks
These blood-drinking parasites are impartial as to whether they bite pets or humans. They can ride into the house on your pet’s fur, jump off, and bite you. Ticks can carry various diseases, including Lyme disease.
How to Prevent Parasites in Dogs and Cats
Taking your pet to the vet at least once a year for a physical exam is a very important step in preventing parasites. Your vet will be able to spot any symptoms that you may have missed. Bring a fresh fecal sample with you for these appointments, so the lab can check for intestinal parasites. Your vet will draw a blood sample to test for heartworms.
Helping your pet so they don’t get parasites is a year-long process. Prevention measures include parasite testing, and preventive medications for heartworms, fleas, ticks, and other parasites. You can also keep parasites away by keeping pet bedding, yards, dishes, and litter boxes clean.
Set a regular grooming schedule for dogs and cats so you can check for external parasites. And do your best to avoid going to places where parasites are more likely. For example, if the tick population is high, you should avoid fields with tall grass as well as wooded areas.
Parasite Prevention for Cats and Dogs in Harker Heights
Prevention is the key to keeping your pets safe and parasite-free. If you want to protect your pet from parasites, or if you’re worried that they might be infected, come to Aztec Pet Hospital. We’ll help you set up a parasite prevention plan that will keep your pet safe year-round—contact us to schedule an appointment today.
Images used under creative commons license – commercial use (03/11/2025) Photo by Jerry Wang on Unsplash