REDDITCH vets McGettigan & McGettigan and Southcrest Vets are backing the Pet Parasite Action campaign to encourage people to help protect their pet (and their family) against harmful parasites inside and out.
The campaign is being supported by TV and radio presenter Jenni Falconer, who said: “As a dog owner and a mum I want to be sure I do the best thing for my pet and my family.
“During the Pet Parasite Action campaign I’m encouraging all pet owners to visit their vet for a simple way to help protect their pet against parasites inside and out, including those that might be harmful to rest of the family. Let’s act now to protect all the members of our family, furry or otherwise.”
When it comes to pet parasites, most dog owners don’t have an accurate view of which are the most risky to them or their family.
In a survey it’s lungworm that worries owners most however just 48 per cent realise that ticks can cause fatalities in dogs because they can transmit diseases such as babesiosis.
Only 28 per cent recognise that ticks (as a transmitter of Lyme disease in people) are a risk to human health. Ticks should be a concern to pet owners because the threat from this parasite to pets and people is growing: in recent years there has been an increase in tick numbers across the UK due to changing weather patterns and an increasing population of deer, which host ticks.4,5,6 Plus a recent study showed 1 in 3 dogs is infested with ticks.
The least worried about parasite is probably one of the most concerning. Just 15 per cent say they are most worried about roundworms and a mere seven per cent correctly say they think it could threaten human health. Yet, if accidentally eaten, eggs from the roundworm Toxocara pose a significant threat to human health, potentially causing blindness or neurological disease – especially in children.
One in four people don’t realise that their pet could have parasites but they might not be visible, as is often the case with lungworms, hard to find ticks and microscopic roundworm eggs.
