Pets are susceptible to many diseases, no matter where you live. Many diseases and conditions are preventable. The keys to disease prevention are regular veterinarian visits and keeping your pets' vaccinations up-to-date. Many diseases that used to plague pets and their owners, such as distemper and rabies, are now largely controlled by vaccines. Vaccines work only if they are given when necessary and updated as required. Diseases and conditions that cannot be vaccinated against can often be controlled by maintaining a clean living space, minimizing your pet's exposure to disease-causing organisms and providing a healthy diet for your pet.
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Fleas
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According to the Texas Agricultural Extension Service, one of the biggest expenses for pet owners is flea control. Fleas are small, wingless insects that feed on the blood of animals and humans. Adult fleas are less than 1/8 inch long and have six legs, which are adapted for jumping.
Fleas are usually transmitted by jumping from one animal to another. Pets can get fleas from other pets or from associating with wild animals, such as squirrels, rats or prairie dogs. Fleas can carry diseases such as the plague and murine typhus. Humans can get these diseases after being bitten by disease-carrying fleas. Fleas also serve as intermediate hosts for tapeworms, transmitting tapeworms from one animal to another.
Pets that are heavily infested with fleas scratch constantly. This can roughen their coats and may cause nervous conditions. Some pets are allergic to fleas, and one or two bites can cause severe itching and scratching.
Pet owners can control fleas by keeping pet areas clean, frequently washing and combing their pets, and by using insecticides. Insecticides can be mixed into a pet's food, given as pills, poured on the animal or placed in a few spots on the animal, allowing its natural oils to carry the insecticide to the rest of its body.
Internal Parasites
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Internal parasites may be small but they can cause big problems for pets and their owners. Some of the more common internal parasites that infect pets are roundworms, hookworms, tapeworms and whipworms, according to the University of Florida Extension. These internal parasites can weaken an animal's resistance to disease, weaken the animal and cause tissue damage.
Internal parasites are usually diagnosed by a veterinarian examining a stool sample under a microscope. Pet owners can sometimes identify tapeworms, because they are visible to the naked eye and show up in animals' fecal matter.
Internal parasites are treated with a worming regimen that should be recommended by the veterinarian and followed closely. Incorrect use of this medication can cause harm or death to pets. Many internal parasites are transmitted by an animal ingesting the feces of an infested animal or by eating an animal (such as a rodent or rabbit) that has been infected with an internal parasite. Keeping your pet's living area free of feces and not giving them an opportunity to eat potentially infected rodents can reduce the chances of infection.
Heartworm
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Heartworm is a common and potentially fatal affliction of dogs, though it has been detected in cats, too. Heartworms are transmitted in the larval stage by mosquitoes. The mosquito bites a pet, and the larva makes its way into the pet's bloodstream. It migrates through the animal's body until it is an adult, when it stops at the heart. This takes about six months. The heartworms live in the chambers of the heart, usually extending through the valves. They prevent proper closure of the valves, making the heart less effective. In severe infestations they can move to the blood vessels of the lungs.
Animals typically don't show symptoms of heartworm until after the damage has been done. Symptoms are weight loss, chronic cough, shortness of breath, muscular weakness and eventually death.
Animals can be treated for heartworm, but the best way to manage it is to prevent it. Monthly treatments, usually in the form of a pill or tablet, prevent the larva from maturing to the adult stage. If your pet does contract heartworm, which is diagnosed with a blood test by your veterinarian, it can be treated if it is detected early enough. Chemicals can be given which gradually kill the heartworms. These treatments are risky, though, and are toxic to the pets as well as the heartworms.
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